On pasalubong
Have you, like me, always thought the custom of bringing back a small gift for family and friends when coming back from a trip, whether local or abroad, was a Filipino thing? It turns out we are not the only ones who practice this. The Japanese and Koreans do too. We call it pasalubong, the Japanese call it omiyage, and the Koreans? Well, I am not sure what they call it but...
When Jung-in, my Korean friend, came to visit Cebu, she asked me to take her to the supermarket so she can buy something for her officemates. She says it is expected to bring some local food for colleagues when one comes back from a trip. When she and I went to Jeju, she made it a point to go to Dongmun Market to buy goodies to bring back to her office.
In Japan, there are many, many, many omiyage shops especially in train stations and near tourist sites. These shops sell mostly local specialty food in nice packaging and in different sizes. In Japan, like Korea, one is expected to bring omiyage upon returning to work from a trip. When my Japanese officemate returned from his trip back home, he personally distributed some omiyage in the office.
Do you know of any other cultures that have this custom?