Don’t bring food home from a wake, or you invite misfortune

Lara:
Uy, Marco! You left so early last night from the wake. And you didn’t even take the empanada they were handing out.

Marco:
Of course I didn’t! You know the rule — don’t bring food home from a wake. Bad luck yan. You want spirits following you home? No thanks.

Lara:
Ay naku, here we go again. How will the spirit even follow you because of an empanada? Is it like… spirit GPS? “Target acquired: flaky pastry.”

Marco:
Laugh all you want, but my Lola always said it’s dangerous. Food from a wake carries the sadness of the place. You bring it home, you invite misfortune. My cousin swears he got sick after eating pancit from a wake.

Lara:
Maybe your cousin got sick because he ate four plates of pancit, not because of ghosts. Indigestion is not supernatural, Marco.

Marco:
Hindi ah! Even my mom says the same. Every time we go to a lamay, she reminds us: “Eat there if you want, but don’t take anything home. Leave the bad vibes behind.”

Lara:
But that’s the thing — it’s vibes, not evidence. Misfortune doesn’t stick to food like peanut butter. If you think about it, wakes are super busy. People go in and out, kids playing, people laughing even. If anything, the food is probably the safest thing there — freshly cooked for guests!

Marco:
Still. You don’t know what you’re inviting.

Lara:
Okay, but listen. Remember when I accidentally brought home that puto from Tita Mila’s husband’s wake last year?

Marco:
Yes! I told you to throw it away!

Lara:
I didn’t. I put it in the fridge. Ate it the next morning. And guess what?

Marco:
You got cursed?

Lara:
I got a promotion at work that same week.

Marco:
Coincidence. Maybe the spirit blessed you para umalis ka na sa office mo.

Lara:
Ay grabe, even the spirits want me to resign?

Marco:
Maybe they wanted the puto back.

Lara:
Seriously, Marco — we follow so many traditions without thinking why. Wakes are part of life. Food is just food. Misfortune comes from real things — stress, unsafe habits, bad decisions — not pastries.

Marco:
But it’s tradition. It keeps us cautious.

Lara:
But cautious about what? Kasi if the rule was “don’t take home food because it might spoil in the heat,” then yes, that makes sense. But “bad luck”? No evidence. No statistics. No ghostly empanada attacks recorded in Philippine history.

Marco:
Huy! Don’t make fun. Some things we shouldn’t challenge.

Lara:
I’m not challenging your Lola. I’m just saying… maybe these beliefs came from practical reasons before, and people just added the supernatural explanation later.

Marco:
Hmm… so you’re saying it’s safe to take food home?

Lara:
Absolutely. Unless it’s the last piece and someone’s already eyeing it. Then the misfortune is social, not spiritual.

Marco:
Fine. Next time, maybe I’ll take home the suman. Maybe. But if anything weird happens, I’m blaming you.

Lara:
Deal. If a ghost shows up, I’ll offer them snacks.

Marco:
Ay nako. You and your science.

Lara:
You and your ghosts-with-snack-preferences.