There I was at Ueno Park, standing alone in a line at Ana’s Trading that barely seemed to move. Around me, Filipinos chatted in a mix of Tagalog, English, Japanese, and regional dialects while Original Pinoy Music blasted through oversized speakers. Smoke from the barbecue drifted into the humid Tokyo afternoon as people impatiently checked how far they still were from the food stalls.
QUEUE. Japanese, Filipinos, and other nationalities line up for the popular Ana’s Trading selling classic Pinoy food like isaw, dinuguan, and lechon paksiw. Photo by Ricky Sabornay
My wife and our 10-year-old son had already given up on my line entirely and wandered off somewhere else to buy kwek-kwek (deep-fried quail eggs), fish balls, and kikiam (pork roll).
A few meters away from me, a group of Filipinos were already deep into bottles of San Miguel and Red Horse, loudly daring one another to eat balut (cooked duck egg with embryo) while everyone around them laughed. Nearby, mixed Filipino-Japanese families lined up patiently for food, casually switching between Tagalog and Japanese mid-conversation in a way that somehow felt uniquely normal in Tokyo.
After nearly 30 minutes of waiting, I finally reached the front of the stall and triumphantly secured my food: isaw ng baboy (pork intestines), dinuguan (pork blood stew), and lechon paksiw (stewed roast pork in vinegar).
