It's Hooters not hookers

Hooters

While everyone is blogging about David Cook's recent American Idol win over fan favorite and uber pa-cute David Archuleta, I'm blogging about an entirely different thing.

Hooters Manila recently opened (April 28 to be exact) at Building D of Mall of Asia. If not for Carl Hiaasen's witty, funny and unique-bordering-on-the-weird novels on Miami, Florida I wouldn't have come across with this infamous restaurant.

To cut a long story short (and this blog entry shorter), Hooters or the idea of sexy waitresses--who are chest heavy according to Paolo Lorenzana--serving greasy food (focusing on the male clientèle, obviosuly) first emerged in 1983 at Florida.

So, how did this, well uh, groundbreaking restaurant reached the Philippine shores, miles away from Florida? Thanks (or no thanks) to Eric Gutierrez, who I think is formerly connected with FHM.

And as expected, Catholic and Christian groups announced their, well, denouncement of this establishment. Highly because of its vulgarity. It's another crack at the only-Catholic/Christian-nation-in-Asia image image of the Philippines. And before Hooters starts attracting (Catholic, Christian) customers, bishops or whoever doused the fire with water. The adage, "Prevention is better than cure" has taken on a much serious meaning, in this instance.

In all fairness to the "Delightfully tacky yet unrefined" waitresses and Mr. Eric Gutierrez himself, they're neither trying to promote a filthy club nor an escort service nor legitimize prostitution in the country. They are, let's face it, merely adding a "visual" element to the thing we Filipinos love to do: eating. And Hooters protect their waitresses by having bouncers aka security personnel on standby in case "some inebriated ignoramus" gets carried away by the waitresses' soft teasing. 

I'm not actually against Hooters nor I am endorsing people to go there (except for the food, which I heard are guiltily delicious. I have yet to try it.). I see at as another change our society, our culture encounters and needs to adapt to, sociology-wise.

Adapting does not mean embracing with all arms (a.k.a. to patronize). Adapting means changing some of our views on im/morality. This new concept (of having a good time and not taking everything, and yourself, too seriously when eating which Hooters boasts of) that translates anywhere "needs to be gobbled up" or if you don't want to, well, at least respect it. We all have preferences, remember.

I just wonder with the arrival of a restaurant such as Hooters to the uber-conservative shores of Manila, "What will come next?" My Sociology professor was right when he said that, "Nothing should surprise me (or us) with this generation, in these times."