Manila

We all feel poor if we have to live beneath our own expectations. The trick is to set reasonable and realistic expectations for yourself, then adjust them to match changing circumstances.

As the writer said, the info is not about herself, but a composite of her observations of many people. She sure focuses on some of the poorest people imaginable. A lot of people probably cried, thinking she herself has to put up with all that hardship herself. She raised a whole year worth of salary on just one article. Looks like an excellent way to get out of poverty fast.

The rest of the poor folks should probably follow her foot step, take some creative writing courses and start writing about their own harrowing composite poverty for donations.

[QUOTE=GoodEnough; 1500633]There's been a lot written here over the years about a perceived lack of planning ability on the part of Filipinos, about their failure to save money and their lack of mastery of the art of delayed gratification. The link below doesn't re.

Acted specifically to this country, but it's written by someone who has spent a

Large part of her life being poor, and is a highly articulate attempt to describe the thought processes of those who realize that their economic future will likely be no brighter than their present. It's well worth reading.

[url]http://www.huffingtonpost.com/linda-tirado/why-poor-peoples-bad-decisions-make-perfect-sense_b_4326233.html[/url]

GE[/QUOTE]

You are right. There are a lot of cuties at the food court during lunch time. Man, there are many good-looking pinays crusing the malls.

Well, I don't go to the Phil to find the best American, Chinese, French, German, British or Aussie food.

I would rather spend all my time trying the best of what local would eat. The Phil was not disappointing. I don't think they have fancy banquet-level cuisine, but they do make a wide varieties of tasty foods with local ingredients.

I was taken to the live seafood market by a cutie. Their seafood prices are like double those in California. Then you have to pay the restaurant to cook, primarily Cantonese stir-fry style. The prices are very expensive and the cooking is not that good.

Look forward to trying the best bangers and mash when I am in UK / Autralia.

[QUOTE=Wicked Roger; 1500600]There are nice restaurants in the Philippines for sure. See the Cebu board for examples. But NONE are Filipino food and all the restaurants I like are run by foreigners, some refusing to serve rice (ever!)

As for mall food courts. The only reason to go there is to find a cutie (plenty there at lunch time as I know LOL) as the greasy smell of the place seems to soak in your clothes and the food is generally awful and bland IMHO.

And finally we could start a thread on why bangers and mash, spotted dick (I mean the one with custard) , toad in the hole, fish and chips, pie and mash with mushy peas etc and in general British / Aussie pub food is fantastic but that would mean GE and I disagreeing which is not good for such good friends LOL.[/QUOTE]

I like duck myself. A properly roasted duck may even be better than sex with ugly or unresponsive girls.

The Pinoys do eat a lot of baluts. So there must be a lot of ducks around. May be the local Chinese eat them all up!

I am disgusted with the little duckling with full-grown feather, head and feet inside the egg. But if you try the balut fertilized within 5 to 7 days, you can have a very tasty ballut before the duck takes shape. Try it. Don't dish your Pinays' favorite food!

[QUOTE=Cunning Stunt; 1500641]The best regional cooking comes from the Bicol region (South Luzon). Somewhat similar to Thai food, they use lots of chillis and coconut milk in dishes such as laing and bicol express. Very fiery and tasty and if made well (preferably by a Bicol cook) can be absolutely delicious.

Has anyone wondered why duck is seldom used in Philippine cuisine and duck meat is, in fact, almost impossible to obtain in local supermarkets and wet meat markets? I have because it is my favourite meat. Its not as though they are not bred here as they are the source of the infamous balut eggs (has any member tried one of these? I have. Disgusting!). I once asked a Filipino chef why this was the case. He too was perplexed but thought it was because ducks are considered 'dirty' in The Philippines because they will eat anything. The example he used was if you spit, a duck will gobble your spit up. Weird and a fine example of skewed Pinoy logic as this is a country where pig is king and we all know how choosy pigs are in their dining habits.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Cunning Stunt;1500641]The best regional cooking comes from the Bicol region (South Luzon).[/QUOTE]I've always liked Bicol food and at one point spent a couple months researching it down around Naga (nice town BTW). But of course most Filipinos will tell you that the country's best food comes from Pampanga, and I'm beginning to come around to that point of view. The problem is that you have to get out of Angeles City to find the best of it, and who can be bothered.

As for the lack of ducks, I thought it was because so many of them get eaten as balut!

