Angeles City

[QUOTE=UncleVolodya;1658841]
So we ended up at Grand Central again for a quick dinner. [/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=UncleVolodya;1658841]The pizzas were OK, but there was something that tasted a little odd about mine (more on that later). [/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=UncleVolodya;1658841] Unfortunately my stomach was getting worse and I was really starting to get nauseous. . . . . .

I threw up shortly after I got to the room. And she quickly followed suit. It turns out that we were both just sick. An acute case of food poisoning from the pizza (of all things!) at Grand Central.

Uncle V.[/QUOTE]Uncle V. . . . great report. . . . . It's always nice to end up with someone that you have that much chemistry with!

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And having been equally miserable due to food poisoning at times in my travels, I sympathize with you. That is NOT an experience that I would wish on anyone.

Please note: I am NOT part of Grand Central Hotel staff and do NOT have an interest in the hotel.

HOWEVER. . . . I do enjoy the place, they seem well run and have a very good coffee shop. Short of going to Starb&cks in the mall, there are very few decent places to get coffee in Angeles.

I have had several pizzas, a handful of the other dishes and several of their sub sandwiches off the menu and I would rate the kitchen as very good. I have NOT had the same experience as Uncle V.

Finding decent pizza in Angeles should probably be a whole different report (L O L).

So therefore, this just a different perspective.

Munch.

I've eaten at Grand Central a couple times and was unimpressed, both with the food and the service. I'm not that surprised by his experience.

[QUOTE=CaptMunch;1659054]Uncle V. . . . great report. . . . . It's always nice to end up with someone that you have that much chemistry with!

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And having been equally miserable due to food poisoning at times in my travels, I sympathize with you. That is NOT an experience that I would wish on anyone.

Please note: I am NOT part of Grand Central Hotel staff and do NOT have an interest in the hotel.

HOWEVER. . . . I do enjoy the place, they seem well run and have a very good coffee shop. Short of going to Starb&cks in the mall, there are very few decent places to get coffee in Angeles.

I have had several pizzas, a handful of the other dishes and several of their sub sandwiches off the menu and I would rate the kitchen as very good. I have NOT had the same experience as Uncle V.

Finding decent pizza in Angeles should probably be a whole different report (L O L).

So therefore, this just a different perspective.

Munch.[/QUOTE]Thanks for your perspective.

Needless to say I am NEVER going back there again.

I think it was the sausage on my pizza that did me in. My have been undercooked. She had a Hawaiian pizza and brought back leftovers for her girls and none of them got sick. But she did have a slice of mine too.

I had a coffee there earlier in the day and I thought it was not very good either.

[QUOTE=UncleVolodya;1659075]I think it was the sausage on my pizza that did me in. My have been undercooked. She had a Hawaiian pizza and brought back leftovers for her girls and none of them got sick. But she did have a slice of mine too.

I had a coffee there earlier in the day and I thought it was not very good either.[/QUOTE]So far I know food poisoning may happens anytime to any one. Even pieces of one pizza divide in numbers, than only one may get the poisoning and others may not affected at all.

Regardless high end or normal joints.

Food poisoning comes from eating cheap garbage at ambulant eateries. I have no pity.

[QUOTE=UncleVolodya;1659075]Thanks for your perspective.

Needless to say I am NEVER going back there again.

I think it was the sausage on my pizza that did me in. My have been undercooked. She had a Hawaiian pizza and brought back leftovers for her girls and none of them got sick. But she did have a slice of mine too.

I had a coffee there earlier in the day and I thought it was not very good either.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=UncleVolodya;1659075]Thanks for your perspective.

Needless to say I am NEVER going back there again.

I think it was the sausage on my pizza that did me in. My have been undercooked. She had a Hawaiian pizza and brought back leftovers for her girls and none of them got sick. But she did have a slice of mine too.

I had a coffee there earlier in the day and I thought it was not very good either.[/QUOTE]If I had your experience there, I would write it off as well.

Another poster also took exception. . . . and maybe I was a little over "enthusiastic" by saying it was "very good".

Among all the very mediocre restaurants in this place, it is hard enough to find a place that might be worth even a second visit.

Some of the restaurants that cater to the large ex-pat population have raised their prices though NOT the quality of the food or the wages of the employees. With the various trucking bans in Manila / inflation, some of the actual costs are going up though not necessarily at the rates the restaurants are going up.

Munch.

[QUOTE=You69Me;1659125]Food poisoning comes from eating cheap garbage at ambulant eateries. I have no pity.[/QUOTE]1. Not always. People sometimes get it at high-end resto's.

