Meeting an Old Friend in Woodside, Queens

Ah, Jollibee. This is the fastfood joint where Filipino kids are not afraid to go up to an 6ft orange and yellow bee to give it a hug and thank it for its deliciously sweet spaghetti with hotdogs (yes, that's the way we like it) and savory fried chicken. More popular than McDonald's, but authentically local as the sari-sari store around a Manila street corner, Jollibee is the place kids dream of having their birthday parties, and where families spend their Sundays after Mass.

Javi and I had heard of a Jollibee opening in Woodside, Queens but had also heard about how Filipinos actually line up just to be able to get a taste of a Yumburger or The Champ. We figured we'd wait until after it was too much of a novelty before venturing out to go all the way to Queens, but today, Javi felt like eating really good Thai food at the famous Sripraphai - only two blocks away from where Jollibee supposedly was.

So we figured, ok, let's check out Jollibee on the way to Sripraphai, not really quite sure of how we'd find it. After getting out from the subway station, we walked a little bit, and before we knew it, there it was... our old friend, Jollibee.

Walking by it, you could smell the Chickenjoy, and we were very much tempted to line up ourselves.

But another time, we agreed - maybe when other Filipino friends were with us. See, the thing about Filipinos and eating (as you'll come to realize if you read my first few entries) is that we see eating as an opportunity for getting together to talk, discuss and have fun. While other cultures enjoy chatting over a cup of coffee or engaging in dialogue over a few glasses of wine and slices of cheese, the heart and soul of Filipino cameraderie and togetherness is FOOD... and Jollibee.