I am a cigar lover, and to me, the Philippines is paradise because of its cheap and great tasting cigars. However, buying and smoking cigars here can be a challenge because of somewhat unusual societal attitudes of the Filipino people towards them.
The Spaniards employed the rich resources of their colonies in Central and South America to create vibrant cigar industries, and the population there smokes cigars as part of their daily activities. A cigar smoking man there is seen as masculine, strong, mature and successful. Cigars are classy, when you have one sticking out of your mouth, it means “you have arrived”. Cuba, Honduras, Nicaragua and countries all over the Americas love cigars. However, for some reason, here they are often viewed as odd and somewhat out of place. Especially, when a younger man smokes them. Why is that?
Here I am, in Cebu, and I walk into Gaisano, and ask the smiling clerk where I can buy cigars. She gladly takes me to the cigarette section.
“I would like to buy some cigars”- I say politely.
“Oh, you want cigarettes?” the sales lady asks. “We have Marlboros and Winstons, and Champion Blue”.
“No, I want to buy some cigars. I am looking for cigars”.
She gives me an uncomprehending look as if she does not know what I am talking about. And maybe she really doesn’t.
“Well, you know, they are for smoking, they are big and brown”.
“You mean tobacco?”- I hear he say.
“Of course, tobacco; I am in the tobacco section. Cigars! Cigars!!!”. I am starting to get frustrated. “For smoking!”.
“Tobacco?” –she asks again without losing her smile.
I walk out.
Some time later, at the airport, I saw Philippine cigars and I pointed to them. “Oh, “tabako” says the clerk. I finally realized that the sales lady at Gaisano was not messing with me, and that in the Philippines cigars are called “tabako”. I proudly bought a box, went back to my hotel and lit up one. Then I decided to walk around town smoking one.
If I were in Panama or Mexico, I would not get a second look but people here were smiling at me in a strange way. I looked unusual with a cigar. I soon realized that I was probably the only one smoking them as far as the general population was concerned.