SEATTLE, USA — “’Pag binato ka ng bato, batuhin mo rin ng tinapay,” so does the Filipino saying goes, meaning, “If someone throws a stone at you, throw back bread instead.”
But what if somebody throws fish at you? What will you throw back?
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Of course, in Seattle’s historic Pike Place Market, if someone throws you fish, you have to toss it back!
Philippine Airlines Executive Vice President and General Counsel Atty. Carlos Luis Fernandez recently participated in the fish throwing tradition in the market. The Filipino executive flawlessly caught the fish thrown at him even at his first try!
In a casual chat with Philstar.com after the throwing, Fernandez admitted that at first, he was worried that he might be unable to catch the fish or worse, that it would go to his shirt and he would carry its smell throughout the day.
Fortunately, he said, the fish was big enough, about a kilo or a little over a kilo in weight, and fresh and not frozen, so it was not slippery and easy to spot even as it approached from afar.
Founded in 1930, Pike Place Market, or simply “PPM” among locals, is Seattle’s most famous fish market, although the nine-acre, multi-building complex also houses heritage restaurants and souvenir shops, among others, including the first ever Starbucks store in the world.
In 1986, the market was almost shut down due to bankruptcy, until new practices, such as fish throwing, was introduced and began attracting visitors from all over the world.
The fish throwing reportedly started as a prank by one of the market’s employees to another employee. Until now, it is done by the vendors before wrapping the fish. Occasionally, vendors would throw fish into the crowd to scare off bystanders, or invite a tourist to participate in the tradition.
Partly thanks to this tradition, PPM reportedly welcomes up to 10,000 daily visitors and in 1991, CNN named the market as among USA’s three “most fun places to work in.” — Video by Deni Rose M. Afinidad-Bernardo; video editing by Martin Ramos
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Editor's note: The tour to Seattle was hosted by Philippine Airlines to promote tourism in the area. At no stage does the host organization have a say on the stories generated from the coverage, interviews conducted, publication date and story treatment. Content is produced solely by Philstar.com following editorial guidelines.