pasta for long life?
By sapphire_b
@sapphire_b (231)
Philippines
August 11, 2008 5:18am CST
Its august again, my nephews are just about to celebrate their 11th, 10Th and 1st year birthday. Here in the Philippines, we strongly believe on having pasta, usually spaghetti (pinoy style) as one of the main dish in every birthday celebration. If its not spaghetti, pancit bihon and any kinds of noodle dishes. Its long structure signifies long life we hope for the celebrant. Whether it is true or not, i thinks its really nice to have so for someone you love. Do you have such belief too?
3 responses
@agent_alice (448)
• Philippines
11 Aug 08
I think it started with the Chinese. Every time we have birthdays in our family we go to a Chinese Restaurant and order some food. One of the main menu is the Happy Birthday Cha Mi Sua. Chinese belief says that if you eat something long never cut it will a knife or fork and you have to eat it directly to your mouth, the longer the better and that will give you a long life. Maybe as interpreted for Filipinos it started with Pancit as a filipino version, then later Bihon then to Spaghetti. Anything as long as its long.... it gives long life. Serving Noodles that is long signifies our love to our loved ones.
@sapphire_b (231)
• Philippines
11 Aug 08
Is that so, well, thank you so much for that great information. Is Cha Mi Sua same as the misua we have here? hehehe Just asking. Are you pure chinese or what? nice meeting you alice!
@sapphire_b (231)
• Philippines
12 Aug 08
ohh is that so. Thanks for the info. I hope i can have the taste of that too, sounds delicious, hhhmmmmm....
@agent_alice (448)
• Philippines
12 Aug 08
I am a pure Chinese and grow up in the Philippines. Cha Mi Sua is different from Mi-Sua. Mi-Sua noodles are thinner compared to Happy Birthday Cha Mi Sua. Mi Sua is usually cook as soup. While Happy Birthday Cha Mi Sua is cooked like pancit, but it has toppings of salted peanut.
@snugglepuff09 (93)
• Philippines
11 Aug 08
Well, whether the belief is true or not, I still love pasta. any kind of pasta. Name it and I'll eat it. hehe. I want to learn to cook any pasta but it seems like I'm more interested in eating than cooking. =p
@sapphire_b (231)
• Philippines
11 Aug 08
yeah your right! I too love pasta, especially italian style. But, just like you, i think it is more exciting to explore its taste than how to make one...hahahahaha.
@torchablazed (3218)
• Philippines
11 Aug 08
Whenever I hear that on birthdays I usually remark and say, pastas doesnt give a long life, its the sauce, lol. Actually I would go for veggies and fruits since pastas do only have carbohydrates unlike fruits and vegetables.
Yes, its true enough in our culture and I don't know where that thought originates. Indeed it is also great way to prepare some pancit (a certain Filipino recipe) for one's birthday 
@sapphire_b (231)
• Philippines
11 Aug 08
I am not also aware where did this belief originated, i grew up hearing this from my parents. But i think it is more probably from chinese or japanese culture where noodles were originated. In one famous food chain, Tokyo tokyo, it think they do have "long life noodles" as one of their menu, do you think they have the same meaning?
