Top 12 reasons for telling if a Filipino is a Bicolano:

12. Whenever asked where he comes from, the man says, "P.I., 'Noy." (And this was how the "Pinoy" came to be coined.) Whenever asked where in Southern California he resides, he answers: "L.A., 'Noy."

11. Aside from "‘Noy," his favorite expression is the "Bicol Express**." It is a vegetable dish, where the vegetables are mainly peppers, chili and more peppers.

10. Whenever asked for his preferred kind or brand of milk, he answers, "Coconut milk, 'Noy."

9. He addresses the men or women older than him as "Manoy" or "Manay."

8. For ketchup, he uses "Tabasco." Don't ask what he uses in lieu of "Tabasco."

7. People mistake him for an alumnus of Silliman University, as more-often than not he says, "Please pass the sili, man, (oops, 'Noy,' pala)."

6. His favorite vegetables are green-and-red peppers and the Jalapenos.

5. His favorite preserve is the pickled Jalapeno.

4. He complains to the Carl's Jr. manager that the spicy-chicken sandwich is not hot enough.

3. He is the Filipino who denies that his favorite song is "Pepper Roses."

2. Seventy-percent of the time, the Filipino who loves to dance most during Filipino-American dinners-and-balls is a Bicolano.

1. If asked why he is always the last Filipino to lose his temper, the man would answer, "Because I come from 'Be Cool,' 'Noy."

** Please watch for the "Bicol Express" recipe in this web site’s Food Section.

The editor of this web site invites readers to come up with their own list of reasons for telling if a Filipino is a Bicolano (or for that matter, an Ilocano, an Ilongo, etceteras, etc.). Please send your manuscript to mediabcla@aol.com for consideration. If you want to have pictures published together with the article, please send them to photos@mabuhayradio.com.