Uragon Ini....!

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I am a Bicolana .... And when people learn that I am from Bicol, they always ask me “E di Uragon ka pala?” Then followed by “Ano bang ibig sabihin ng “uragon”?” I always tell them, URAGON can mean a lot of different things depending on how you use it. It can mean “magaling”, madiskarte”, “matapang”, and even "malakas ang dating", “mayabang”, or worse an “a**hole” or what Manilenos call “kups”.

Of all the aspects of being a Bicolana, our love for sili is what I would consider Uragon sa lahat. Have you heard about the joke that in Bicol daw, when there's a storm, Bicolanos protect their siling labuyo first before attending to their homes. Of course its a joke, I understand the sentiment.

I love sili! I love Bicol dishes --- we practically put siling labuyo and/or gata in every dish! Ginataang gabi (pinangat), ginataang saba (pinakrong batag), ginataang kuhol, ginataang kamoteng kahoy (pinakrong balinghoy), ginataang manok (we put a little soy sauce so its our version of adobong manok), ginataang ______ (fill in the blank, kahit na anong klase ng gulay!) ... at ang pinakamalupit sa lahat .... ang paborito kong ginataang kanin (bi-no-tong) wrapped in banana leaves and sold mostly in palengke (saod)! At parang naubusan na kami ng gagataan, we have GINATAANG SILI or famously known as Bicol Express. It's sili in gata (~95%) with pork & alamang (5%) as sahog. The version being sold in Manila restaurants is ginataang pork with sili. I think Bicol dishes and Thai dishes are distant cousins. Nagutom tuloy ako.....

Back to Bicol jokes ---From time to time I would recieve forwarded Bicol jokes on my celphone. Example:

Q: Bakit galit si President Bush sa mga Bicolano?

A: Kasi pagnagdadasal ang mga Bicolano ... "Kagurangnan... Ka-Iraqi (kaheraki) kami!" (Lord, have mercy on us.)

But the latest one from my sister made me laugh so hard...!

Atty (A) : "Haen ka kang nangyari ang panlulupig?"

Boy Pasak (B) : "Sa maisan po!"

A : "Anong ginigibo mo duman?"

B : "Nag uudo po."

A : "Pirang lakad ka puon sa lugar kan krimen?"

B : "Ay inda! Diputa man na! Tano igwa man na nag uudo na sigeng lakaw lakaw?"

Sorry I cannot translate..... but this has something to do with doing #2. Hehehe.

I don't feel so hungry now.