[QUOTE=Wicked Roger;1500600]And finally we could start a thread on why bangers and mash, spotted dick (I mean the one with custard) , toad in the hole, fish and chips, pie and mash with mushy peas etc and in general British / Aussie pub food is fantastic[/QUOTE]Although you pasted this up with a lot more words, it has always seemed to me that discussing bangers and mash within any discussion of cuisine is flatly oxymoronic.

[QUOTE=Cunning Stunt;1500641]ducks are considered 'dirty' in The Philippines because they will eat anything. The example he used was if you spit, a duck will gobble your spit up. Weird and a fine example of skewed Pinoy logic as this is a country where pig is king and we all know how choosy pigs are in their dining habits.[/QUOTE]Geese are possibly dirtier. My father used to say of geese that they will eat anything in front of them, shit on anything behind them, and then turn around and repeat the process. I can't imagine that ducks are much different. Obviously some farmers feed all sorts of food garbage to pigs, and Jeju Island off Korea has a special breed of black pigs that traditionally fed from beneath the family outhouse. On the other hand, pigs are fussy about the areas of the pens they inhabit. They eat in one corner, sleep in another, wallow in a third corner, and crap in the fourth corner. Obviously the black pigs of Jeju Island sort of turn this on its ear.

I like a few Filipino dishes, but in general don't care for the excessive amounts of salt, sugar, and fat that are conventions in their cooking (calling it cuisine is, like some British cooking, tempting an oxymoron). But occasionally there are small blessings in Filipino food. For some time I laughed at the tiny little cuts of meat served as "chicken" in Filipino eateries. Scrawny little breasts and drum sticks from birds that must have worked real hard to find food and avoid predation and poaching. And then it occurred to me that unlike with the huge chicken breasts offered in American establishments, at least with Filipino chicken you don't have to worry about injected hormones creating all sorts of lumps and bumps on your skin and other organs.

[QUOTE=Betong; 1500720]I've always liked Bicol food and at one point spent a couple months researching it down around Naga (nice town BTW). But of course most Filipinos will tell you that the country's best food comes from Pampanga, and I'm beginning to come around to that point of view. The problem is that you have to get out of Angeles City to find the best of it, and who can be bothered.

As for the lack of ducks, I thought it was because so many of them get eaten as balut![/QUOTE][url]Http://baledutung.com/[/url]

Claude is an interesting Filipino in that he writes books, carves the most exquisite wooden furniture and cooks. And his food is fabulous. The two week millionaires never see this. They see chow king and think that sums up Filipino cuisine. Go see Claudes place.

And not his new Anthony Bourdain menu. Bourdain, one of mnay ex chefs with a tv programme went there and did his show from Claudes place. Thereafter he actually went back without his crew to make some of Claudes recipes for book he was writing.

Theres a lot of great food out there (as there is in the UK) but you have to get past the stereotypes.

Anthony Bourdain probably had more than food in his mind to visit AC.

[QUOTE=FreebieFan; 1500748][url]Http://baledutung.com/[/url]

Claude is an interesting Filipino in that he writes books, carves the most exquisite wooden furniture and cooks. And his food is fabulous. The two week millionaires never see this. They see chow king and think that sums up Filipino cuisine. Go see Claudes place.

And not his new Anthony Bourdain menu. Bourdain, one of mnay ex chefs with a tv programme went there and did his show from Claudes place. Thereafter he actually went back without his crew to make some of Claudes recipes for book he was writing.

Theres a lot of great food out there (as there is in the UK) but you have to get past the stereotypes.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=FreebieFan; 1500748][url]Http://baledutung.com/[/url]

Claude is an interesting Filipino in that he writes books, carves the most exquisite wooden furniture and cooks. And his food is fabulous. The two week millionaires never see this. They see chow king and think that sums up Filipino cuisine. Go see Claudes place.

And not his new Anthony Bourdain menu. Bourdain, one of mnay ex chefs with a tv programme went there and did his show from Claudes place. Thereafter he actually went back without his crew to make some of Claudes recipes for book he was writing.

Theres a lot of great food out there (as there is in the UK) but you have to get past the stereotypes.[/QUOTE]And if you ever wanted great food in a really interesting typical old Manila house try here.

Unforunately its only for private parties but its a really interesting experience.

