A Jollibee Welcome

You cannot go to the Philippines without visiting the Bee—Jollibee, that is.  This great cultural fast food icon is the Philippines’ answer to the USA’s Ronald McDonald. Sorry, Ronald but my heart belongs to Jollibee. Supposedly the “Philippines’ number one fast food chain,” it is more than that.  Represented by a human-like bee, it provides a more welcoming space for Filipinos, where class differences are somewhat accommodated as its meals are priced much more affordably than that of McDonalds (e.g., you can get a burger for about 28 pesos). For my jet lagged self searching for a comforting first meal in the country, I turned to the Bee. Luckily, the bee is everywhere. In fact, it is just next door to where I live. But of course, getting to the Bee requires going through the maze-like Glorietta Mall, one of the country’s mega malls (so big that there are five sections of it—labeled Glorietta 1-5!).  Alas, after a few minutes, I find the Bee, thanks to its beaming reddish orange and yellow establishment. 

The Bee was buzzing with all sorts of people, probably because it was merienda (snack) time, although it seems to have a steady stream of people. There were the mall rats seeking sustenance after a busy day of shopping. There were couples with their young children enjoying a meal together. There were office workers savoring their ice cream cones while they seek refuge from the oppressive heat outside.  There were numerous young people from nearby Catholic private schools who seemingly use the place to meet their “barkadas” (friends) primarily.  There were the White men with their Filipina “companions,” some of who did not seem interested in trying out the food except for the soft drinks and instead just sat and watched the women eat. Then, there is the spattering of tourists like myself who stand out. For me, it was probably because of the fact that I had a “big” order for one person: one piece of Jollibee’s infamous “chicken joy” (fried chicken) which comes with gravy and a small cup of rice AND palabok (noodle-type) dish.  My excuse? I was hungry and the portions are much smaller. The walk from the cashier to an open table seemed like one of the longest walks of my life as I can feel people’s upon me. I can only imagine them wondering how one person can eat all this food. Then it didn’t help that I sat next to two Filipino English-speaking teenagers who were obsessively talking about their weight with the young woman complaining about her body fat and how she wished she could get rid of the “folds” on her stomach.  I quickly looked at her and saw nothing! Then, in the same breath, she takes a huge bite of her pizza. I don’t know what is more disturbing—the country’s obsession with weight loss or skin whitening!

But I was determined not to let any of this ruin my first Jollibee experience in Manila. Plus, I was on a mission.  My last Jollibee meal was in Las Vegas when I visited my sister.  Sadly, their chickenjoy fell flat to the taste, as if it was missing a key ingredient. Thus, I held my breath as I took my first bite, hoping that it will have that taste that is so distinctively Jollibee.  And it did!!! I was so excited about the chicken that I almost forgot about the palabok. But I finished every morsel of that meal, comforted with every bite, as the Bee reaffirmed my belief that there is something special about its chickenjoy and ultimately, this place.