pepato*

So there's this eccentric local actress sa isang soap opera. Her character profile says na isa siyang dating model dito sa Pilipinas who left the country to try to make it big sa States pero nauwi siyang high class prosti dun pero nakapag-asawa ng isang matandang mayamang Italyano. Nagkaroon siya ngayon ng Franco-Italian, uhm, heritage. Kaya pag nagda-dialogue siya, may pakanta-kanta pa in foreign languages. This used to amuse us to no end. Kasi we liked her, and all the badings found her fashion sense wagi. Plus plus points because she seemed intelligent kahit kinakausap niya yung mga langaw sa set. Saka the director adores her so much so pinapabayaan yung mga improv niyang kung anu-ano.

Then the other director had her under his charge. Napansin ni Director 2 na ang daming adlib ni Ms Italyanang Hilaw. Saka may idinadagdag siyang interjection kasi feeling niya kulang sa measurement yung mga linya sa script. We're not talking Shakespearean blank verse or anything ha. Just ordinary day-to-day people talking. Pero kulang nga raw so kailangang isakto sa measurement. Kaya ganito ang ginagawa niya:

Actress: What are you talking about? Pepato! Ang gusto ko lang naman gawin ay tulungan kita!
Director 2: Cut! Cut! Please stick to the dialogue. From the top tayo.

So ulit na naman. But Actress insists on putting "pepato" in her dialogues para mag-even out ang measurement. Finally, Director 2, who directs in the theater and speaks fluent Spanish and French took Actress aside.

Director 2: Hija, I know you're supposed to be an Italian's wife, but please don't add "pepato" to your lines!
Actress: But Direk! The lines need several extra syllables to fit the measurement!
Director 2: Kahit na. If you want to add something, pick another word, not pepato. Do you know what the word means? Pepper! You are saying, Anong ibig mong sabihin, paminta!

Word got around that Actress was probably browsing some menu in a restaurant, found the word "pepato" interesting, rolls nicely on the tongue and thought, "Ah, I can add this to my dialogue to add some flavor!" Hehehe. So Astrid, puwede na ba akong mag-blind item writer sa inyo? Next time ko na ikukuwento yung Lea Salonga anecdote ko. Hehehe.

*Not related to the restaurant Disaster Mari is talking about.