Would there be interest in a group trip to the Philippines?
- Thread starter mkirda
- Start date
tstone":2uekv7qn said:
We can just let John eat our balut for us...
(Balut, for those who don't know it, is a boiled egg. The kicker is that it is a fertilised egg, typically a duck egg. So you get to slurp down that ambiotic fluid, and chew on the bones, feathers and beak. Yum!)
(Everyone still hungry?) :wink:
No, nothing yet. I'm just trying to gauge interest before I start trying to arrange anything.
Regards.
Mike Kirda
MaryHM":2ma3sqju said:
I don't know if balut or natto would take the cake...
(Natto- considered a delicacy in the Osaka area of Japan, it is essentially rotted raw soybeans.)
While I was in Japan, my host family's young son LOVED natto, especially with a raw egg cracked into it, a dash of Kikkoman, swirl with the chop sticks and slurp... THAT, my friends, still churns my stomach.
I tried it exactly once. It tasted worse than it smelled.
Use your imagination for the smell...
I guess we should get off the gross food part...
For the most part, Filipino food is quite good! Don't particularly care for pinakbet(mixed vegetables with bitter melon) or bagoong (shrimp paste), but will eat just about everything else. It is worth going if only for the fruit.
Regards.
Mike Kirda
clarionreef
Advanced Reefer
- Location
- San Francisco
Mike,
Then don't even tell em about the dogmeat trade in Illocos Norte. I won't.
Steve
Then don't even tell em about the dogmeat trade in Illocos Norte. I won't.
Steve
clarionreef
Advanced Reefer
- Location
- San Francisco
Mike,
You're kidding, eating mans best friend is not as bad as eating an aborted duck? I've done the duck and partied all nite long.
Eating a dog though is way outta line. My exteme cultural tolerance ends up here as divers I worked with ate my dog. He could already shake and sit. They said "Don't worry, we'll get you a new one".
I'm still mad at that guy...wether he switched to nets or not.
Steve
PS. Petra Kelly, founder of ther Green Party in Germany said the Greens eat their own children...What did she mean by that? OOOps different subject matter.
You're kidding, eating mans best friend is not as bad as eating an aborted duck? I've done the duck and partied all nite long.
Eating a dog though is way outta line. My exteme cultural tolerance ends up here as divers I worked with ate my dog. He could already shake and sit. They said "Don't worry, we'll get you a new one".
I'm still mad at that guy...wether he switched to nets or not.
Steve
PS. Petra Kelly, founder of ther Green Party in Germany said the Greens eat their own children...What did she mean by that? OOOps different subject matter.
clarionreef
Advanced Reefer
- Location
- San Francisco
RIGHT THEN,
So Monkey meat is OK? That borders on cannibalism they're so close to us.
So Monkey meat is OK? That borders on cannibalism they're so close to us.
sawsh0" data-source="" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch">cortez marine":2csawsh0 said:
Steve,
If I was starving and you offered me a plate of balut or a plate of puppy adobo, I'd take the adobo. Hands down.
I hope never to be in a situation where I have to choose though.
Regards.
Mike Kirda
Oh well....
IUD, Adidas, Helmet... all good tasting if gross in concept, but with any local fare you will likely suffer from the runs unless you're smart about it. Before you come over, maybe you can eat authentic Chinese or Filipino fare every other day for a week, to get your stomach accustomed to some of the intestinal microfauna (and yes, spices) that are part and parcel of this region.
I myself can run into intestinal difficulty every first few days in the 'ultraclean' CH, the US, UK, France, Germany ---you name it. Unfamiliar microbes, you see ---though I'm all fine after eating the local food for a week or so.
Balut isn't 'rotten' in any way ---nor fermented. It's just a frsh duck egg that's hard-boiled ---with the chick nearly full-formed inside, haha. Chewing on a baby bird's skull and having the tiny beak catch between your teeth ---even I don't really enjoy that part, but it tastes incredibly good.
When dining at cheap restaurants, don't expect a knife to always come with your fork and spoon. We often like to use our spoons to cut meat, or both fork and spoon to tear meat apart. A knife, sir?? Why? Are we planning to stab someone?
BTW, that news report on the Manila Water pipe is misleading.
All neighborhoods (New Manila and San Juan) served by the contaminated pipeline are still without water --it was cut off as soon as they knew the poor guy had fallen in (the 'airshaft' cover was stolen --maybe by the guys friends?). The added chlorine mentioned is really just to allay fears among those served by totally-independent pipelines. I think they got the body out yesterday, yuck. All the water that came in contact with it is being dumped ---which is pretty hard to take, given the projected drought.
