When you ask a Filipino what’s the one thing that they can’t live without eating, he or she would most probably say rice. I experienced this myself when I once went to Europe. Their food was mostly bread and sandwiches. Being the Pinoy that I am, I went looking for grocery stores or restaurants that sold rice and ate it whenever I had the chance.

But when you ask a Filipino who’s been away from home for a long time what’s the one thing they miss the most – apart from their families, of course – he or she would most probably say Jollibee Chickenjoy.

A relative from Canada who has been there for over 10 years drove miles and endured long lines when Jollibee first opened in a nearby city – just to be able to taste home again with the rest of her family.

Lian, a colleague, who went to London to celebrate Christmas with her family last year, turned to Jollibee Chickenjoy to make it memorable.

“I was still thankful I got to be with my mom and my sister, but sad we couldn’t have our planned celebration with fellow Filipinos. What we did to compensate was order a bucket of Chickenjoy, spaghetti, and burgers from Jollibee, but they were only delivering to a certain distance,” said Lian. “My sister and I decided to walk and meet the delivery rider there. It was a long walk, but holding that bucket in my arms smelled, and felt, like the Filipino Christmas I wanted.”

That’s how deeply ingrained this iconic food is in the lives of Filipinos. It’s the favorite pasalubong (gift), the after-church habit, the most coveted baon to school, and the star of every Pinoy celebration.

In the talk show, Our Joy and Pride: A Chickenjoy Special, Jollibee ambassadors Aga Muhlach, Anne Curtis, and Pia Wurtzbach also talked about their own unforgettable memories of Chickenjoy and why it brings them so much joy and pride.

Aga grew up with Jollibee. He’s been an ambassador for 30 years now. He started endorsing different Jollibee products as a young actor and continued on until he was doing it with his wife Charlene, and twins Atasha and Andres. But it’s the image of Aga biting on a Juicylicious, Crispylicious Chickenjoy drumstick on TV commercials that truly made a mark.

“The first store ever ng Jollibee abroad, I was there also to open it, gano’n ang pinagsamahan namin, matagal na yan, (we really go way back)” said Aga. “So, man, it’s Chickenjoy forever. I say this not just because I’m an endorser but 30 years with them, nakatatak na sa puso ko ‘yan ano (it’s forever etched in my heart).”

For Anne, being a Jollibee ambassador is like going full circle. Not a lot of people know that when Anne was scouted and offered her first ever commercial modelling stint, she was eating in Jollibee. She just came to the Philippines then and was having her usual merienda with her mom after visiting her then school Colegio de Santa Rosa.

“I kept on telling myself, kailan kaya ako makukuha ng Jollibee (when will Jollibee get me as an endorser). Do they know kaya na they started everything for me? Me eating at Jollibee, having Jolly Spaghetti and Chickenjoy is what started everything for me on that day,” said Anne. “So, when it finally happened, when they asked me to do a campaign, I was just so thrilled at that time. I was just so, so happy.”

And finally, if there’s someone who would know what the universe thinks about Chickenjoy, it’s our very own Miss Universe 2015. A kid who grew up spending her birthdays in Jollibee, Pia makes sure to share the magic of Jollibee Chickenjoy with the world whenever she has the chance. And that’s exactly what she did when she joined the Miss Universe competition, she would talk about Jollibee so much, the other Miss Universe candidates started calling her Jollibee!

“I’m so proud of Chickenjoy because it really represents Filipinos and represents the Philippines,” said Pia. “Filipinos are known and loved all over the world. Malaki na rin ‘yung naging contribution natin (we’ve made great contributions) in different aspects di ba, like athletes, meron tayong mga (we have) beauty queens, maraming mga (a lot of) Filipinos that represent us abroad and isa na dun si (one of them is) Jollibee. I mean ‘pag nakikita ko siya (whenever I see it), I see me, that’s me, that’s us.”

Jollibee Chickenjoy is no doubt Our Joy and Pride. Just knowing that there’s Jollibee in different parts of the world where people – be they our kababayan or not – line up to try the famous Chickenjoy is enough to make us feel proud to be a Filipino.

In the words of our Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach, if Chickenjoy was the answer, what would be the question:

“What makes you proud? What makes you blush? What do you love the most? What are you most proud of? What Filipino icon represents the best of the Filipino? What’s something that you wish you could eat everyday? There’s so many possible questions for this and Chickenjoy would be the answer to all of it.”

Watch the full Our Joy and Pride: A Chickenjoy Special talk show below:

– Rappler.com