In this article, I will be writing about my hometown. It is a small town in the province of Pampanga, located about 60 km north of Metro Manila. The local people and the dialect spoken here are both called Kapampangan.
Kapampangan dialect is just one of the numerous dialects used in the Philippines. It is spoken only in Pampanga and some towns of nearby provinces. But you can also find Kapampangan words used in other cities as names of food products and restaurants. For example, the restaurant Cabalen, which is popular for serving Pampanga foods, got its name from a Kapampangan word meaning "town mate." Another, a popular brand of processed meat products is named Mekeni, meaning "come here."
A typical Kapampangan person loves to cook. Because of this, Pampanga is considered the culinary center of the Philippines. It is said that Pampanga cuisine is the most evolved of the Philippine foods. Some of the foods that originated from Pampanga are kare-kare, sisig, and kilawin. Try them if you have a chance. They are delicious, or in Kapampangan, "manyaman."
Pampanga's terrain is relatively flat with one distinct mountain, Mount Arayat and the notable Pampanga River. In our town, most part of the land is used as rice and corn field. You can also find fish ponds (plasdan) where tilapia fish are raised. Rice, corn, sugar cane, and tilapia are the major products here.
When I was young, I used to ride my bicycle before sunset to visit the rice fields (marang-le). The view of the green fields with the Mount Arayat in the background is fantastic. The then-active volcano Mount Pinatubo can be observed in the west where the sun hides itself. It was a good place to unwind before the day end. All that can be heard there is the sound of the wind blowing gently, and in some occasions, also the sound of the birds nesting nearby. Everything is peaceful, like a piece of the paradise. That's why until now, I love going there. Maybe you can come with me the next time I visit my hometown. ~^^
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