All
OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers) love sending home products and items
in the form of a 'balikbayan' – literally 'repatriate' – box.
This is typically a 2-by-3-by-2-foot cardboard box stuffed fit to
burst with all sorts
of items – food, clothes, gadgets, and so on – that the Filipino
worker saw fit to buy and send back home to his loved ones.
So
when one sees a Filipino online shopping in Dubai, Saudi
Arabia, Kuwait or to any coutries, it's safe to assume that he or she
is probably shopping for his or her family back home. Here's a
list of goodies commonly found inside a typical balikbayan box.
Chocolates and Candies
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpq7lvv6QSQI4kQNXhbxUUnYCTZUS98EcxodFKRmraBYnylPXFEaTJdrLpfbII_nQrAuJbupIgjn4iH4ci-JBUTlhvOFmHXDt2WP4lSK17Fn37mX863rmbmggldOz3eZ9e2Oyr-9ojyMQg/s1600/c.JPG)
We are a race of sweet-toothed human beings. Even the stuffiest of Filipino dentists can't help but dance in delight (on the inside) when they see the mountains of chocolates crammed in that box. Whether the brands sound classy – think Van Houten, Lindt, or Ferrero Rocher – or simple and familiar – like Hershey's Kisses, Smarties and Nestle Crunch – the excitement of sugar-overload remains the same.
We are a race of sweet-toothed human beings. Even the stuffiest of Filipino dentists can't help but dance in delight (on the inside) when they see the mountains of chocolates crammed in that box. Whether the brands sound classy – think Van Houten, Lindt, or Ferrero Rocher – or simple and familiar – like Hershey's Kisses, Smarties and Nestle Crunch – the excitement of sugar-overload remains the same.
These
items are usually for ate (older sister), tita (aunt),
and mommy dearest. Love – or at least excitement – for beauty
creams, lipsticks, eyeshadows, and perfume is an integral part of the
female genetic make-up. Even if the brands – like Maybelline and
E.L.F – are readily available in the Philippines, everyone
loves freebies. Seeing a mountain of it blush powder alongside
the Tobleron just adds to the oooh! factor.
If
you have a relative working abroad, prepare your pantry. If
chocolates and cosmetics are common items found in balikbayan
boxes, canned goods are staples. It isn't really a b-box
if there aren't stacks of canned corned beef, luncheon meat,
Campbell's soup, and sardines inside. And of course, what follows the
cans are the chips and cookies. Piles of Cheerios, Oreos,
Chips Ahoy, Pringles, Lays and Ruffles are the cushioning
around the other box items.
Usually
bargain-basement finds, but whose complaining? Rolled up and stuffed
in the corners of the b-box are t-shirts, blouses, sweaters, shorts,
and socks – usually bought with a 'whoever likes it can have it'
mentality. It's not the brand that counts so much as the fact that it
was sent with love. And it's free! We Filipinos do love
our freebies. Slightly used Nikes and Addidas get
mixed in with the fray as well, for the basketball-loving kuya
(older brother) and bunso (youngest child) following in
kuya's footsteps.
Also known as the item that broke the “C” pattern, Filipinos often include – among others – the following items in their typical balikbayan box: gadgets, worn appliances (that can be fixed at home), books, DVDs, cheesy souvenirs (think keyrings and magnets), alcohol, oddly-shaped cookie jars (for all the cookies they sent) and the occasional bundle of toiletries.
With
all the kababayans
(countrymen)
working abroad, how come a good chunk of the b-box items are similar?
No one knows. Maybe there's
a
common overseas
Filipinoworkers online grocery store where
all OFWs log on to discuss the next ingenius surprise they want to
stuff in that poor box. Maybe balikbayan
boxes
are just pre-packaged, and no one's saying anything. Whatever the
answer, there's no denying that the balikbayan
box
has become an important part of the Filipino culture.
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