This past weekend, during my sister’s spring break, my family and I took a mini road trip and drove two hours north from Orlando just to see what this hype was all about. My inner child jumped at the idea of eating Jollibee for the first time in forever. It has been nine years since I have last eaten Jollibee. For those of you who do not know, Jollibee is a Filipino fast-food franchise expanding worldwide. They have successfully built their first Jollibee in Florida in the heart of Jacksonville in March.
Let’s just say, we waited an hour in line to get a taste of those “chickenjoys.” It was about dusk the time we arrived there, the air chilly, the family famished. I could not wait to get my hands on those greasy chickenjoys. Jollibee is by far the greatest fast-food restaurant (way better than McDonald’s) because of how it simply bonds families together over buckets of chickenjoys. After all, a family that eats together stays together.
The main entrees were to die for. My fingers were already caked with spaghetti sauce at the beginning of the meal. We Filipinos love our spaghetti sweet. Do not ask why. We just do. There is something about that sauce that makes you want to lick the whole plate clean. I felt gluttonous and bloated afterward. I have never eaten so much fast-food in my entire life.
My favorite, I would have to say, is the burger steak sautéed with mushroom gravy. It smells like home, the Philippines, where I come from. My parents would always buy me Jollibee, because they know how much I enjoyed it. I will always remember that part of my childhood. And eating food like this makes me want to cry, because I do truly miss home. I miss the Philippines, but in retrospect, I have to realize how blessed I am to have come this far, to have come to the United States, a nation rife with dreams and opportunities.
The desserts had to be gifts from God. The buko pandan pearl cooler with boba complemented the flavor of chicken and rice. We have spent over a hundred dollars at Jollibee just so that we could stock up on those peach mango pies (I can finish five in a day, more or less). “Slow down, bro,” my sister would laugh at me. I told her that I cannot slow down. It is too sarap (delicious) and this is Jollibee we are talking about here!
We saw hundreds of other Filipinos from Florida storming into Jollibee like wild ants on a hill. We saw them taking selfies with the mascot, emptying their wallets, and chowing down their food like trees down a wood chipper. It was overwhelming, the entire scene. It felt a bit nauseating, seeing all those people eat their hearts out. Nonetheless, it was a great experience. I will always miss home, but food like Jollibee that remind me of home make the “missing” more tolerable. I cannot wait till they open their drive thru or maybe expand their franchise here in Orlando. More families will finally be able to taste the “jolly” in the air.
