I'm at the point of planing my trip to the Phillapines

[thekfc]

How about having some of these



Then wash it down with some of these


I had the San Miguel Light ~ 2nd one from the right 

[dewey4350]

The KFC is a walking talking data base. How common is the crab and lobster in the meals? I can eat those two items cooked just about anyway. I sent my lady a simple charm bracelet for Valntines (priority mail) and just received it this week. You know the good thing is it was still in the package. We here in the states are a little spoiled. She is 29 years old and it was her first package, and her first piece of mail. I know I am preaching to the choir, but thats why I am here. How could you not want things to be right for her.

[Ray]

Generally speaking, lobster is not common Filipino fare, but sometimes available in restaurants. Crab, usually steamed, is an occasional food eaten at home, but not regularly.

Daily food includes fresh fish, fried, steamed, cooked in vinegar, grilled, or in a sour soup. Also, dried or smoked fish is fried in oil. Squid is sometimes dried and then fried or cooked fresh in soy sauce & vinegar.

Fish is normally prepared whole and the insides of the head or sometimes the eyeballs are the favorite parts.

Ketchup is made from bananas and hot sauce is not hot. Watch out for the fish sauce (patis), or alamang & bagoong... 

Beef is occasionally prepared at home. Pork or chicken are more common. Most westerners like the adobo (chicken or pork), pansit (noodles with vegetables and meat or shrimp), and lumpia (like egg rolls, usually with ground pork).

Canned meats like spam or corned beef, along with canned sardines or mackerel, are sometimes included in home meals. Hot dogs are red (it’s a mystery)

Lots of fresh tropical fruits and various vegetables are also common as daily food items.

They like spaghetti, but it is usually full of sugar. They love sweet stuff!

The bread is mostly sliced & white, but the bakery items and pandesal (dinner rolls) are great.

I would try to taste a large sampling of foods to see which you like or dislike. Be adventurous becasue most of it won't kill you. But take along a lot of Pepto Bismol chewable tablets and take two before meals for prevention of Lapulapu's Revenge...


Ray

[thekfc]

Generally speaking, lobster is not common Filipino fare, but sometimes available in restaurants. Crab, usually steamed, is an occasional food eaten at home, but not regularly.

My wife told me that although they like them (crabs, squid, octopus and the likes), they seldom eat it when in Manila as they are too expensive. They eats them more often in Pangasinan as a family member brings them back from his frequent visits to The Hundred Islands and surrounding area.

Fish is normally prepared whole and the insides of the head or sometimes the eyeballs are the favorite parts.

There is an art to eating fish head....that is what one of my wife's nephew told me.   

Ketchup is made from bananas and hot sauce is not hot. Watch out for the fish sauce (patis), or alamang & bagoong... 

You have been warned about the patis & bagoong.  

Hot dogs are red (it’s a mystery)

And they do taste different. 

The bread is mostly sliced & white, but the bakery items and pandesal (dinner rolls) are great.

Yep, the pandesal are great...I actually missed them.

I would try to taste a large sampling of foods to see which you like or dislike. Be adventurous becasue most of it won't kill you. But take along a lot of Pepto Bismol chewable tablets and take two before meals for prevention of Lapulapu's Revenge...

[Ray]

Yep, the pandesal are great...I actually missed them.

kfc,

I eat at least one piece of pandesal every morning with breakfast. I guess I’m lucky because there are at least 7 Filipino bakeries within 5 minutes of me and right down the street is one with excellent pandesal the best pande coco (pandesal filled with coconut) east of Manila.

If you get there before 9 am, you can get pandesal hot from the oven. I buy a dozen at a time and keep them in the frig, then warm them up in the toaster oven and eat with a little butter or margarine.

The pandesal here are MUCH larger than the ones in the PI. The Philippine government regulates the price of pandesal so when the price of flour goes up, the bakeries over there just make them smaller, and smaller, and smaller… One of these days they will disappear altogether if the government doesn’t wise up.

Check around your area because wherever there is a concentration of Filipinos, there must be a Filipino bakery nearby. If not, ask your wife if she would like to run a bakery… 

If you see packaged pandesal in the Asian supermarkets, check the label for the bakery that made them and go directly to the bakery for the fresh stuff if it is nearby you.

Ray

 

[thekfc]

There are no Filipino bakeries in my immediate surrounding area but there are a few that I know of including one a few blocks from where I work. I do shop there about once a week but that is during the late afternoon/early evening hours on my way home and by that time most of the pandesal are gone and if I do get any, I let my wife eats. However, I do get other stuff from them which I do enjoy.  

I remember one time I bought some baked goods from them & it was still hot/fresh from the oven.

I will try shopping there before I go to work so I can have a larger selection to choose from.

Yep, the pandesal are bigger here, at first my wife was surprise at the size.

