Filipinas and the country

[DE]

Here's my question:  I've lived in the country all my life, and I frankly can't see leaving it.  I'd love to stay in the country for the rest of my life.  Here's my question:  how do Filipinas feel about the country?  Would they mind living in it? (I'm sure this depends on the Filipina;  I just want a general idea.)  Also, where I'm from, there aren't many Asian food stores around.  Would this be a problem?

[claudine]

... in response to Filipinas and the country, posted by DE on Jan 24, 2001

How do Filipinas feel about the country?  Being a Filipina, I believe that living in the country on a full-time basis would greatly depend on where she was raised.  If her family lived in the province and this is where she spent her college years, then she won't have problems adopting to country-life.  However, if she studied in the nearby city, then, she wants or yearns for city life as she is not content with just staying in her province.  You might find a Filipina who doen't mind living in the country, as long as she is with her loved one, doing things together, though it would take some time for her to adjust.  Just be patient and try to work things out together.  Food wouldn't be much of a problem.  Filipinas cherish American canned foods, chocolates, and fruits.

[Dave H]

... in response to Re: Filipinas and the country, posted by claudine on Jan 30, 2001

When I first met my Filipina fiancee, I asked what her favorite food was. She said "canned food." I asked her what type of canned food. She replied "American canned food." I was thinking of something more specific or of a particular food group. Then my devious mind started to think about all of the "American" food that comes in cans. You have your Spaghetti Os, your corn, cat food, dog food.... I just hope that nobody is re-labeling those cans. ;O)

I wonder if there is a Filipino food pyramid. What would it look like? I think it would be more like a square than a triangle or pyramid. This my interpretation of the Filipino Food Pyramid (square). I like the Filipino diet much better than the western. But how do all of those Filipinas manage to stay so slim and beautiful? )

1. Fats, oils, and sweets - (eat and cook with at every  
  meal - no limit)

2. Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and nuts - (includes balut, no
  limit, especially on lechon)

3. Milk, yogurt, and cheese group - (includes Magnolia ice  
  cream and "fresh" milk - no limits on Magnolia)

4. Vegetable group -(includes canned and Chippy)

5. Fruit group - (must have pineapple or coconut in it
  i.e. pineapple-orange juice, no limit on green mangos)

6. Rice, bread, cereal, pasta, and "pecha" group -(rice
  is required at every meal and snack, spaghetti must  
  have sliced hot dogs in it, and "pecha" must have ham  
  and pineapple)

7. Canned food - (American preferred, watch out for  
  dolphins in the Argentinean corned beef! Hey, I know
  what Argentineans eat - everything) (

8. Salt (must be used on everything)

9. San Miguel and Tanduay Rhum (must be used by foreigners
  in place of water to prevent Lapu-Lapu's Revenge) ))

Dave "Mr. Food" H.

[Ray]

... in response to Filipino Food Pyramid, posted by Dave H on Jan 30, 2001

Dabe,

Looks like you have this food thing all figured out. But I think Chippys should be in their own group, could also include Humpy Dumpy Corn Chips (maybe the Krap Group?) :-)

Ray

[Dave H]

... in response to Re: Filipino Food Pyramid, posted by Ray on Jan 31, 2001

Hi Ray,

You are probably right. I was thinking Chippys was considered a vegetable, along with the Humpty Dumpty Corn Chips. )

You gave Stephen some good advice. ) When dealing with a Filipina's cooking, the most important thing is to just eat it! Whatever it is, don't ask questions...you don't want to know. Just say "That was Sarap!" In fact, most of the time Filipino food is really delicious. I had a hard time with the green mangos though, since I don't put salt on anything. If its already in the food, and it always is (especially in the PI), I'll eat it. Prayer really does work! I wasn't offered any balut during my entire visit. ) For a brief moment I was disappointed, as I was psyched up for a challenge. That didn't last long. I watched a lady eat balut on a jeepny. (~

Dave H.

[kevin]

... in response to Filipino Food Pyramid, posted by Dave H on Jan 30, 2001

Beans are available too.  When I was in the Philippines, my ex bought beans (I think they were Heinz beans) and mashed them before serving them with meat (I think carabao meat).