2. Where did [I]that[/I] come from (your first post in the phils threads).

3. Those places are the majority of eateries in pilipines. . .

[QUOTE=GreenBud;1654489]Of course the following is a generalization.

Koreans like the girls young, skinny, and pretty (K-Pop features). They are culturally "not friendly". They want to barfine the cute girls early, go barhopping, and hang out with their own friends.

Some people don't like the Koreans. Some of their points are valid. Some of their points are bogus. Some of them will only be happy if fellow punters are mostly their own kind / types.

Atlantis. It's a large bar full of young cute girls. It is popular with the Koreans. If you want the best of the best, you have to go there early. But because the bar is so large, there are decent girls still available if you get there late. Everyone is welcome there (it's an Aussie? Manager), but some girls will only go out with Northern Asians (Koreans, Japanese, Chinese).[/QUOTE]I'm Korean, but grew up in the states and 100% Americanized. I have spent some time in Korea and will give a little background.

In Korea, there aren't many "western" style bars where you go in and socialize with other people. You go with a group of friends, get a table and drink within your group. Other bars include: KTV bars (again with friends / co-workers) and business bars. Business bars may semi-look like a western bar, but no other girls other than the waitresses / bartenders and the men don't interact with each. (There are clubs for the younger crowd as well.).

I've been to a few KTV bars in Seoul with a relative and the lineups were a pretty overwhelming experience. 3 groups of 10 girls came through for us to pick for someone to sit with us. Was pretty expensive though as I think it ran $200/2 hours (per girl) in the room and another $200 to go upstairs for ST (from what I recall). My guess is they don't have message boards in wide use like this to share information on pricing etc for traveling to the Philippines.

Since this is their only background, I guess they assume the same goes in PI. While Koreans tend to be standoff-ish, I think it's lack of confidence in English speaking skills. I can relate being in Korea with 3rd rate speaking skills. At the casinos in PI, I've found most of the Koreans to be somewhat friendly with minimal conversation, but a similar goal to try to win money.

[QUOTE=You69Me;1659125]Food poisoning comes from eating cheap garbage at ambulant eateries. I have no pity.[/QUOTE]I was not looking for any pity. Just stating the facts so that others could avoid making the same mistake.

I would not describe GC as an "ambulant eatery". Use a dictionary next time if you are not 100% sure of the meaning of a word.

And BTW I have never gotten sick from eating at ambulant eateries (street food in Thailand or Tacos in Mexico). Only times I have gotten food poisoning was from relatively safe establishments: a very well known restaurant in Central Europe and at the breakfast buffet at one of the better hotels in Chiangmai.

Uncle-V.

As always Uncle Volodya, I greatly enjoyed your frank, detailed and helpful report. Can't wait for my maiden AC journey in February.

Excellent post R99. This is a good summary of cross-cultural differences that cause misunderstandings. One caveat is that there are some dodgy characters in AC regardless of nationality.

[QUOTE=Random99;1659178]I'm Korean, but grew up in the states and 100% Americanized. I have spent some time in Korea and will give a little background.

In Korea, there aren't many "western" style bars where you go in and socialize with other people. You go with a group of friends, get a table and drink within your group. Other bars include: KTV bars (again with friends / co-workers) and business bars. Business bars may semi-look like a western bar, but no other girls other than the waitresses / bartenders and the men don't interact with each. (There are clubs for the younger crowd as well.).

I've been to a few KTV bars in Seoul with a relative and the lineups were a pretty overwhelming experience. 3 groups of 10 girls came through for us to pick for someone to sit with us. Was pretty expensive though as I think it ran $200/2 hours (per girl) in the room and another $200 to go upstairs for ST (from what I recall). My guess is they don't have message boards in wide use like this to share information on pricing etc for traveling to the Philippines.

Since this is their only background, I guess they assume the same goes in PI. While Koreans tend to be standoff-ish, I think it's lack of confidence in English speaking skills. I can relate being in Korea with 3rd rate speaking skills. At the casinos in PI, I've found most of the Koreans to be somewhat friendly with minimal conversation, but a similar goal to try to win money.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=You69Me;1659125]Food poisoning comes from eating cheap garbage at ambulant eateries. I have no pity.[/QUOTE]I think you know "jack " about food poisoning. Firstly what 99% people of have is food "sensitivity" that we all call food poisoning because its an easier word to handle.

