When I was a child (way back in the 80's), our mum usually takes me and my siblings to a popular spot (the term "mall" wasn't that popular during those days...but yes, it was a mall prototype) in Makati every weekend after church or medical/dental check-up. It's either to shop for stuff that we'd be using for school the coming week or dine at restaurants that were usually featured in high society magazines or buy food or other supplies for the household.
At first, I thought it was the norm for parents to bring their children to social spots but as we grew older, mum made us feel it's directly proportional to their income. That means, if dad doesn't send us (that time, my dad was on the forefront being an OFW in Libya working for Ericcson Telecoms) more that enough for the household budget, the less we experience going to that spot. Mum really doesn't enjoy going out of the house on weekends because it's the only she can rest at home - but sacrifices because she has an objective in mind in bringing us to Makati's premier social spot: to teach us the rigors of etiquette and social interactions.
Middle class children like us back then have very little time to socialize with the people of the other classes. It's all routine: house-school-house on weekdays and house-church-house on weekends...except when mum tells us it's time to go to Makati for shopping. We always look forward to that. We wear our Sunday's best - which was logical because we usually come from church before we go there. Greenbelt was THE place to be - well, that's where the restaurants usually are when we dine out. Most of the time, it's either national bookstore (for our school stuff) or Ansons (for replacing electronic gadgets that whoever our househelp that time broke) or Makati supermarket (for our household supplies) or Rustans for our clothes.
Except for groceries, mum really asks us what we want. If it passes her fancy (but actually, more on her budget), we go for it. Otherwise, she merely brought us to carry lighter packages. She'd bribe us with lunch before she could make us do it so we eat out every time.
If she's in a tight budget, we'll go to our favorite food chain. Jollibee was virtually unknown to us so we'd always go to KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken). That time, KFC wasn't the fast food type of service. I remember eating buns instead of rice when we buy the bucket. Actually, there were no bucket meals during that time so what I'm referring to is the real KFC bucket original recipe chicken (16 pieces) which is served with real warm gravy, coleslaw and buns. If we're well behaved, mum buys us the chocolate mousse for dessert. She'd teach us how to eat properly - like, not to make noisy chewing noises, holding the plastic utensils properly so it won't break, sipping drinks without the slurp, wiping the mouth after eating really oily food, etc.
If there's a special occasion (like we got a medal for academics or birthdays), we try out fine dining. The Jade Garden is where she'd take us for chinese food. She tried teaching us how to eat using chopsticks (even with rice!) but as young as I am that time, what's the point of eating with sticks when you can request for a spoon? There's Kimpura - a Japanese restaurant (also in Makati) where they cook your food in front of you - like the Shabu shabu restaurants do now. It was an amazing experience watching the chef do all the theatrics just cooking your fried rice: makes you wonder why mum looks bored when cooking our food. It was like our big final test when she took pains teaching us dining etiquette at the executive dining room of the Asian Development Bank.
If she wants to watch a movie, we'd go to the Quad cinema if it's a foreign flick - which is what she always makes us watch. Sometimes our older cousins who works at the Cucina Italiana brings us there. If it's locally made, we watch it at the ABC theater in Guadalupe. Most of the time, its ABC with her especially when we're to old to watch Disney movies.
If we buy a lot of stuff, we get to ride a taxi. That time, Metro Manila has two types of taxi - the airconditioned ones and the ones that rely on air alone. Airconditioned taxis are really expensive (the flag down rate is Php 2.50 if I remember it right) where ordinary taxis are cheaper. Personally, I like the ones with no aircon. I love it when a gently breeze blows wisps of long bangs on my forehead - covering my face entirely ala horror movie antagonist.
Going home was a relief for all of us, especially my siblings, because it's when we remove the airs we put on when we're in the metro. We throw all our cares and do what children usually do - play, fight, make up and eat food noisily...but of course, that happens when mum isn't around.
At first, I thought it was the norm for parents to bring their children to social spots but as we grew older, mum made us feel it's directly proportional to their income. That means, if dad doesn't send us (that time, my dad was on the forefront being an OFW in Libya working for Ericcson Telecoms) more that enough for the household budget, the less we experience going to that spot. Mum really doesn't enjoy going out of the house on weekends because it's the only she can rest at home - but sacrifices because she has an objective in mind in bringing us to Makati's premier social spot: to teach us the rigors of etiquette and social interactions.
Middle class children like us back then have very little time to socialize with the people of the other classes. It's all routine: house-school-house on weekdays and house-church-house on weekends...except when mum tells us it's time to go to Makati for shopping. We always look forward to that. We wear our Sunday's best - which was logical because we usually come from church before we go there. Greenbelt was THE place to be - well, that's where the restaurants usually are when we dine out. Most of the time, it's either national bookstore (for our school stuff) or Ansons (for replacing electronic gadgets that whoever our househelp that time broke) or Makati supermarket (for our household supplies) or Rustans for our clothes.
Except for groceries, mum really asks us what we want. If it passes her fancy (but actually, more on her budget), we go for it. Otherwise, she merely brought us to carry lighter packages. She'd bribe us with lunch before she could make us do it so we eat out every time.
If she's in a tight budget, we'll go to our favorite food chain. Jollibee was virtually unknown to us so we'd always go to KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken). That time, KFC wasn't the fast food type of service. I remember eating buns instead of rice when we buy the bucket. Actually, there were no bucket meals during that time so what I'm referring to is the real KFC bucket original recipe chicken (16 pieces) which is served with real warm gravy, coleslaw and buns. If we're well behaved, mum buys us the chocolate mousse for dessert. She'd teach us how to eat properly - like, not to make noisy chewing noises, holding the plastic utensils properly so it won't break, sipping drinks without the slurp, wiping the mouth after eating really oily food, etc.
If there's a special occasion (like we got a medal for academics or birthdays), we try out fine dining. The Jade Garden is where she'd take us for chinese food. She tried teaching us how to eat using chopsticks (even with rice!) but as young as I am that time, what's the point of eating with sticks when you can request for a spoon? There's Kimpura - a Japanese restaurant (also in Makati) where they cook your food in front of you - like the Shabu shabu restaurants do now. It was an amazing experience watching the chef do all the theatrics just cooking your fried rice: makes you wonder why mum looks bored when cooking our food. It was like our big final test when she took pains teaching us dining etiquette at the executive dining room of the Asian Development Bank.
If she wants to watch a movie, we'd go to the Quad cinema if it's a foreign flick - which is what she always makes us watch. Sometimes our older cousins who works at the Cucina Italiana brings us there. If it's locally made, we watch it at the ABC theater in Guadalupe. Most of the time, its ABC with her especially when we're to old to watch Disney movies.
If we buy a lot of stuff, we get to ride a taxi. That time, Metro Manila has two types of taxi - the airconditioned ones and the ones that rely on air alone. Airconditioned taxis are really expensive (the flag down rate is Php 2.50 if I remember it right) where ordinary taxis are cheaper. Personally, I like the ones with no aircon. I love it when a gently breeze blows wisps of long bangs on my forehead - covering my face entirely ala horror movie antagonist.
Going home was a relief for all of us, especially my siblings, because it's when we remove the airs we put on when we're in the metro. We throw all our cares and do what children usually do - play, fight, make up and eat food noisily...but of course, that happens when mum isn't around.