- Kevin

[Dave H]

... in response to Speaking of canned foods in the Philippi..., posted by kevin on Jan 30, 2001

Hi Kevin,

If there was one can of beans in the Philippines, I know you would find it. ROFL Beans are to you as spinach is to Popeye. ) It is a good thing you're not interested in Latinas!

I bought a can of Heinz baked beans at the Otis market in Butuan. I was hoping that they weren't leftover from WWII. I couldn't get anyone else to eat them. They said they were "nice," but didn't want any. The next day I had all of the fun, trying to time my utots between shifts of the 2-stroke tricycles. Those guys shift too fast and never let the RPM's get very high, a real challenge for me. On one particularly loud rip, the driver suddenly let off of the throttle and looked down at the engine. I think he believed that he had red lined.  ) Every time I had a particularly odiferous release, I would turn around to my fiancee in the back and ask, "What's that smell?" There was always a market around that she would blame it on. I thought of Ray's pig on the jeepney and hoped that I wouldn't be noticeably thinner by the time I exited the tricycle. ))

Dave "2-stroke" H.

[SteveG]

... in response to Filipinas and the country, posted by DE on Jan 24, 2001

DE,
 I grew up in the country too - on a farm and always felt sorry for people who lived in cities - was surprised to learn that they didn't know how bad off they were and that they were mistakenly feeling sorry for me at the same time!

 Seriously, if you marry a lady from the Philippines she may very well be apprehensive about living in an isolated place in the country out of fear of being lonely.  My wife certainly felt that way.  She wanted to be around people and to see and speak to them every day.  After she got here we started looking for a house and I wanted something isolated like where I grew up but she wanted to live in a subdivision.   Well, we bought 3 acres with a few neighbors close by.  It still felt isolated to her but way too crowded for me.  It's all relative depending on your background and personal preferences, I suppose.  
 
 In my opinion there is no place in the US, no matter how large the city, where you will find neighbors so open and in touch with each other on a daily basis like in the Philippines.  That is what she will miss most.   People just don't behave that way here.  We have enclosed, heated and cooled houses, therefore the doors and windows are always shut.   As such we aren't usually aware of what is going on outside the house...we don't hang around in the yards much either.   Each family member usually has a car.   We have to drive everywhere in our individual cars.  We don’t see each other on Jeepnies or Tricycles daily.   Yards are larger on average, so houses are farther apart adding that much more isolation.  Unemployment is much much less, so fewer people are at home at any given time to visit.  Throw in the fact that we have so many "toys" to divert our attention that would otherwise be directed towards other people and it’s obvious how different life is in the two countries.   I'm sure there are others if I thought a while, but you get the point.  

  Anyway, in my opinion, she is going to feel some isolation/culture shock whether you live in the heart of  New York city or a 5000 acre ranch in Wyoming.  She will depend heavily on her husband – especially at first - to fill in the gap left by all those friends and family members she has lost.   Like all subjects that are important to you, you should discuss this with her as early as appropriate so you both understand each other.      

                                      SteveG

 

[kevin]

... in response to Filipinas and the country, posted by DE on Jan 24, 2001

In reference to this string, it's my understanding that in general, rural folks are alot more friendly and hospitable than folks in more cosmopolitan areas.  This especially applies to the mid-west.

A case in point.  I know somebody who enlisted in the Air Force after he turned 18, in order to receive technical training and pay for schooling.  Illinois and California were among two places he was stationed.  While in Illinois, he was greatly admired and respected, as all soldiers were.  They were regarded by the Illinois locals as heros for defending the United States of America.

Now, when he was in California, the locals treated him and other soldiers like dirt.  Enlisted military men were regarded as low-class by virtue of being in the military (instead of in college full-time).  Whenever the soldiers were off duty, the locals would call the police about anything.  Soldiers were regarded as predisposed to commit misdemeanors in the surrounding community, whose interests really, they were there to protect in a more global nature.

- Kevin

[Dave H]

... in response to Filipinas and the country, posted by DE on Jan 24, 2001

Hi DE,

We have had some pretty good laughs over that one before on Planet Love. I am a country boy at heart, though I now live in Atlantis. No, not beneath the sea or in Georgia. I live in that big East coast town that starts outside my door (Miami) and spreads all the way to New York and beyond.

