Of This.Of That.Of Anything.: Of Why This So Called Loyalty To Jollibee

I remember taking a pledge before the year 2011 started. I promised not to eat at any fast food resto, particulary Jollibee because of the accumulated fats inside my belly. Suddenly on July 30, 2011, I told myself, " What the heck! I want Jollibee Spaghetti right now." And so began my ever loyalty to Jollibee again. That morning, aside from the spaghetti, I also had my hot choco, Creamy Macaroni Soup and Regular Yum!

My addiction slash loyalty to Jollibee started when I graduated from high school. That was year 2000. The year when I got my first payslip. Jollibee gave me my first payslip, fyi. I was 16 turning 17 when I worked at Jollibee Cabuyao. That was when I learned that my parents decided not to send me off to college. I was first assigned in the kitchen. I was responsible for making hamburgers and preparing steak meals. Later on I was assigned as a frontliner,as a cashier. The price of the B1 meal (consisting of a Regular Yum, fries and coke) back then was Php 36.75. Now, it is Php 52.00. Wow. Of course my lunch breaks consisted of Jollibee foodies. For free. After ending my contract, in college (well, I eventually found a way of getting into college after all), I rarely go to Jollibee because of my meager allowance. It was after I had found a stable job that I would always spend time at Jollibee whenever possible. If I don't know what pasalubong will be for Raven (my nephew), Jollibee solves that problem. I am glad that I have introduced Jollibee to Raven at a very young age, later you'll learn why. He's 5 right now and I can remember when was the first time I gave him that sweet-cheesy-meaty-spanghetiest spaghetti.

Honestly, I never get tired of Jollibee foodies. Here in Makati, I used to have Jollibee for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And oh! My early morning breaks also had Jollibee Spaghetti and burgers. Whenever I eat and taste Jollibee, I feel like I am a 6-year old child given a favor that I have always been longing for. :) I always have that childlike feeling.

Last night, I woke up late. Too late that I felt I would have been in danger had I gone out for my late dinner. So this morning I was so hungry and guess what my breakfast was? Yup. Went to Jollibee Cash and Carry and had Spaghetti, hot choco, Creamy Macaroni Soup and Choco Sundae. I had my free Star Newspaper pa!

My Jollibee tray showing my consumed breakfast meal- spaghetti, hot choco, macaroni soup and choco sundae. May free Philippine Star newspaper pa!

I was eating that Choco Sundae when I decided that I would write this blog. The Choco Sundae was already melted when I began eating it because of the time I consumed finishing spag, hot choco and soup plus I was reading pa in between. I tell you this, the taste of a melted Choco Sundae is different compared to its opposite. It's sweeter and the milk taste has a little punch of something. It kinda stays in your throat. That taste, the melted taste of sundae, brought me to my memories more than 2 decades ago...

I cannot recall my age that time although I remember I was not yet attending my elementary days. Probably I was 5 or 6 years of age. Anyway, I guess everybody knows that I'm not from a well-off family. My childhood memories are full of play, play, play, play and play. I have a lot of memories playing on the street of Marinig... on the shore of Marinig etc. As a kid, that time, my initial knowledge of Jollibee was that it was a kind of treat to kids like me. I could see the tv commercials. Kids at my age (specially those whose parents were in abroad) would often brag that they went to Jollibee and just had Chickenjoy, spaghetti blah blah blah. I felt the joy in them. I even thought that as a kid, eating at Jollibee was a requirement. Honestly. I asked myself at a young age, " Bakit ako hindi pa ako nakakapunta ng Jollibee?". With that question in mind, I remember going to my mom. She was then busy, setting up fire to burn the dried leaves on our bakuran. She was still holding a walis tambo. I asked her, " 'Nay, kailan tayo magjojollibee? Jollibee naman tayo!". My mom, a housekeeper who had a busy schedule attending to the three of us (I have 2 boy siblings, me being the bunso), keeping her garden green, cooking, doing tons of our laundry etc., looked at me then replied, "Nagtatanong ka pa eh.". She stared at me. Knowingly. She did not elaborate more but she gave me a look. The kind of look that would made you understand an answer. At an early age, I did understand. Since then on, the want, the longing of a child to go and eat at Jollibee was never again mentioned because of that look. It spoke of our status. For simply knowing that we cannot afford to be there. From then on, I categorized going to Jollibee as a priveledge.

