I Didn’t Mind the Fluff
Last Valentine’s Day, I was asked by my parents to tag along with them for a buffet dinner here in Dagupan. I was apprehensive because I didn’t want to be a third wheel. When I told them this, they laughed at me. Apparently, Valentine’s Day in
Dagupan City is a family affair. True enough, when we arrived at the restaurant, couples, grandparents, and kids were all enjoying the dinner buffet. Instead of pandering only to the couples, the heavily commercial activity that is February 14 has catered to the unhitched as well. I’m so proud of the profit margin my city must have made during this day. Frank Sinatra’s music can be heard on the street (although in the street near our house, ‘My Heart Will Go On’ was playing-totally cringeworthy). Open parking lots had disco lights and Monobloc tables and chairs and of course, buffet courses. The usual semi-loathing I felt for this day when I was in
Manila turned into a sense of community participation. Really, there’s no place like my home(town).
