Please translate this Butong Pakwan packet for me.
November 11, 2012 6:40 PM   Subscribe

Translation help please! I can't identify the Asian language on this butong pakwan packet I bought on eBay several years ago. Front Back Could someone translate it for me? Is there any way to tell the date?
posted by MegoSteve to Grab Bag (6 answers total)
 
"439 sta. cristo manila" works as an address in the Philipines.

I have no idea if the rest of it is Tagalog or not....
posted by 1367 at 6:47 PM on November 11, 2012


It's not Tagalog. Tagalog uses roman characters.
posted by blue_beetle at 6:58 PM on November 11, 2012


Given that Chinese Filipinos represent a large ethnic chunk of the Philippines, it is most certainly Chinese. The characters on the very top of the front picture are upside down (presumably it's a flap meant to be folded down) and appear to be seal script.
posted by ninazer0 at 7:07 PM on November 11, 2012


Best answer: Front:
The first line on the front (white text on red background): Quantai Seeds Factory
The second line: Xuzhou Seeds (Xuzhou is a city in China)
THe bottom-right line (red text on white background): Printed by Xinxin, Hong Kong

Back:
The Chinese characters on the left is the same Manila address on the right.
The four Chinese characters surrounding "Superman": Registered Trademark.

I don't see any dates on the packaging. However, given that the Chinese text are written right-to-left, my guess is that the design is not modern, and probably was designed in the 1970s or earlier. (Although this design may still be used as the packaging.)

(Oh, and it is probably black melon seeds. A snack popular during Chinese New Year.)
posted by applesurf at 7:12 PM on November 11, 2012 [3 favorites]


Response by poster: Thank you, applesurf!
posted by MegoSteve at 7:14 PM on November 11, 2012


BUTONG (seeds) PAKUAN [PAKWAN] (watermelon) is Tagalog.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 10:25 PM on November 11, 2012


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