THE CHARCOAL EXPRESS

Charcoal, as defined by the dictionary, is a black, porous, carbonaceous material, 85 to 98 percent carbon, produced by the destructive distillation of wood and used as a fuel, filter, and absorbent.

Uling, the Tagalog word for charcoal, is the preferred cooking fuel in many Filipino households for dishes such as roasted meats, grilled sea foods, and rice cakes such as “bibingka” and “puto”. Charcoals put in native stoves accounts for the very tangible flavor of these Filipino foods.

So what is with charcoal that caught my attention and I dare to name this blog right after it?

Charcoal or “uling” metaphorically pertains to none other than me. But why is that? Is it whimsically strange for me to compare myself to a burnt wood among all other things?

Well, there is a story behind this metaphorical description. For one, I did not choose coal for analogies. No, not even in my dreams would I find myself comparable to a residue. So how did it happen?

Here goes the story.

My best friend and I were discussing about a certain topic, which I could not recall anymore, until the conversation became absurd and then we started trashing our faces out. We tried to outdo each other with the best name calling we could come up that time. I was about to win over him when all of a sudden, a song from a television show gave him the idea to pull off the worst bash I have never ever heard in my entire life. The song goes like, “uling, uling, uling, uling ling ling…”. Then he stared at me with a grin look on his face and he called me “ulingling” thereafter. Arrgh, just so you know, I am not the fairest guy you will ever meet. If you have the idea that a charcoal and I are separated at birth by way of the skin color or tone, then you hit the jackpot.

I am so grateful that my best friend got me used to the tag name which I end up liking. I do not know what is special with the word “uling” that it made so much impact to me. I think “uling” and I have a deep connection. I feel it so much. Thus, I arrived at the thought of naming my online diary The Charcoal World. I know, I know. I am starting to sound cheesy so let me just end this up.

So, there it is. Welcome to the Charcoal World!!! Welcome to Boy Uling’s world. Welcome to my world.