[robert angel]

Ray,

Re:

>>Quote from: robert angel on April 04, 2011, 11:34:05 PM
   Great coffee, decent beer and pretty good rum.

                                                                  &
OK, I’m going to disagree with Robert here. The coffee sucks, the beer (San Miguel) is excellent, and the  rum   (Tanduay) is one of the best in the world.<<

Well Ray,

You're right, and so am I! By and large, unless you're in a nicer hotel, a dedicated coffee shop or restaurant, particularly one frequented by westerners, you aren't going to find much 'real' coffee--instead you'll get what Ray explains; Little tubes of Nescafe freeze dried coffee which you add to hot (well hopefully hot) water. That's just the way it is commonly.

That said, I have had great coffee in most Filipino hotels and the availability of raw brown sugar and half and half (as I like my coffee with), adds up to a good cup of joe. Plus of course, there are Starbucks franchises...

Way back when, the Philippines was once the 4th largest coffee producer in the world and with all those years of Spanish influence, you'd think it would be a bigger part of their culture, but it's not.

Surprisingly though, the world's most expensive coffee currently comes form the Philippines, along with from some nearby Asian nations. If you think that some of the food is gross, you're going to just LOVE how they produce this coffee, which can cost over a $100 a pound, as explained below:

The Truth about Alamid CoffeeNov 23, 2010   |   by admin   |   Einstein of Coffee  |  5 Comments
If you are a coffee enthusiast, you have probably heard about Alamid coffee, known also as “Kopi Luwak” or “Civet Cat Coffee”. Purported to be one of the best tasting coffees there is, it is also legendary for being one of the most expensive coffee beans in the world, selling at $100 per pound, or more.


The costly price is explained by the product’s rarity. Alamid coffee beans come from the ripest of coffee cherries that have passed through a civet cat’s digestive system and are expelled with their droppings. These droppings are then gathered from the forest of Southeast Asia in Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines. Since the beans are not regularly and consistently produced, they carry a higher value.

Why then are varieties of Alamid coffee or “Kopi Luwak” widely available, particularly in the export market? A closer investigation of the production of the coffee reveals that greedy coffee producers, in an effort to take advantage of the civet cat coffee craze and the beans’ higher per kilo rate in the overseas market, have resorted to keeping civet cats in captivity, force feeding them with raw coffee beans. The result is a more steady supply of coffee beans, albeit inferior in quality.

The civet cat, known as “Musang” in the Philippines, is a nocturnal omnivore that roams the forests at night to search for food. They are known to be solitary hunters and their diet includes small mammals, birds, snake, frogs, fishes and insects. They also eat eggs, fruit, and some roots as well as unclassified coffee cherries, believed to be mostly unripe robusta and barako. It is said that their droppings produce a coffee bean with unique flavours because they are able to sniff out the ripest and tastiest of the coffee cherries from the plant. In contrast, the caged civet cat is fed only raw coffee beans to produce as much of the prized coffee as possible.

[Tanuki]

Robert! That is funny as hell.  I read that and made me wonder how did the idea get its spark.  Couple guys sitting around: "Hey Joe, look at that.  That pile of cat [snip] has coffee beans in it.  I wonder how that would taste if we made a cup of coffee out of it?  Hell, lets try it out!"

[robert angel]

Well Tanuki,

As I vaguely remember from back in the 1970's, as we used to say---> "Heyyyy---dat's some reeeeeallly goood sheeeettt, man......"

[Ray]

         

No thanks, I’ll pass…  LOL!

I have had great coffee in most Filipino hotels and the availability of raw brown sugar and half and half (as I like my coffee with), adds up to a good cup of joe.

Robert, I guess that explains your claim of good coffee in the Philippines. That sure isn’t my idea of “a good cup of joe”. That sounds like a bunch of sweet crap! After dumping raw sugar and water buffalo cream in it, how can you even tell if there is any coffee in there? YUK!

Ray     

[robert angel]

Ray,

Guess you didn't realize that I like my women like I do my coffee----light tan, creamy and sweet, with good body and delicate bouquet ........

[Tanuki]

Sorry to get off track but, the coffee they serve in italy... WOW!!! That [snip] will make your hair stand on end.  Good thing they serve it in little tiny cups.  I was wired!

[robert angel]

Tanuki,

While I usually take my hypercaffienated, American style decaffeinated coffee (java jolt is it's name) with half and half, sometimes some hazelnut and preferably raw brown sugar,  once in a while, I pull out the old (1920's) expresso pot that belonged to my late Italian Grandmother and using the venerable old brand 'Medaglia D'Oro', make a cup or two of real Italian expresso and drink it black.

It brings back memories of me bringing teenage friends home to enjoy the little 'demitasse' cups you speak of in somewhat of an informal Italian version of a 'tea service', sipping the deep, dark intense expresso, along with biscotti. They always got into the atmosphere and commented on the rush of energy experienced.

