There are certain things that are commonly found in a Filipino home. These items are usually repurposed or have multiple uses.
Here are 12 things that can be found in a Filipino home. How many of these items are found in your home?
1. Recycled ice cream containers
Just when you are craving for ice cream, your hopes of enjoying a cool dessert gets dashed by the deceit behind the ice cream container. Because they are made of sturdy plastic, ice cream containers are perfect to store extra meat for next week’s ulam (dish).
2. Newspapers
They’re not just for reading, you know. Newspapers have found new life in a Filipino home, as they are used as wrapping paper for a variety of items like dried fish, delicate china, antiques, and even the glassware your mom is saving for special occasions.
3. Used bottles
Filipinos are now finding cash in used bottles. You can use them to store used oil, or some sort of a pass so ate or kuya at the sari-sari (convenience) store will not charge you with deposit fees for beer or softdrinks.
4. Electric Fan
Living in a tropical climate requires an appliance to cool you down. The electric fan is an essential appliance in a Filipino home simply because it serves multiple functions. The electric fan is used in a Filipino home as a hair dryer, clothes dryer, and for those moments when you need to take a selfie to replicate that windblown hair effect Beyonce had already perfected in her concerts.
5. Magic-Sing microphone
When the makers of Magic-Sing decided to create a mic with built-in karaoke songs, they’d know they’d make a killing in the Philippines. Never mind the fact that you might disturb the neighbors, the Magic Sing microphone is certainly for the inner Celine Dion in you.
6. Tsinelas (Rubber Slippers)
Your trusty tsinelas actually has a higher purpose: to kill those damn flying critters. Tsinelas are trusty weapons whenever an insect, especially a cockroach, appears in a corner of your home at that opportune moment. You can also use a rolled-up newspaper (See 1) or a magazine to kill bugs too.
7. Mosquito Zapper
This palengke (wet market) find has now found its way in popular retail hardware stores simply because it is that effective as an insect killer. Annoying mosquitoes? Flying ipis (cockroach)? Unknown large bugs on your curtains? This handy tool can kill them all without making an icky mess. You’d just have to contend with the smell of burnt bugs though.
8. Takip Ulam
Is your food still hot from the pan? Do you have leftovers that you wish to eat at a later time without reheating? This food cover tent is an answered prayer to many Filipino homes who do not have refrigerators or microwave ovens, as it can also keep your leftovers safe from those pesky flies.
9. Canned sardines
When it’s Petsa de Peligro, the canned sardines tastes just like a juicy steak from a five-star restaurant. Canned sardines is the ultimate savior when you have 6 working days until payday, and you have around a hundred pesos left in your budget to spend on food.
10. Wooden spoon and fork display
The purpose of this pair of items, apart from the fact that they are wall decor, remains to be a mystery. Are they meant to be used by a kapre (giant) for eating? Are they used to make guests aware where exactly the kitchen is? The world may never know.
11. Sto. Nino statues
You can thank Spain for this one. Practicing Roman Catholics put a high regard on religious icons like the Sto. Nino. The more fastidious ones even have a change of clothes for the statues, like a customized basketball jersey for example.
12. Tabo
According to Philippine Daily Inquirer columnist Michael Tan, the tabo is much more than just the Filipino version of a bidet. It’s an indispensable household item that even overseas Filipino workers cannot live without it.
Click the Play button on the YouTube video below to see the video behind these hilarious GIFs:
Do you know other household items that are usually found in a Filipino home that we have not covered yet? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
