Going to Angeles, Pampanga felt all very surreal. One minute, my group mates and I were planning for our trip and the next thing I knew, we were on the car on the way to the “Culinary Capital of the Philippines.” I was given the difficult task to write about people (actually, I volunteered for it which made it ironic.) Thus, for the whole trip, I spent my time looking for an interesting person to be featured. It was like mission impossible and I failed that mission. Fortunately, the Angeleñans were already remarkable as a whole so “looking for an interesting person” became observing a distinct large group of people.
Culinarily-inclined, resilient, religious, family-oriented and hospitable.
At first glance, one may think I’m referring to just any Filipino. However, I’m actually talking about the “Angeleñans.” Yes, these are the common traits associated to any Juan dela Cruz; so what makes these people from Angeles, Pampanga different from other Filipinos? How were they able to leave a mark to their visitors?
Culinarily-inclined. It’s no use denying that Angeleñans have a special inclination to food. Whether it’s eating or cooking, they surely have their game on. Just the sight of the diverse restaurants bordering the streets would give one a hint of how these people love food. In addition, these restaurants are always full. One noticeable thing is that they do not settle for just one dish, rather, a variety of flavors. This is pretty evident from the wide array of dishes resting on top of each diner’s table seen in these restaurants.
As mentioned before, other than eating, cooking also shows Angeleñans passion for food. From sisigs to tocinos, they sure know how to make someone’s mouth water. The fact that they are able to make sumptuous dishes from weird ingredients such as frogs and crickets shows how skillful they are in cooking. Resilient. As one would visit Angeles City, one would not guess that this place was once covered by lahar. The city looked all successful with its numerous establishments, concrete houses, and paved roads. Yet another trait of the Angeleñans shows: resiliency. I remember how my groupmate’s father, a proud Kapampangan, pointed out to a spot filled with concrete houses and said, “Noon, natatabunan talaga yan ng lahar. (That place used to be really covered by lahar.)” It was unbelieveable because marks of the lahar incident are almost unnoticeable now, whether in the surroundings or in the smile on their faces. They were able to get up from the tragedy and become more productive than ever.
Religious. Another thing that stood out in Angeleñans was how religious they are. Being in a mass in Angeles did not remind me of the crowd here in Manila. Usually, the crowd in a mass church would be silent and unresponsive. Rather than sounds of response and singing, sound of children crying and laughing are more likely to be heard. However, this group of people I was able to hear mass with responded to the priest and sang the hymns of praise all with gladness. Other than just being part of the crowd, I learned from my group mate, a local of the place, that they take turns volunteering in various mass activities such as reading the liturgy and responsorial psalms. Seeing the serene and focused faces in the church showed how these people’s hearts were close to God.
Culinarily-inclined. Resilient. Religious. Family-oriented. Hospitable.
Yes, these are the traits that describe an Angeleñan. These are also the same traits that are diminishing in most Filipinos. Because of rapid modernization, these once notable qualities we Filipinos possess are fading as fast as globalization. Instead, we get hypnotized by colonial mentality and adapt the foreign hypes and characters. Heres how the Angeleñans become distinct. Despite the incredible change made by technology to their city, they are still able to hold on these traits. Surely, Angeles is a metropolis marked by its technological advancements beautifully contrasted by its time-kept features.
I personally liked Ms. Garay’s approach in writing. The feature article was divided into parts, making it easier to read and to understand. If I were to write a feature article of the same topic, I would have adapted her technique – through a personal account.
ReplyDeleteThe choice of words was commendable. She didn’t hesitate to play with words which made my senses work while I was reading the article. Her candid and straightforward thoughts, together with nice descriptive words, evoked in me a cornucopia of feelings. I felt a sudden desire to visit the place. I wanted to experience Pampanga’s mouth-watering cuisine and to meet some Angelenans, whom the writer described as religious, resilient, family-oriented and hospitable.
