Pinoys Line Up - Again! - at the Grand Opening of Seafood City

Yes, we were at it again this morning! Waiting and waiting and waiting in line...

6 a.m. - that's what time I arrived at Seafood City at 5033 N. Elston in Chicago.  Forty-nine others were already there before me. (I know how many because we were later given numbered tickets.)

Supposedly some people started camping out at 2 in the morning.  I'm not sure if there's any truth in that or not.  But many of us were there so early in the morning.

Why?

Well... Most people were there, because they're already familiar with the California-based mega market chain. They knew this store would be filled with a variety of fresh seafood, meats, fruits and vegetables, as well as hard-to-find Filipino ingredients and other grocery items at a reasonable price.

Some were excited about the turo-turo (loosely translated to "point-point") restaurants like Grill City, Crispy Town, and Noodle Street where customers are able to view the different dishes and point out their choices like grilled tilapia or grilled pork belly, fried bangus (milkfish), or maybe pancit (noodles) and lumpia (eggrolls).

I was there for the special promo: a 25 pound bag of Jasmine rice for only $1.

This was only offered for the first 500 customers hence the early arrival.

And really, the wait was not bad at all!

At first, I was a little worried about the wait, because I had driven my husband's car over there and had forgotten to take one of our folding chairs out of my car.  Luckily, I remembered the banig (woven mat) that I had long ago stashed in the trunk of my husband's car.

Once I had that banig to sit on, I was totally fine! I had my water bottle, a banana for breakfast, two books to read, and my iPhone.  Good to go!

There really was not a dull moment for me.  I had my books and phone after all.  But what actually entertained me were my companions.

Just like at the Jollibee event in July, I witnessed a heart-warming camaraderie among strangers.  People chatting and joking with each other like they've been friends forever.

I think I've got it all figured out.  It's the kababayan spirit among Filipinos!  Kababayan translates into fellow Filipino or fellow countryman.  But I think the kababayan spirit is synonymous to kindred spirit.

Most Filipinos (especially those who were born in the Philippines and are recent immigrants or even those who've been away from the Philippines for so long) get excited to see their own kind, someone that they have cultural similarities with, being a minority in a gigantic sea of other cultures.  Not that we don't appreciate other cultures; I think it has more to do with feeling a sense of belonging.

One woman that I had shared my banig with told me that she's an employee of Seafood City and she described how training was so fun, because there was so much camaraderie among the mostly Filipino group of workers. They were almost always laughing she told me, talking and joking in Tagalog. She told me it felt like she was back in the Philippines.

And, I think, that's another reason why so many Filipinos are willing to wait in long lines for this place and for Jollibee.  It's because these places give them the feeling of being back home.

Even I felt nostalgic for the Philippines as I roamed the aisles of Seafood City.  So many things that are "so Filipino"!

My favorite banana ketchup was there... :)

All kinds of Pinoy ice cream like ube (purple yam), macapuno (coconut), langka (jackfruit), queso (cheese)...

 
A friend posted a picture on Facebook of different flavored Spam!

They even had all different kinds of shrimp paste (bagoong) which I never knew existed!

Then there were the stranger stuff like frog legs and pork blood...

Seafood City is really just a super market with seafoods, meats, veggies, fruits, and other grocery items.

But at the same time, to Filipinos, it's something a little bit more...

It's a little bit of home.

And that's worth standing in line for.

(The $1 sack of rice was definitely worth the wait as well!)