[url]http://www.lacocinadetitamoning.com/faQs.php[/url]

[QUOTE=Skip Kost;1500730]... (calling it cuisine is, like some British cooking, tempting an oxymoron)...[/QUOTE]Try telling that to Heston Blumenthal in his British restaurant The Fat Duck in Bray. He has had three Michelin stars for years, is consistently voted in the worlds top ten restaurants, was Number one in 2005 and runner up several times.

You might regard one of his renowned signature dishes of bacon and egg ice cream as an oxymoron but people queue for a table reservation for weeks and months just to try it (his snail porridge apparently goes down a treat as well!).

I know three French chefs here who own restaurants in the Philippines. Two of them have told me that the local ducks aren't good for cooking; apparently they're too skinny. I get excellent magret and confit de canard in Davao at Bon Appétit, but the ducks are imported from France. But this is in Davao and not Manila.

I think that some of us in my generation who love good food and varied cuisines have witnessed a semi-global or at least an international sea change in it's availability. During our lifetimes Large cities in developed countries fairly teem with excellent international restaurants with chefs from all over the world and the old stereotypes no longer hold true. I've had great meals in London, for example, equal to most meals I've eaten in Paris, and equally wonderful European food in New York and Hong Kong. I have also had excellent Thai food in the US and wonderful Western food in Bangkok. However, I don't think the Philippines has quite caught us, though the culinary scene is changing for the better and will continue to do so as more of the younger generation here travel internationally.

GE

[QUOTE=FreebieFan;1500748]Theres a lot of great food out there (as there is in the UK) but you have to get past the stereotypes.[/QUOTE]That, and one ought to venture beyond the malls.

I've only been to Manila for awhile but I consider these two shops to be good.

Chops at Greenbelt 5.

Lugang Cafe at Glorietta 5?

[QUOTE=Cunning Stunt;1500773]Try telling that to Heston Blumenthal in his British restaurant The Fat Duck in Bray. He has had three Michelin stars for years, is consistently voted in the worlds top ten restaurants, was Number one in 2005 and runner up several times.[/QUOTE]Personally, I will try almost anything-except balut, dog or cat meat-and have very little knowledge of cuisine that others hold up as special. I have eaten caviar when it has been offered, but can't imagine why people get so excited about some gooey fish eggs. I have never heard of some of the dishes GE mentions, but I am impressed that he knows this stuff. I will assign him my proxy vote for the next Michelin star ratings. I had to check Wikipedia as to what a Michelin star is; I couldn't imagine why anybody would want to name food after some French tire brand. So I really just wanted to see which one of the Brits would respond first. You win.

Queuing for weeks for a dish called bacon and eggs ice cream? In the states we have people that pitched tents starting already last week outside stores that advertise Black Friday sales (day after Thanksgiving; this Friday) in order to queue for the best bargains. I find it much more interesting that anybody would queue for days or weeks to buy anything, than that somebody flavored ice cream with bacon and eggs.

[QUOTE=GoodEnough;1499921]Truly fine dining is simply unavailable here though decent, acceptable restaurants are available. For the most part, Filipinos know little about culinary excellence, and quantity and low cost transcend quality. Chain restaurants are, for many, the epitome of excellence.[/QUOTE]Agree. My view is you can't really have fine dining or culinary excellence without fine diners or people who demand atmosphere, experience and exclusivity along with their food. From my simple observation, being wealthy here means you take out as many of the family as possible, so it is more advantageous for influence to take the whole brood out to Italliani's and let them go to town on the free bread and bottomless spaghetti rather than take fewer family members to a super exclusive place. Hence the proliferation of Max's, Italliani's, etc. Where the layout is designed to scale up for big groups.

Yes, plenty of good grub in Greenbelt (fillet mignon at Chops is tops, super sushi at Kimpura, authentic Singaporean at Tao Yuan, Chicken Pho at Le Petit Camille, etc.) , but I can walk into ANY restaurant in Greenbelt without reservation in my shorts and sandals, so I wouldn't class that as "fine dining". The obvious fact is when you are the missing demand (fine diners) and thus will not have supply (fine dining). Just doesn't mix with the culture. And unfortunately, the influence of expats will not do much to change the situation. Just not enough of them around to fill the seats.

Time for a juicy Boss Burger with a thick shake at Burger Bar. Sarap sarap! Enjoy the Philippines, AsianRain