Pechay is a popular vegetable that grows and thrives in the Philippines.  This leafy vegetable can be sauted or cooked adobo style.  It is a minor ingredient in various Pinoy viands like Nilaga and Cosido.  This fibrous vegetable when eaten, basically maintains its fiber structure – it’s still visible and identifiable – when pushed out of the body during defecation.

With the evolution of the Filipino language, the word pechay has started to make its mark giving a different meaning.  These are:

1. It is the word used when a person would not want to utter bad and displeasing word.  Example, a lady reacting to an abominable situation may say, "Anak ng Pechay!" instead of "Anak ng Put*", meaning son of a bitc*.  ‘Anak ng Pechay’ is milder and lighter to the ear making the talker a bit graceful.
2. Pechay can also mean a female sex organ.  In a recent Pinoy movie entitled ‘Manay Po’, a gay character was so depressed when he found out that his bestfriend and love of his life already have a girlfriend.  For him to lure his bestfriend to fall for him he wants to have a lot of money so that a ‘pechay’ can be assembled in his body (means undergoing a sex change).

It still makes me wonder why Filipinos can’t just utter the Tagalog/Filipino word of vagina.  When in fact in the US a monologue has been entitled ‘Vagina Monologue’.  Can you just imagine translating it in Tagalog/Filipino?  It would be entitled ‘Puk*ng Mag-Isang Nagsasalita’ better yet calling it ‘Pagtatalumpati ng Pechay’.  It’s more assuasive to hear.

Happy and healthy pechay to everyone!