Questions · Filipino Thanksgiving

Questions for a Filipino Thanksgiving, with rice beside the turkey

A Filipino American Thanksgiving has turkey, yes, and also lumpia, pancit, a rice cooker on the counter and a tita who brought lechon. These questions fit that table: the food talk before dinner, a Filipino way of saying thanks, and the long hour after when someone plugs in the karaoke.

  • 16 questions
  • EN + TL on every card
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Kumustahan is a bilingual conversation card app: 1,200 questions in English and Filipino across 7 decks, with a short reflection on the back of every card.

Getting to know№ 48

Tell us about a time someone was fair to you in a way you still remember.

Ikuwento yung time na naging fair sa'yo ang isang tao, at natatandaan mo pa rin.

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A note

Fairness can be memorable because it gives people room to breathe. It says, I see the whole situation, not only the mistake.

Natatandaan ang fairness kasi nakakahinga ang tao. Parang sinasabi nito, nakikita ko yung buong situation, hindi lang yung mali.

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The questions

16 questions for a Filipino American Thanksgiving

Every question in English and Filipino/Tagalog, word for word from the Kumustahan decks. Open “Back of the card” for the reflection printed on the other side.

While the lumpia is still frying

4 questions

For the crowd in the kitchen before dinner is served.

  1. Tell us a food combo you like that people might question.

    I-share yung food combo na gusto mo pero baka kuwestiyunin ng iba.

    Back of the card

    Questionable does not always mean wrong. Some pairings just need one brave person to admit they work.

    Hindi porket questionable, mali na agad. Minsan kailangan lang ng isang brave person na umaming masarap siya.

  2. What food is hard for you to say no to?

    Anong pagkain ang hirap mong tanggihan?

    Back of the card

    Food answers can be light, but they usually carry a little story: comfort, habit, craving, or someone who introduced it.

    Light lang ang food answer, pero madalas may kasamang kuwento: comfort, habit, craving, o taong nagpakilala nito sa'yo.

  3. Name a food that tastes better when it's free.

    Sabihin mo yung pagkain na mas masarap kapag libre.

    Back of the card

    Free food has its own seasoning. Sometimes the best flavor is the tiny thrill of not paying for it.

    May sariling sarap ang libreng pagkain. Minsan yung best flavor, yung small joy na hindi ikaw ang nagbayad.

  4. When your brain is tired, what is your go-to order?

    Kapag pagod na utak mo, ano yung go-to order mo?

    Back of the card

    The reliable order deserves respect. It shows up when decisions are too much and hunger is already making a case.

    Respect sa reliable order. Lumalabas siya kapag ayaw mo nang mag-decide at gutom na rin ang nagsasalita.

Thankful, the Filipino way

6 questions

For the moment before eating, when lola leads grace.

  1. Name one thank-you to God from this week.

    Magbanggit ng isang thank-you kay Lord this week.

    Back of the card

    Gratitude can start small. A simple thank-you can help your heart notice grace that was already there.

    Puwedeng maliit lang ang gratitude. Isang thank-you lang minsan, naaalala mong may grace na pala doon.

  2. Share one prayer God answered, even in a small way.

    Mag-share ng isang prayer na sinagot ni Lord, kahit sa maliit na way.

    Back of the card

    Small answered prayers are still worth remembering. They can help us notice God's care in moments we might have rushed past.

    Worth remembering pa rin ang small answered prayers. Natutulungan tayo nitong mapansin yung care ni Lord sa moments na baka dinaanan lang natin.

  3. Tell us about a time someone was fair to you in a way you still remember.

    Ikuwento yung time na naging fair sa'yo ang isang tao, at natatandaan mo pa rin.

    Back of the card

    Fairness can be memorable because it gives people room to breathe. It says, I see the whole situation, not only the mistake.

    Natatandaan ang fairness kasi nakakahinga ang tao. Parang sinasabi nito, nakikita ko yung buong situation, hindi lang yung mali.

  4. Which compliment have you remembered long after someone said it?

    Anong compliment ang tumatak sa'yo kahit matagal na itong sinabi?

    Back of the card

    The exact words are optional. Notice which part of the compliment stayed with you.

    Hindi kailangan ang eksaktong salita. Balikan kung aling bahagi ng papuri ang tumatak sa'yo.

  5. Which compliment from a friend made you smile recently?

    Anong compliment mula sa friend ang nagpangiti sa'yo lately?

    Back of the card

    Did you believe it right away, or did it sink in later?