Besides, we never drink straight tapwater. Lots of bottled water (the biggest brands controlled by the Coca-Cola company) for that, and RO/DI systems for the home too.
The Ilocanos are the ones eating dogmeat.
The Ilocanos also produced Ferdinand Marcos.
IMO, there's no great love for the Ilocos region, outside of its people.
Unless you are flying EVA air or CAL, I don't see a stopover inTaiwan, which is verry iffy SARS-wise, right now. Northwest uses Japan stops, and if you can stand the cramped seats, ought to be a bargain. I agree that Chek Lap Kok in HK is a safe stopover. FYI the Philippines is not on the WHO's SARS watchlist.
Abu Sayyaf and MILF are on the defensive in Mindanao.
That makes it more dangerous than ever, as they might want another diversionary hostage-taking. If you want to know where the safe places are, I can give you my 2 sentimos' worth.
BUT, if you want to go where the cyanide-captures are still taking place, forget it. Better yet... hehe, let me know your itinerary in advance, so that I can auction you off to the highest-bidding kidnap-for-ransom group, hehehe.
The local airline that John used recently, Cebu Pacific, has had a spotty safety record the past ten years, so yes, your provincial flights in the Philippines might be considered with care. Lots of baby airlines have shiny new planes flown by inexperienced pilots. PAL has rather old planes, but the more experienced pilots don't crash them.
In the end...
Here,
Death is a way of Life, and Life is a way of Death.
With so much beauty and ugliness around, it's still a unique experience
to be here, if you have open eyes, uncovered ears, and a clear mind.
I cannot say if this is a good time to visit.
Is it ever a good enough or a safe enough time for adventure?
You simply do, and then deal.
As some Filipinos sarcastically put it:
We'll burn that bridge when we get there
(Me? All I can offer you is an extra match or two.)
Horge
IUD, Adidas, Helmet... all good tasting if gross in concept, but with any local fare you will likely suffer from the runs unless you're smart about it. Before you come over, maybe you can eat authentic Chinese or Filipino fare every other day for a week, to get your stomach accustomed to some of the intestinal microfauna (and yes, spices) that are part and parcel of this region.
I myself can run into intestinal difficulty every first few days in the 'ultraclean' CH, the US, UK, France, Germany ---you name it. Unfamiliar microbes, you see ---though I'm all fine after eating the local food for a week or so.
Balut isn't 'rotten' in any way ---nor fermented. It's just a frsh duck egg that's hard-boiled ---with the chick nearly full-formed inside, haha. Chewing on a baby bird's skull and having the tiny beak catch between your teeth ---even I don't really enjoy that part, but it tastes incredibly good.
When dining at cheap restaurants, don't expect a knife to always come with your fork and spoon. We often like to use our spoons to cut meat, or both fork and spoon to tear meat apart. A knife, sir?? Why? Are we planning to stab someone?
BTW, that news report on the Manila Water pipe is misleading.
All neighborhoods (New Manila and San Juan) served by the contaminated pipeline are still without water --it was cut off as soon as they knew the poor guy had fallen in (the 'airshaft' cover was stolen --maybe by the guys friends?). The added chlorine mentioned is really just to allay fears among those served by totally-independent pipelines. I think they got the body out yesterday, yuck. All the water that came in contact with it is being dumped ---which is pretty hard to take, given the projected drought.
Besides, we never drink straight tapwater. Lots of bottled water (the biggest brands controlled by the Coca-Cola company) for that, and RO/DI systems for the home too.
The Ilocanos are the ones eating dogmeat.
The Ilocanos also produced Ferdinand Marcos.
IMO, there's no great love for the Ilocos region, outside of its people.
Unless you are flying EVA air or CAL, I don't see a stopover inTaiwan, which is verry iffy SARS-wise, right now. Northwest uses Japan stops, and if you can stand the cramped seats, ought to be a bargain. I agree that Chek Lap Kok in HK is a safe stopover. FYI the Philippines is not on the WHO's SARS watchlist.
Abu Sayyaf and MILF are on the defensive in Mindanao.
That makes it more dangerous than ever, as they might want another diversionary hostage-taking. If you want to know where the safe places are, I can give you my 2 sentimos' worth.