Filipinas are all individuals, but I am going to give you some generalizations that I have learned from my fiancee and other Filipinos. As I said I am a country boy at heart and attempt to exit the city whenever possible. While in Butuan City (pop. around 250,000) I tried to persuade my mahal to take me to the country for a hike. Like all cities, Butuan is crowded and noisy, at least to me. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed Butuan City. I thought my neck would break as I turned my head back and forth to catch all of the excitement. But, the mountains around Butuan (Agusan Del Norte, Mindanao) were calling to me. She told me it wasn't safe these days and refused to let me go. She went on to explain that criminals, Communist rebels, and Muslim terrorists hide in the mountains and woods. I didn't doubt her because a bus was blown up between Surigao and Butuan City while I was there. Fortunately, the passengers were allowed off first. At my hotel room I showed her pictures of my recent trip to the mountains of western North Carolina. I told her that I would take her there once she arrived in the US. I said that we would go camping. My fiancee looked very worried, so I asked why. She asked me if it was safe and asked about the criminals hiding there. I told her "of course not." Actually I had forgotten about Eric Rudolf (Olympic & abortion clinic Bomber). He is believed to be hiding in the area where I go. (

Jim and Sally have made some interesting comments about living  in the suburbs. Sally says "too many trees and not enough people." My fiancee's sister lives in a condo on Miami Beach. She became very lonesome and homesick. One of the problems was that the people were not very friendly. Many people wouldn't even say hello when passing in the hallway. In the Philippines, she wandered around the barangay talking with all of the neighbors. Their doors were always open. I believe most Filipinas to be sociable and people oriented. Living away from people in the country, would be difficult at first. There are ways to help counteract this loneliness. One would be a job where she can interact with people. Internet access, expensive long distance phone calls, and Filipino movies would help some. You will have to be very creative. I told my future sister-in-law that I would buy her some dried fish and green mangos. She is very excited. I think that the combo might be the magic elixir. ) You might consider looking for a lady from a rural area. Although communication would likely be more difficult as many people do not have phones or easy access to the Internet. I am not sure how well cellphones would work in more remote areas. The letters would take "forever" to reach each other.

Another interesting comment Sally made was about superstitions. Some (not all) Filipinas are very superstitious. Something about evil spirits that live inside trees. Some sort of story that they are told when young. I'd better let her explain it. Let's not forget wild animals either. Filipinas do well with bugs and lizards. But they also have 30-foot crocodiles, cobras, and an assortment of other wild creatures that would keep Steve Irwin, the "Crocodile Hunter," locked up hiding in his hotel room. It would be good to explain about the local creatures. I almost forgot about the "one-eyed spitting cobra." That was for you Kevin. ))

As for food, finding suitable rice will likely be your biggest problem. Filipinos eat Jasmine rice.It is sweeter and more fragrant.I bought a 10-pound bag of high quality Jasmine for $6.50 yesterday, at an Asian market. Domestic supermarkets sell mainly long grain, followed by short grain and brown rice. Jasmine rice is usually found in small plastic containers and is considered "gourmet" rice. In my area, a 2-pound container sells for about $4.50. You might order supplies via the Internet, as Tim suggested. You could also buy rice in 50-pound bags, along with other supplies once a month or so, at your closest Asian market. Several Filipinas have told me that Minute Rice is quite acceptable, however.With a little effort, suitable substitutions can be found for most Filipino foodstuffs. Some Filipino cookbooks give suggestions on substituting western ingredients.

The key is to do your homework, (which you are doing) as always. Be very patient and creative. Above all, have lots of love.

Good Luck!

Dave H.

[Westerngrrl]

... in response to Filipinas and the country, posted by DE on Jan 24, 2001

How far away are you from the closest city?

[DE]

... in response to Re: Filipinas and the country, posted by Westerngrrl on Jan 25, 2001

n/t

[Tim]

... in response to Filipinas and the country, posted by DE on Jan 24, 2001

You obviously have internet connections, so your future wife would have the option of doing online shopping at the Asian food websites. My wife orders all kinds of exotic  foods from Gongshee.com.  They deliver right to our door. So the food-part is not really an issue.

Regards, Tim

[William]

... in response to Filipinas and the country, posted by DE on Jan 24, 2001

Oriental food stores are often hard to find.   Ask an oriental.
You might try a larger city near you.  
Besides grocery stores in the yellow pages you might try looking under 'food', 'imports' and/or 'importers', 'foreign' markets.  Think outside the box.