Food sensitivity can come from ice that's not made from pure water nor stored properly, from poorly prepared, poorly stored, poorly heated or re-heated food. Food handlers can equally create food sensitivity situations due to poor hygiene and touching prepared foods with bare, unwashed hands etc.

The symptoms generally are manifest very quickly and result in diarrhea and other LBM type situations. That can apply in all restaurants from the ambulant, to the high end.

Food poisoning comes from things such as cross contamination (a decent kitchen will have separate storage and preparation and separate chopping boards for meats, and fish and vegetables for instance).

Poisoning however can take up to 72 hours to manifest and can be identified by stool samples. The liver is actually in danger when theres real food poisoning because poison is toxic in nature.

Never been to PI, but been reading this thread as it is now on my list of places to visit. Thanks for sharing.

R

[QUOTE=UncleVolodya;1658841]Last day in AC.

I walked up to her and I was holding her in my arms even before I had a chance to introduce myself. She said her name was Glendale and she beckoned me into her club, LA Bar, to check out her ladies. I told her I was interested in her and only her. LOL. She said that she was a "floor manager" and that the bar fine would be 3 K. I told her I had to go grab my laundry and get changed for the evening but that I'the be back later so that we could talk about it. She gave me a quick kiss on the lips and told me that she really hoped that I would come back.

I suggested we go have a drink and talk about a BF and she was happy to lead me into the club. Again another minimalist setup, stage facing a coupled of seats only a few feet away. She introduced me to her two girls who were gyrating onstage. She said that she was their "manager" and took care of all their needs. I told her that it sounded like she was their pimp and she laughed. To get the party started I ordered a round of beers for all of us and a couple of shots of Tequila for me and Glendale. I turned on the charm and she really seem to like me. Soon we were kissing and I was fondling her nice body, though she kept covering the side of her mouth with her hand so that the girls on stage could not see (there wasn't a lot of privacy in this place)...[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=UncleVolodya;1659205]I was not looking for any pity. Just stating the facts so that others could avoid making the same mistake.

I would not describe GC as an "ambulant eatery". Use a dictionary next time if you are not 100% sure of the meaning of a word.

And BTW I have never gotten sick from eating at ambulant eateries (street food in Thailand or Tacos in Mexico). Only times I have gotten food poisoning was from relatively safe establishments: a very well known restaurant in Central Europe and at the breakfast buffet at one of the better hotels in Chiangmai.

Uncle-V.[/QUOTE]Well said UV. Sometimes we some peoples use rude words might be for not knowing the correct use of the words; Even a native English speaker.

For me, I prefer to enjoy the food from street vendors whatever places I visit either inland or abroad. Sitting with locals and waiting for foods, it gives me the opportunity to be the part of local vibe. The essence of culture of the general peoples, who cannot afford high end joints. The fact is, they are the majority part of the country. The ingredients of foods are same all over the world (the veg, the meat, the fish etc). But the way of preparation of food gives us the taste behavior of the general peoples. Any one will agree, that the food habit represents the culture of the society.

Whatever the country I had visited The Indian Subcontinent, Central Asia, SEA or China, I always prefer to stay with street vendors for food. Never been poisoned in any kind, even m in my early 50's. Just once I had in China when I was in a conference, just taking by some dry snacks, since the foods were came from high end.

[QUOTE=MuaTur;1659393]Well said UV. Sometimes we some peoples use rude words might be for not knowing the correct use of the words; Even a native English speaker.

For me, I prefer to enjoy the food from street vendors whatever places I visit either inland or abroad. Sitting with locals and waiting for foods, it gives me the opportunity to be the part of local vibe. The essence of culture of the general peoples, who cannot afford high end joints. The fact is, they are the majority part of the country. The ingredients of foods are same all over the world (the veg, the meat, the fish etc). But the way of preparation of food gives us the taste behavior of the general peoples. Any one will agree, that the food habit represents the culture of the society.

Whatever the country I had visited The Indian Subcontinent, Central Asia, SEA or China, I always prefer to stay with street vendors for food. Never been poisoned in any kind, even m in my early 50's. Just once I had in China when I was in a conference, just taking by some dry snacks, since the foods were came from high end.[/QUOTE]You are a man of my own tastes! - culinary and women.

It's always funner to sit down for a meal with the locals and experience culture first hand. One of the things that bummed me out about the food poisoning is that it really killed my appetite for the rest of the trip and I couldn't really enjoy the Filipino food on offer.

Haha good excuse to go back. Though My next trip will be to Pattaya (next week!

Stay horny my friend.

Uncle-V.