It'd Be Very Foolish to Attempt Getting a Loan from an Indian Restaurant

As a fan of Indian food (depends on the type actually), I also remembered the time when people talked about the 5-6 lending scheme. I had a few Indian-Filipino classmates during my business administration days. It was funny to think that some people attempted to borrow money from my Indian classmates. I went to Indian restaurants and met again some Indian-Filipino peers there. I remembered eating at Mr. India before they became Bollywood Tandoor. There's also Cherry's the Spice, Bharat Spice, and Little India Healthy Cuisine. I could also remember attempting to eat at an Indian restaurant early in January, only to find that the place have been jam-packed with motorcycles. Some people who went in and out were wearing turbans. Ah yes, the very feeling when January becomes a busy month to collect Christmas loans (read here). There's also that long weekend last April this year (read here).

I could remember a few songs that addressed the issue. There's a Cebuano song by Max Surban called "Pasko sa Binilanggo" (The Prisoner's Christmas). The original song talked about someone who was wrongly in jail. The other was where a prisoner went home but the parents weren't thrilled about it. The song went on to even wish Merry Christmas to the Indian lenders (called Bombay in the lyrics, read why here). The other was called "Dayang Daya" (daya means cheat) by the late Yoyoy Villame. The song also mentioned the use of the 5-6 lending scheme.

Let's imagine a scene that goes like this. It's almost a stereotype for Indian-Filipinos to be lending money. I could imagine if someone went into an Indian restaurant not to dine on the delicious food but to borrow money from the owner. So far, I haven't encountered that while eating at Indian restaurants during the -ber months. However, I heard that 5-6 lending schemes tend to intensify when it's near Christmas, near Holy Week, and when it's near summer break. I could imagine if while I'm eating there, somebody would foolishly ask the owner, "Can I open a loan here?" That would be funny (and irritating) at the same time.

After the COVID-19 pandemic, I did ask a service crew member at an Indian restaurant if somebody ever tried to borrow money from their boss. The service crew member said that they haven't tried it. I haven't experienced anyone trying to borrow money from the owner or if the owner was around. Most people usually just went there to dine in or take out. I haven't experienced anybody who tried to borrow money from an Indian restaurant. If there was, the Indian-Filipino restaurant owners would probably rather not talk about it. I don't blame them if they refuse to talk about it. Maybe, somebody may end up admitting it happened but so far, there seems to be none.

I heard that 5-6 lenders usually don't have a fixed location. An Indian restaurant usually relocates for valid reasons. Mr. India shut down, relocated to another place near Talamban, and named their place Bollywood Tandoor. I think 5-6 lenders don't have a fixed location because they don't want to get caught. Meanwhile, all the Indian restaurants I've eaten in are duly registered. Indian restaurant owners usually drive cars, not motorcycles. Most of their delivery services are through Foodpanda and Grab. The 5-6 lenders drive motorcycles so they can easily reach locations where a car would be impractical.

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