To “tambay” is to hang out (or lollygag, one of my favorite words).

The book, Boy of the Pearl, tells the story of my father’s childhood during World War II and the Japanese Occupation in the Philippines. His neighbors in the community of Northern Hills regularly came to my grandparents’ home to “tambay”—to stand by and chat about goings-on in Manila, current events, or just to enjoy each other’s company. In other words, to hang out. 

Always, there were snacks. My grandmother, Mercedes, was quite the cook and loved whipping up something delightful—sugared plantain bananas, maybe, or her Northern Hills-famous chocolate cake, or kundol, which is winter melon squash cooked in a sugar syrup. It might sound strange, but I’ve tasted kundol and it’s quite good. If you don’t find the idea of squash candy appealing, then I’ll write that she also served crispy fried pork intestines. Now, that’s really good snackin’!

But I digress, and now I’m hungry for a snack! 

Back to “tambay.” The word derives from the English term “stand by”—to hang out, or lollygag. Incidentally, “lollygag” is one of my favorite words, and I was thrilled to find it used as a definition for “tambay.” 

Pronounce it: “tuhm-by.”

The trio in the image are members of the Ifugao tribe in the Cordillera mountains of Luzon Island. You can tell they’re having a good time tambay-ing! 

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