Sese
Happy National Pet Day! The Kapampángan word “sésé” means “care” as well as what is taken care of, like a pet. But it also has another meaning that reflects why the Kapampángan region is the Culinary Capital of the Philippines!
SÉSÉ • (SEH-SEH)
(1) care; (to) take care of, look after; what is taken care of, a pet or ward (2) (to) cook rice
Tagálog (Filipino): (1) alágà
In the Kapampángan language, “sésé” (verb: manésé) is a root word that means “to take care of”. It also means “to cook rice” (the other more literal word is “tun”), deriving from the sense of “to treat properly” (that is, not letting rice get half-cooked) as well as “to nourish or nurture”, as cooking rice is a way to take care of someone by nourishing them with food. This reflects why the Kapampángan region is the Culinary Capital of the Philippines, because food is made with love and care.
Derived Word:
TALASÉSÉ / TALAPANÉSÉ • (tuh-luh-SEH-SEH / tuh-luh-puh-NEH-SEH)
caretaker, custodian, guardian
Tagálog (Filipino): tagapag-alágà
Verb Conjugation
manésé, mánésé, ménésé – (1) to take care of, look after; (2) to cook rice (Actor Focus)
sésén, sesésén, sinésé – (1) to take care of, look after (2) to cook rice (Object Focus)
Example Sentence
Sésén mé ing wáli mu. [Kap]
Alagáan mo ang (nakababátang) kapatíd mo. [Tag]
Take care of/Look after your younger sibling. [Eng]
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