Lastly, I loved the correlation of the article to technological advancements. I strongly agree with what the writer said. Filipinos are being blinded by economic boom, global competition and the desire to fit in the modern world, thereby forgetting their identity and heritage. We tend to disregard simpler things thus ignoring the fact that beauty, tranquility and happiness, more often than not, lie in the simplest and smallest things. These little things touch our hearts like no definite amount of money can buy.
The article of Miss Garay is laudable. Her piece of writing clearly showed completeness, clarity, coherence, and conciseness. She used standard language so that every reader can relate and understand the article easily. It also presents simple and concrete examples to explain her experiences to the readers.
ReplyDeleteThe article has unity of ideas and satisfies the core or central idea, the people of Angeles, Pampanga. The author sufficiently provided the readers ample information about the topic. The good flow of ideas gives the readers unimpeded appreciation of the whole subject. The organization of ideas is facilitated by the 'grouped' characterization of the people of Angeles, and this further enlightens and hooks the reader to the topic.
She used specific, vivid, and evocative depictions about the subject matter. She clearly described the whole scene, and make the readers feel as if they are in the actual settings. The article is very picturesque and expressive.
The overall piece of writing is structurally excellent. The framework of ideas rests on a good foundation of information. With the abilities of a good writer, the information was made flesh in this article.
The topic is really interesting. I had lots of fun reading it. It makes me want to see the actual settings.
ReplyDeleteMs. Garay's blog entry about the Angeleñans' was very true because I too was part of the Capampangan society and I always observed the said traits to my relatives. I could easily relate to her points elaborated in every paragraph.
ReplyDeleteHer descriptions about the Angeles City was forming something inside my head and I think it was the places they visited there. Through her words, I could also see the beauty she found on that place which was the so-called "Culinary Capital of the Philippines."
The photos chosen made my mind set a date in order for me to visit the same place within the year. I wanted to go that place too. Through those images, it would surely attract the readers because they would want to prove all the traits stated by the writer and experience the same thing they went through.
The essay was written in a very good approach by Ms. Garay. The thing is, essays could be difficult to right especially if their would be many juxtapositions and different thought to write about. But by what this essay has shown, it made me think that writing is a very easy thing to do.
ReplyDeleteThe words used were simple yet it displays the proper writer's emotions throughout the text. Honestly speaking, I was in a lackadaisical mood before I have read this, but while reading it, I find myself having high energy to finish the whole text. It makes you wonder all throughout, "what else would she be describing in the city of Angeles?" A great author to reader connection indeed.
Beyond its perfection, there are some notable grammatical annotations that should be noticed. First, always be careful with your subject-verb agreement ( It was an error at the very least level on your writing ). Next, there are some sentences which could be rephrased for better apprehension of thought. But believe me, it's almost perfect.
If I were to rate Ms. Garay's writing, from 1-10, it would be 9.5. A great writer you are. Continue to have a good approach in writing, you will soon find yourself having dozens of articles flooding the minds of people who would read it.
By the way, the concluding paragraph was really great. Somehow, Ms. Garay managed to relate ancientry through villages with technological advancements at present. Keep up the good work.
As the first paragraph in the article, it is essential that the paragraph should somehow catch the reader’s attention to make him or her interested and therefore, read more. I think it would be better if the author did not explain about her task of writing the article and instead, write for the sake of writing a good article about her experience. However, this style of writing also has a good side. It gives the readers ideas about what her article is all about. It tells us what to expect and not to expect.
ReplyDeleteFor example, if she had not informed me about her topic, when I read about Pampanga being the “Culinary Capital of the Philippines”, I would have expected to read more about their foods and how they prepare and cook it. But since she already told us that she will write about the people there generally, I didn’t get disappointed with the content. Instead, I got interested in it and even sided with her opinion. Filipinos are really losing the good traits that we’re known and complimented for.
As a whole, the writer was able to express her opinions and cite some experiences and ideas in her piece. She was able to write a piece of writing that has the ability to inform, at the same time, entertain. The article even has a definite introduction, body and conclusion which made it clearer and easier to understand for the readers.