pomme frites (piniritong mansanas)

pomme frites with wasabi mayo & chili sauce

i have been craving for pomme frites (belgian fries) for the past days since i had watched a food network special on it. and today, i finally decided to treat myself to a visit to the east village hole in the wall, rightfully called "pomme frites", to get myself an order of the yummy fries. pomme frites (pronounced pom freets, and translated literally as fried apples) is a thicker crispier version of french fries. it is however better, much better, than the mcdonald's french fry variety. they're usually served in paper cones and with toppings to choose from—mayonaisse (authentically pronounced "ma-yo-nes" apparently, and not "MAY-YO" as commonly done) being the most popular.

i was on queue amazed and confused with all the different toppings you can choose from. trying to decide between the mexican ketchup and wasabi mayo. the crazy girl (but knew what she was getting into) infront of me ordered a regular sized one with chili sauce and jalapenos. the two bar boys were processing the orders and all of a sudden i sort of heard them whisper in a language quite familiar. could it be that they were speaking filipino? wasn't sure coz they could very well had spoken vietnamese or something quite similar. especially in new york, you never know.

and so i gave my order. "can i get an order of regular fries with wasabi mayo, please?" and i waited and continued reading the great assortment of choices.

referring to the guy after me, the 2 bar boys talked.
nagbayad na ba siya? ano uli ang order niya, pare?
hindi pa ata. regular, pare.

i knew it. they were speaking in filipino. and so i interrupted their private conversation, "ang sarap ng hindi kayo naiintidihan, diba? (isn't it great having a language which they can't understand?)
oo naman. (yes, of course), suprised, one of them answered.
ay pilipino ka pala, pare. hindi ka kasi mukhang pilipino., he added. (oh, i didn't know you were a filipino coz you didn't look like one--i guess im in my looking like a portugese/spanish guy face).

filipinos @ work @ pomme frites

and so as i waited for my order, we had a little bit of kwentuhan (casual talk). turns out that rey, is 2-months-old new yorker. he came from 14 years of working in chiba japan. he has relatives up in the bronx but really doesnt like this city that much. he gets lonely and homesick, i guess. conversation turned a bit awkward though when they started asking me about what i do for a living here in the city. quite shy, i told them that im an art director (dropped the "senior" part purposely) for an ad agency. expounded a bit, that i come up with concepts and ideas for commercials. they were quite amazed at the "quality" of job i had. and i was obviously hiding my embarassment. the inner awkwardness turned a notch higher when rey started telling me that i looked quite young [for such a position] and had asked how young i was. 26. and of course, out of politeness, id asked how old he was. 37.

37. and he told me how he'd always wanted to be an artist. until the reality of needing to work hit, i guess. he'd asked what id finished. and whether he could take classes to get into my field. i told him that he could take a few classes here and there and possibly get a job with it. and then, my embarrasment was at its peak when he'd suddenly asked whether he could work for me as household help ("baka naman pwedeng mamasukang katulong?"). i dont even remember now how i replied. but i did give him my business card and got his number too, just in case i find any job opportunities for him, hopefully as an artist.

my order was ready. they supersized my regular frites into a large one without the extra $2.25 charge and they even gave me another topping free of charge ($.75). i guess it helps speaking the secret language.

by the time i had gotten my order, the shop was already busy. i was pleasantly enjoying my fries. and was entertained overhearing their private conversations over customers. ito na naman po yung mga tipong hindi alam yung kukunin nila.. yes, may i give my personal suggestion, mam?

finished enjoying my unhealthy dinner. and on the way out, some goodbye chitchat with the newfound filipinos.
dito lang ba kayo, lagi? (are you just here, always?)
oo, mga ganitong oras. bisibisita ka minsan, ha. (yes, our shift is right about this time. make sure you come and visit occasionally.)
sige. (will do. ciao.)

and i left the store, happy with my newly discovered treat and newly found countrymen.

went to starbucks after, to maybe process the pomme frites experience of "difference amidst commonness" and the feeling of "embarrasment". and while i was reading this dutch culture book, i came across some enlightening section—

Modesty
Talking about personal finances is generally unacceptable, and ostentatious behavior is discouraged, certainly by the older generation. Most Dutch people do not aspire to live luxuriously, and their idea of the quality of life is not materialistic. For the Dutch it is not necessary constantly to improve your lot or to prove your success to other people. They believe that you should work to live and not live to work. People in the Netherlands have to justify themselves if they appear to have more than they actually need. For example, the purchase of a large expensive car will be met with inquiries about why it is necessary to have one so big or so powerful. The dominant way of living in the Netherlands is samenleving (living together), and that means individuals fitting with and caring about society as a whole.

could it be that i had appeared dutch and not portugese/spanish back at pomme frites, after all? or was i merely acting human, experiencing the awkwardness and unnecessity that comes with needing to explain what you do for a living and what sort of area you live in. and at the same time, experiencing the strangeness and disgust at how society unfortunately is set up in such a way that for some, how much you earn and what you do really is a genuine necessity and a real concern.

i dont know. lots of questions. without a whole lot of answers. like is it at all necessary that the family in manila just got a second hand porsche 994? sure, they've earned it and im sure it looks great but...

i dont know. maybe my next visit to pomme frites will give more answers than questions. for now, ill be happily disturbed with all these questions. supersized, at that.