Luckily, something happened.
I have an aunt. Her name is Tita Precy. That time her husband was working in Saudi. Let me remind you that she's not rich. She barely received her remmitance from him. She talked to my mom. She told me to take a bath and wear something nice because we would go to Calamba to get her remmitance. Magjojollibee daw kami. Wow.

I was so thrilled.

It was a scorchy afternoon, I can remember. After walking several minutes, waiting in queue inside a bank, I found myself waiting for her on a red Jollibee chair. I was so nervous when I saw my tita approaching with a tray full of our meals. She gave me a treat. A treat of a lifetime, if I may say. I couldn't believe my eyes. I saw the famous spaghetti and Chickenjoy. I remember being so timid. I couldn't get my eyes off the choco sundae as well. It was the first time I have seen something so grand, yes I considered that grand already. That time, I even doubted my tita if she was really poor. Haahahah!

" Oh ha, mamaya mo kainin yung ice cream pagkatapos mo jan sa chicken. Yung walang tapon ha.", my tita, the ever keen tita for table etiquette. I slowly ate my lunch. Savoring the chicken. Slowly turning my fork to have the spagheti noodles properly rolled then carefully putting them inside my mouth. Tita Precy was telling me something that time but I was not listening because I was relishing my first time. When it was my turn for the dessert, I slowly grab the Choco Sundae. Tasting the chocolate first. The sundae was melted. I tasted it. Licking the spoon for every mouthful to make sure that my taste buds were tasting everything. It tasted like that one I just had this morning.

The Choco Sundae that tastes like the one I tasted more than 2 decades ago in Jollibee Calamba.

When we want back home, I immediately told my mom that we went to Jollibee. She smiled.

My second childhood experience with Jollibee was when I was 7. I was in my 1st grade when during our christmas party our teacher decided to have Jollibee foodies as our party meal. I had my first taste of the regular yum. That was in December of 1990. Each in our class chipped in Php 25 for our christmas party. I remember telling that to my mom. I had to remind her several times that we need to pay Php25. Before I headed to school for our christmas party, my mom even cracked a joke, " Uy uwian mo ko ng Jollibee ha." I cannot recall what I replied to her although I remember resisting finishing off the regular yum that time. Back then, the burger's dressing was tomato ketchup. I liked the taste. Before I knew it, I consumed the entire burger forgetting my mom's half-meant request. I'm so sorry mom. When I got back home, she smilingly asked about the "Jollibee pasalubong" . I turned scarlet remembering that I forgot to bring her the other half of burger. " Ay naubos ko na eh!", then she was laughing at me.
So you see? I had two Jollibee childhood memories!!
Hehhehe... so, since I was, if I may say, deprived of this simple pleasure, I promised myself that whenever there is an opportunity and whenever I will have a craving for Jollibee, I will ALWAYS allow myself to indulge. I owe it to that child. To that child whose longing was never completely satisfied had it not been to those two instances. To that child who thought that Jollibee was just for the priveledged. To that child who innocently and unconsciously deprived of a simple pleasure to be given to her. Don't get me wrong. I don't blame my mom nor my dad for this matter in our situation before. I can't do anything about the past. I was not in control of my life before. I was just stating a fact and the impact that it had on me.

Hehhehee... before writing this blog, I keyed in Jollibee on a search engine. I learned that Jollibee used to be an ice-cream parlor in 1975 in Cubao. There were 2 Magnolia Ice Cream Parlors in Cubao that time. It was Tony Tan Caktiong who started it all. His business was a success. Sometime in 1978, Caktiong and his brothers and sisters engaged service of a management consultant, Manuel Lumba. From an ice cream parlor they ventured into a burger business that was a big click as well and so was that start of business giant. At present, Jollibee has acquired partnership with Greenwich, Chowking, Delifrance (sosyal) and even 70% share in Mang Inasal last October 11 lang! (kaya pala ang dami dami na ring Mang Inasal). They also have business partnerships in China with restaurants I can no longer remember the names.

By the way, when my friends and I went to Vietnam in October of 2010, I was lucky enough to take this picture....

Jollibee in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam - taken in October 2010 (one year na pala).

Here are some funny pics of Jollibee. Expect that when there is Jollibee, automatically Ronald Mcdonald will be part of the scene as well. Isearched these pics using yahoo image.