I would forewarn them that it really was like 'liquid speed'. Having some Spanish relatives, they made a similar brew, using a brand called 'Bustelo', brewing it using a method they called 'the sock'. Both brands are today owned by the same company: 'Java Cabana'. It's almost sacrilege, but they make both brands in a decaf, as well as freeze dried version.

If you look at the so called 'energy drinks' that usually largely run on caffeine, they don't have near as much caffeine in them as the above expressos. The guy (from Austria, I think) who became a multi BILLionaire by supposedly 'inventing' the Red Bull brand energy drink, got a lot of the ingredients for it from looking at what they used for energy drinks in places like Thailand, as well as in South America.

I remember leaving Key West and before heading out stopping at one of the few remaining real Cuban 'joints' I told the guy behind the counter, an old pro Baptista Cubano hombre I've know forever, that as I wasn't feeling that awake, I still needed to make a 12 hour drive and to give me a big bang--a 16 ounce expresso, along with a couple Cuban sandwiches (minus pickles, as usual). The last thing he said before 'Adios amigo, come back soon and we'll fish--God bless'--was 'If you fall asleep before you reach St. Augustine, (10 hours) call me--I'll give you your money back'. I didn't get sleepy even until I was well into Georgia, but I sure as hell did have to pee...

[Tanuki]

LOL, Robert.  Great storty.

[thekfc]

There are 2 guys who frequent my work location - they are retired & world travelers. They go around the world enjoying themselves sampling food, drinks and the likes (something that I would love to do some day). I have known these guys for over 10 years and it is fun & very educational to hear these guys adventures. The older gentlemen loves an Ethiopian coffee and he raves about it.

One of the guys gave me a bottle of rum - the taste was very sweet but it had one hell of a punch. 
There is something similar to it in the Caribbean but the one he gave me had more of a kick.

[robert angel]

There are 2 guys who frequent my work location - they are retired & world travelers. They go around the world enjoying themselves sampling food, drinks and the likes (something that I would love to do some day). I have known these guys for over 10 years and it is fun & very educational to hear these guys adventures. The older gentlemen loves an Ethiopian coffee and he raves about it.

One of the guys gave me a bottle of rum - the taste was very sweet but it had one hell of a punch. 
There is something similar to it in the Caribbean but the one he gave me had more of a kick.

Wow,

That sounds like a great job. I wonder if they have to occasionally eat and drink things they're rather sure they will not like?

[dewey4350]

All right fella's, the cat dung and coffee bean thing is getting right up there with the squid. I think I will just put a two pound can of foldgers in my gift suit case. I will tell the family that gift is for me. I guess I could take a unopened can? I suppose thats a question in its self. I have another, to run by you gentleman. My lady just found out I was on this site. I told her that I was trying to be more prepared for our meeting. I am not sure if she thinks this is a dating site, are if I am getting info that she would rather teach me, herself. Bottom line she threw a fit. My lady is very strong minded and strong willed!!!! You guys that are married any wisdom here would be appreciated................

[robert angel]

Dewey,

I'd tell her it's a site for guys who are seriously looking for a wife overseas. I'd explain it helps you to learn about USCIS (immigration laws and procedures) how to book a fair priced flight, what to expect and what life with a Filipina wife is often like--that there's guys here that have been through the whole thing/process and are happily married and that it's pretty much a 'guy's club'--but just in case she insists on checking, I wouldn't say ONLY guys, because we do have a few females who contribute from time to time.

If she's not going to accept what you say, I'd be a little annoyed myself, telling her that you're mad, or perhaps better said 'upset' that she doesn't trust you.

Then again, the name  'Planet-Love' does conjure up some interesting imagery to most, I'd guess. If I didn't know better,(not that I DO know better) I'd figure it to be a site where guys transport their imaginations to another planet, where there's women and more women and ALL kinds of love going on!

Yes, it's normal, even healthy to be suspicious and a lot of her friends may have gotten 'played', making it seem potentially worse, but hey, you're getting ready to drop a big chunk of cash to fly to meet her, what else does she want--the skin left from when you were circumcised? (bad joke)

If worse comes to worse, I guess you'll just have to let her check out P-L herself. Let me know, just in case, so I can put on a shirt.

BTW,

I doubt if her family has a 'Mr. Coffee' like coffee maker that'll accommodate standard USA style drip ground coffee sold here. If you're worried about not getting a palatable coffee 'fix' you might pack some Folgers instant crystals, just to be safe. At a $100 a pound, I've never seen that cat poop picked primo coffee, and I've stayed at ritzy hotels, as well as in dives, from Mindanao to Manila and points in between.

