My Nephew Nacho's Baptismal Celebration at His Ninong Max's

From l-r: Tetet, Ros, Auggie and Diane, Pierre and Joy, Elaine and Sophia,
Ian and Nacho, me with Guijo, Oliver with Narra

It was some 17 years ago when my cousin Ian first spied my college kabarkada Elaine at my 18th birthday party - 10 years later, they were married and had baby Sophia - and now, 7 years since welcoming their firstborn, they have their second child, Joselito Ignacio Verano Serranilla.  Last Saturday was little Nacho's baptism, and at the reception that followed, I saw the same faces from my debut - my college barkada from DLSU days invited by Elaine - and my relatives from my mother's side of the family invited by Ian.  It's raining babies, it seems to me! On our side of the family 4 of us cousins were pregnant at the same time, and in our barkada, 3 of us... I can already see it - my son Guijo and his batch mates growing up together and attending each other's birthday parties for years to come.  And Max's Restaurant seems  to be a step ahead of us, anticipating future birthdays with their "Ninong Ko si Max" program.

The emcee/host from Max, awarding Nacho's "inaanak ni Max" certificate.

At Nacho's party, the emcee/host announced the perks of the program: when a child's baptismal reception is held at Max's, the child becomes an inaanak and would receive from "Ninong Max" birthday and Christmas gifts yearly until they turn 7! At our table, we were curious about what gift the kids would receive.  It's a fun concept, having a restaurant as a ninong, it's so delightfully Pinoy!  Eating at Max's, after all, feels like eating at a close relative's house where you know your way around, and the institution has been around for so long, and is so deeply rooted in our psyche, that holding a party there for our young, feels like a passing of the torch of sorts to the next generation... It's like saying to our kids: "here anak, have a taste of fried chicken done the way Ninong Max does it".  It's not battered like Colonel Sander's Kentucky style chicken, nor crispy in the Jollibee chicken-joy way; it's not to be dunked in toyo and calamansi like chicken inasal; it's not juicy-soft like litson manok or firewood roasted like Kenny Roger's; it's not marinated yellow like Pollo Loco, or rubbed with Chinese spices like Savory's. And it's not barbecued sweet like Aristocrat's, or sweet-spicy like Bonchon's crunchy-saucy wings. "What it is, anak, is Ninong Max's own unique take, best accompanied by Jufran banana ketchup" - and isn't this little bit of advice, this little piece of cultural trivia, something every chicken-eating Pinoy-kid should know? 

The promotional poster for the "Ninong Ko Si Max" program.

The novelty of the familiar is what Max's has to offer with this "Ninong ko si Max" program.  It is novel, in that the child is elevated from the lowly status of faceless-nameless customer to the exalted category of inaanak, godchild, almost family!  It reminds me of other moments in my 1980s youth, when I became a member of programs targeted at kids, and it made something special out of the mundane: the Banco Filipino Happy Saver's Club (with a cool passbook with a Sanrio "My Little Twin Star" cover) made trips to the bank exciting! While the Susy and Geno Club (attained after mailing in the lid from a can of Sustagen) made me drink the powdered formula even if I didn't really care for the taste all that much. For a kid with a single-digit age, any form of membership mattered a great deal! So this "Ninong Ko Si Max" program triggered happy memories for me. I am happy for my nephew Nacho that he has this stake on Max's.

Our college barkada (with some hubbies and kids).

When the emcee announced that Nacho, as inaanak, would get a 15% discount for his party if he celebrated his 1st and 7th birthdays at Max's, all of us at our table - the nostalgic easy-to-please bunch that we are - all looked at each other and said "see you there!"   If Ian and Elaine do choose to celebrate again at Max's, and invite us to come, I'd look forward to another afternoon spent catching up with old friends. I'd look forward to being able to relax and to feeling right at home. Because Max's is that kind of  place where being offered familiar favorites makes a guest feel like one of the family, even if one isn't officially an inaanak of Ninong Max.

Happy Christening Nacho!