Well, golly gee whiz, Euell, I ate a pine tree once and I couldn't eat anything else for a whole year!
Yes, that infamous line of the post title is an advertising quote from Euell Gibbons, a spokesman for the Post Grape Nuts cereal product back in the 70s. Happening upon the quote again somewhere recently, it brought to mind some of the facts of life here in the Philippines. While Filipinos don't go around eating pine trees, there are other types of local trees and plants that are utilized for food as well as clothing.
Filipinos have made clothing for years from the fibers of pineapple leaves, banana leaves, and other plants and trees that I've never heard of. The traditional Filipino Barong Tagalog, considered formal attire here, is made of pineapple or banana leaves or a mixture of both. On one of the Filipino television stations, I once watched a Santa Claus outfit being handmade from nothing but banana leaves.
I'll be honest. I don't think pine trees exist here in the Philippines. It's a good thing too, because I feel a powerful strong urge to munch on some pine cones.