BUT, if you want to go where the cyanide-captures are still taking place, forget it. Better yet... hehe, let me know your itinerary in advance, so that I can auction you off to the highest-bidding kidnap-for-ransom group, hehehe.
The local airline that John used recently, Cebu Pacific, has had a spotty safety record the past ten years, so yes, your provincial flights in the Philippines might be considered with care. Lots of baby airlines have shiny new planes flown by inexperienced pilots. PAL has rather old planes, but the more experienced pilots don't crash them.
In the end...
Here,
Death is a way of Life, and Life is a way of Death.
With so much beauty and ugliness around, it's still a unique experience
to be here, if you have open eyes, uncovered ears, and a clear mind.
I cannot say if this is a good time to visit.
Is it ever a good enough or a safe enough time for adventure?
You simply do, and then deal.
As some Filipinos sarcastically put it:
We'll burn that bridge when we get there
(Me? All I can offer you is an extra match or two.)
Horge
Hey Horge!
Great to see you again. I enjoyed all the food in the Philippines, but I certainly didn't try everything. I never got sick. Mike King can't say the same.
Microfauna? Grabe, everything is deep-fried in fat. Could those bugs be coming from the plate, or was it cooked at sunrise for your late night snack? :wink:
I can handle not having a knife, especially when it's customary to eat with your hands. But what's up with those napkins? Napkins the size of Post-Its! Well, in Samoa there are no eating utensils or napkins.
Bohol is the closest I'm going to Mindanao thank you.
Great to see you again. I enjoyed all the food in the Philippines, but I certainly didn't try everything. I never got sick. Mike King can't say the same.
Microfauna? Grabe, everything is deep-fried in fat. Could those bugs be coming from the plate, or was it cooked at sunrise for your late night snack? :wink:
I can handle not having a knife, especially when it's customary to eat with your hands. But what's up with those napkins? Napkins the size of Post-Its! Well, in Samoa there are no eating utensils or napkins.
Bohol is the closest I'm going to Mindanao thank you.
Attachments
John,
The Napkinettes are there to wipe your utensils clean(er), mostly
Post-war (1950's) frugality had us divvying up the usual folded napkins into ever-smaller portions. Manufacturers soon decided to save us the trouble. Thick, multifolded paper napkins have only recently (past decade or so) started to make a serious comeback in households.
The air here can get quite hot and humid, so within minutes of leaving the kitchen, you can have all kinds of bacterial and fungal colonization in the works, hehe. Same thing happens with French vinyards having the right kind of yeast automatically in the very air to box out Acetobacteria and start the grapes fermeting properly...
BTW I was mistaken about the manila water Co. fiasco...
The body is still in the pipe, but that whole section of affected pipe had been immediately sealed off at both ends to foretall further contamination.
I don't recognize the eating establishment in the photos, but that spread looks pretty lethal (cholesterol-wise) to me. Good stuff, but I can show you far better, with wider variety.
Horge
The Napkinettes are there to wipe your utensils clean(er), mostly
Post-war (1950's) frugality had us divvying up the usual folded napkins into ever-smaller portions. Manufacturers soon decided to save us the trouble. Thick, multifolded paper napkins have only recently (past decade or so) started to make a serious comeback in households.
The air here can get quite hot and humid, so within minutes of leaving the kitchen, you can have all kinds of bacterial and fungal colonization in the works, hehe. Same thing happens with French vinyards having the right kind of yeast automatically in the very air to box out Acetobacteria and start the grapes fermeting properly...
BTW I was mistaken about the manila water Co. fiasco...
The body is still in the pipe, but that whole section of affected pipe had been immediately sealed off at both ends to foretall further contamination.
I don't recognize the eating establishment in the photos, but that spread looks pretty lethal (cholesterol-wise) to me. Good stuff, but I can show you far better, with wider variety.
Horge
Sharkky":2e7hpa8c said:
Sharkky,
Yes, actually they do. Seriously, there is a lot of wonderful flavorful foods from the Philippines that involve pork, beef and chicken.
It helps if you like things deep-fried too.
I always tease my wife's family that the ultimate Filipino meal would be deep-fried pig fat... (They love chicharron...)
If you have ever had different Mexican stews (guisado), you would have an idea what many of the Filipino dishes are like.
I find myself eating so much fruit when I am there just because it is so good... Mango, longgan, pineapple, bananas of 100's of varieties, rambutan, etc.
Regards.
Mike Kirda
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