Ambos Mundos' Pot-Bellied Pig

It was seven in the morning but I was already roaming around Sta. Cruz area. Stores were closed yet and it’s kind of hard for me to find a place to hang-out to waste some couple of minutes as I wait for a Chinese drugstore to open along a street in Binondo. My dad asked me to buy some of his herbal meds—the reason why I was here.

I am the type of person who hates waiting and becoming more impatient when being stuck so I decided to just walk around maybe to do some photowalk. Good thing I always have my camera with me.

I passed by Arranque Market and eventually I saw this restaurant again—Ambos Mundos. What interest me more about this restaurant is not really the menu or the location. It’s about these two cuddly huge pigs in front of the resto:

One of the two pigs here

I stayed here for few minutes to take some photos of these pigs. I am not a huge fan of pigs but upon seeing these mini-buffalo-like creatures, I started to wonder why they are there. They move very slowly because they’re overweight and that makes them so cute. Unlike some common pig breeds her in the Philippines, these pigs can easily differentiated with their dark skin color and big sagging belly that almost touch the ground when they walk. They have shorter legs than other pigs have too!

From the past days, I posted on of their pictures on Facebook to gather some superficial information about what is the reason this pig is in front of this resto. I explained, I knew that Chinese people are living with their rituals and traditions that is maybe the reason; but I guess I needed to verify its significance.

After few minutes of having this picture circulated on Facebook. I received interesting replies. A good Chinese friend, Jeff, just answered me quickly: “That is a Pot-Bellied Pig and it’s for good luck”.

This is my first time to see a Pot-Bellied Pig. From its name, there’s no need to further explain how it looks like. It may appear as a lucky charm for Chinese culture but for some others, this pig who can grow up to 200 pounds can be as cuddly as a pet too! Pigs are known for their pork after being slaughtered, but did you know that pigs are second to dogs’ intelligence level? No wonder why Babe (from the movie) can play lots of tricks and is very well-trained also.

When I was a kid, I grew up growing some pigs in our backyard. I was never fond of them. What I could just remember is the mess when they were being fed and could also remember the time when I was teary-eyed as we deliver them to the slaughter abattoir when they are market-ready after few months.

But upon seeing these Pot-bellied Pigs here, the pig loving-kindness in me again lives on. They might not be just a lucky charm I guess, but could be a good alternative pet aside from dogs too.