    Naniwala ka ba agad, o saka mo lang ito naramdaman?

  6. Tell us about a friend who made you feel like you belonged.

    Ikuwento yung friend na nagparamdam sa'yo na belong ka.

    Back of the card

    Inclusion can happen through one seat saved, one question asked, or one person making room on purpose.

    Minsan isang upuang tinabi, isang tanong, o isang taong sinadyang magtabi ng space ang nagpaparamdam na kasama ka.

After the plates, before the karaoke

6 questions

Stories and songs for the long sit after dinner.

  1. Name the song that should play when you enter a room.

    Sabihin yung song na dapat tumugtog pagpasok mo sa room.

    Back of the card

    An entrance song is mostly about energy. It says what kind of moment you want everyone to feel.

    Yung entrance song, energy talaga ang usapan. Sinasabi niya kung anong moment ang gusto mong dala.

  2. When was the last time a meal became a good memory?

    Kailan huling naging magandang memory yung isang meal?

    Back of the card

    A good meal memory is rarely only about food. It can be the timing, the people, or the feeling around the table.

    Hindi lang pagkain ang laman ng good meal memory. Pwedeng timing, kasama, o yung feeling sa paligid ng table.

  3. Tell us the funny memory your friends or family still bring up.

    Ikuwento yung funny memory na binabalikan pa rin ng friends o family mo.

    Back of the card

    Some stories become part of a group's archive. If people still bring it up, it probably earned its place.

    May stories na parte na ng group archive. Kapag binabalikan pa rin, malamang deserve niya yung spot.

  4. Tell us about a small childhood memory you still remember clearly.

    Kuwento mo yung maliit na childhood memory na malinaw pa rin sa'yo.

    Back of the card

    The memories that stay are not always the biggest ones. Sometimes one small scene keeps its color for years.

    Hindi laging pinakamalaki ang memories na naiiwan. Minsan isang maliit na scene ang malinaw pa rin kahit ang tagal na.

  5. What have you done recently that you are pleased about?

    Anong nagawa mo kamakailan ang ikinatuwa mo?

    Back of the card

    If your win had a tiny trophy, what would be written on it?

    Kung may maliit na trophy ang nagawa mo, ano ang nakasulat dito?

  6. After the main plan ends, which part of the hangout do you enjoy most?

    After ng main plan, which part ng hangout ang pinaka-enjoy mo?

    Back of the card

    The after-plan part can become the real memory. Looser moments sometimes carry the easiest stories.

    Minsan yung after ng main plan ang nagiging totoong memory. Mas loose kasi, kaya mas madaling magka-kwento.

How to use them

Before you ask

At a Filipino American Thanksgiving, the conversation already has a rhythm: food talk in the kitchen, a long grace, then hours of sitting around after the meal. The best questions follow that rhythm instead of interrupting it.

Start in the kitchen while the lumpia is frying and the turkey is resting: questions about strange food combinations and the food that tastes better free will get the cousins arguing. At the table, thankfulness fits naturally into the family’s grace, and a question about someone who was fair to you, or a prayer that was answered, can follow it. After dinner, ask for the story everyone already knows and the song that should play when each person walks in. Then let the karaoke take over.

With three generations at the table, some answers will be in Tagalog and some in English. Every card has both, so lolo and the grandkids can read the same question.

Good for

  • Fil-Am Thanksgiving dinners
  • Friendsgiving with Filipino friends
  • Thanksgiving with relatives visiting from the Philippines
  • The long weekend with cousins

Tips

  1. Ask the cook about the dish they brought before you eat it. It’s a compliment.
  2. Let lola or lolo answer the thankful question first.
  3. Steer clear of politics, in either country. Food and stories are safer ground.
  4. Use one card as a karaoke tiebreaker: the person with the best answer picks the next song.

Decks for this

Filipino Thanksgiving

Frequently asked questions

What do Filipinos eat at Thanksgiving?

Many Filipino American families serve turkey alongside Filipino dishes like lumpia, pancit, adobo, lechon and plenty of rice. Some cook the turkey Filipino-style, with adobo or lechon-style flavors.

What are good Thanksgiving questions for a Filipino family?

Questions about food, gratitude and old stories work across generations: a food combo people question, someone who was fair to you, a meal that became a good memory, the funny story the family still brings up.

How do I avoid awkward questions from titas at Thanksgiving?

Bring better ones. A light question about food or a fun story redirects the table away from weight, grades and marriage plans without making anyone uncomfortable.

Bring a better question to the table.

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