[piglett]

All right fella's, the cat dung and coffee bean thing is getting right up there with the squid. I think I will just put a two pound can of foldgers in my gift suit case. I will tell the family that gift is for me. I guess I could take a unopened can? I suppose thats a question in its self. I have another, to run by you gentleman. My lady just found out I was on this site. I told her that I was trying to be more prepared for our meeting. I am not sure if she thinks this is a dating site, are if I am getting info that she would rather teach me, herself. Bottom line she threw a fit. My lady is very strong minded and strong willed!!!! You guys that are married any wisdom here would be appreciated................

well Dewey what country is she from?
how long have the two of you been talking ?
how did she find out about PL ?


I am guessing you joined Pl for the same reason i did & many others did
you wanted to learn from guys who had already been there done that
for example Ray can be a royal PITA however he is a warehouse of information on the Philippines , with out him & others like him on this board my relationship may not have been successful!!!! those are the cold hard facts.
Unless you learn the do's & don't about your girls home country the chances of your relationship with this foreign woman succeeding are dam slim. ladies from the Philippines for example have a much different mindset than American chicks. I'm not sure whats going on with your girl but i guess you need to find out why she is mad & talk about it with her.


good luck
piglett
  

[robert angel]

Unless you learn the do's & don't about your girls home country the chances of your relationship with this foreign woman succeeding are dam slim. ladies from the Philippines for example have a much different mindset than American chicks. I'm not sure whats going on with your girl but i guess you need to find out why she is mad & talk about it with her.


good luck
piglett
  
[/quote]


Geeze Louise!

Great advice, from P-L's own 'home spun' version of Dr. Phil--> 'Piglett'!

[Ray]

All right fella's, the cat dung and coffee bean thing is getting right up there with the squid. I think I will just put a two pound can of foldgers in my gift suit case. I will tell the family that gift is for me. I guess I could take a unopened can? I suppose thats a question in its self. I have another, to run by you gentleman. My lady just found out I was on this site. I told her that I was trying to be more prepared for our meeting. I am not sure if she thinks this is a dating site, are if I am getting info that she would rather teach me, herself. Bottom line she threw a fit. My lady is very strong minded and strong willed!!!! You guys that are married any wisdom here would be appreciated................

She really threw a fit? Did you give her a link and invite her over here?

Dewey, tell her to sign up and stop by so we can show her around. There is nothing malicious or immoral about this site and if she still insists on throwing a fit about you’re participating here then I would seriously consider dumping her right now. You may possibly have just seen the first glimpse of a psycho. Very strong minded and strong willed can be a huge negative sometimes. Don’t let her even try to overpower you by insisting that you have to have her permission to participate in an Internet discussion forum!

If you bring your own ground coffee, can you brew it without an automatic coffee maker? I used to do it on the stove top in a sauce pan and you can make some good brew that way. Don’t forget the egg shells to settle the grounds! Or maybe bring one of those very small coffee makers that you see in some motels(?). That Nescafe instant is readily available over there and I actually got used to it after a few weeks. It has caffeine in it so you can still get your fix until you get to a major city where they have decent coffee shops with real brew.

Ray

[robert angel]

Ray--Is that how they made coffee 'in a pinch' back in the Navy? And, while we're at it--might you have a couple of those very small coffee makers' that you possibly 'borrowed' from a motel here or there? Just be sure to wrap it well in those swell towels before sending to me--you know--the ones with the blue stripes, that we get from the same place...

The towels were so thick there I could hardly close my suitcase.
Yogi Berra (It was a great hotel!)

[thekfc]

Dewey, as suggested you should send her a link & tell her to "come over' and see the site for herself. Explain what the site is to her - she might just be mistaken because of the name. Previously when you did a search for P-L, it used to say "mail order bride" but now it say "Foreign bride guide".

When I am at home & on P-L, sometimes my wife is right there beside me reading some of the post. She thinks that some of you guys are loko loko. 

RA, that is a nice pic. 

[Ray]

When I am at home & on P-L, sometimes my wife is right there beside me reading some of the post. She thinks that some of you guys are loko loko. 

She said we were what?!?

Well kfc, you can tell your wife that Ray said she was TAMA!

Ray

[dewey4350]

Ok, fellas its been a couple days sense my last SOS. My lady has calmed down and was apologetic. I did give her the site info. and it seemed to help. In the beginning I was talking to several ladies and was honest to all the ladies. My lady was very patient and understanding then and made her way to the top. I have to say when there were two it was very hard to let that two get away. So when she found out about "Planet Love" it put here back dramatically. I think the love part was the main problem! When I did explain to her that it was, so- that I could better myself for her it calmed her down. I have started on the language that's very challenging. She promptly corrected me to the correct language. I should have listened to Robert a little more closely. Buts that's why I am here to learn. One more question vets does your lady have the ability to follow a schedule? I am dieing here on the schedule thing.....,,,,,Tnx again