406 (A Tell)

If you see a “406” bumper sticker on a vehicle, you can be certain the owner of the car is from Montana.  It’s a tell.  Montana’s statewide area code is 406.  The sticker celebrates the notion that Montanans see the entire state as a single community connected by long streets.   It’s rare for a native Montanan to travel to any town in the state and not have some manner of personal connection with at least one person in the town.    

Filipinos have a distinct tell of a much different nature.  This tell applies to Filipinos living abroad.  In this case, you can tell when a Filipino is living in a home if you find a walis-tingting broom at the home.  The brooms are made from the thin midribs of palm leaves bound together on one end.

One of the first online purchases Desiree wanted to make after her arrival here was a walis-tingting broom.

Walis-Tingting Broom on My Deck

—Mitchell Hegman