The Emperor's New Mug

(written at 9:53 p.m. on May 16, 2012, a Wednesday)

And so there I was. At Finds Department Store here in Las Piñas, looking for a replacement for my coffee mug. Of all the things that I’d break, it had to be my coffee mug. And what timing! It had to happen the night before I declared on my Facebook wall that I am “not inclined to buying China-made products at this time…blah-blah-blah.”

I was about almost elated that the ceramic mugs on display cost only P25-P45. But then I saw the brand on one mug: “Dragon something-something.” In Chinese dragon characters. And then I remembered my self-mandate (no to China-made products at this time), and so I suspiciously inspected the mugs on display before me.

There was no indicator saying that the mugs were made in China. But I didn’t want to take any chances. So I opted for the more “Western” looking mugs. There was a “Dear God” mug. A Zodiac sign mug. Mugs with girly names (e.g. “Jeanette”). They were packaged in cardboard boxes with Western-looking designs. So I picked up one and opened up the package, and on the mug’s bottom, there it was in small bold black letters: “Made in China”.

And then I remembered those toys that come with McDonald’s Happy Meals. Mickey Mouse. Tarzan. Toy Story. All made in China. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAW!  <----- canned insane sarcastic laughter.

I inspected all the other mugs I could find at that department store. Not all of them indicated it, but my instinct was telling me, 99.99% of them are from China. Joyce Fler Reyes’ comment on my Facebook wall was nagging at me: everything’s made in China. That can’t be true, I was telling myself like mad. This is absurd!

What to do now? Go to SM? They’d all be made in China there. Even at Uniwide. And then I thought why not Puregold?

Puregold, so I was told, used to be a PX goods store established after the Americans left the military base in Pampanga in the early 1990s. Maybe they have mugs there. Made in America, at least. Ahehe. So I decided to check out the Puregold outlet near RFC Mall.

But before I could make it to Puregold, I decided to check out RFC first. At the second floor, there was this tiangge-like area where kitchen and bathroom wares are on display. Unfortunately (or fortunately), I got there too late, they were already closing up.

So I wandered about the floor and then I chanced upon the mall’s Filipiniana section. Hmm… I thought there must be something in there I could use in place of my coffee mug. At least I’m sure they’re all made in the Philippines.

I inspected the goods. Most are made of wood. There were handwoven wall displays, carabao wood carvings, miniature ships enclosed in clear glass bottles, penis ashtrays, barrel men, barrel women (yes, there ARE barrel women), and then…aha! There’s my mug! I immediately picked one up, paid for it, and went home with a satisfied smile on my face.

All the while, though, I was thinking: How much of our daily lives is actually made in China? What about those made somewhere else? And what of Philippine-made products?

I take comfort in the thought that perhaps it still lies in the context of how we use them. Perhaps I’m just talking economics here, and that business people ARE business people, regardless of their nationality.

Okay, so maybe it’s a sad thing that in my puny way, I’m trying to get back at a giant bully, only to realize that for the longest time, the bully had already been punching me in the face: whenever I drank from China-made ceramic mugs and ate from China-made ceramic plates or listened to music on China-made plastic headsets.

But one thing I do am proud of right now is that I AM STANDING UP TO A BULLY NONETHELESS.

I am still not buying China-made products at this time. As much as I can help it. As long as that bully (and by “bully,” I mean the Chinese government, not China) doesn’t realize the follies of its claims.

As for the mug I just bought, I’m still not sure if I’m going to use it. It smells of varnish and I’m not sure if it’s safe to drink from it. In the meantime, I’ll use any other drinking glass I can find around the house. And if you’re thinking, what if the drinking glass you use is also made in China? Well, at least I didn’t buy it around this time.

Besides, I have Chinese blood in me, too: either ¼ or 1/8. Also, I was once told that in a past life, I may have been a Chinese emperor. Chinese emperors drinking from China-made drinking glasses are not that far off. Wink, wink.

By the way, here’s my new mug. Say hi!