Food & Fun in the Philippines

Back by “popular demand” is another food blog.  The fascinating foods of the Philippines never cease to amaze and delight us – especially the many exotic fruits. 

However there are 2 foods that have a major reputation as being cultural icons – Durian and Balut. 

Finally I have tasted Durian!  Durian is a fruit and, honestly, it is almost indescribable. It has a very tough, very "poke-y" “shell” that is best attacked with a machete or equivalent (which unfortunately we did not have.) 

The closest I can come to describing the texture of the fruit itself is that of soft custard.  The flavor is very pleasant and fruity, but nothing like any fruit I have ever tasted before.  The reason for its fame (or infamy, depending on your point of view) is its very pungent aroma (that lingers) and had been described to us as “worse than stinky socks”.  On the contrary, I found it not particularly unpleasant, oddly fruity – but the intensity of the odor is pretty intimidating.

I have also had the opportunity to try Balut.  It is a fertilized duck egg that is left to develop almost to the point of hatching.  I am told that 16-18 day old balut is probably best for beginners as the beak and feathers are just beginning to be noticeable. Personally I found balut quite tasty – and I didn’t eat it in the dark either (one suggestion for making it more edible.)  The problem with finding balut is that it is mostly sold after dark in areas we do not go into – actually that is almost anyplace after dark. ( ^ ;  We ran across a vendor who must have just been beginning his route as it wasn’t yet dark and he was right on our street! 

 

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A cultural delicacy of which Cebu is very proud is its lechon – roast pig, preferably whole— it is great!  It boasts a unique blend of spices and is very tender.  I thought it notable that when the whole pig was being served for a ward Christmas party that someone asked to have the head (as it apparently is too slow to carve properly for a gathering).  The cook thought briefly then nodded, but promptly opened the mouth and cut off the tongue and put it aside for himself!

Here is a pig on the “sidewalk butcher shop” (literally a metal table on the sidewalk) on his way to becoming lechon.

Very little food is wasted here, we frequently see pork belly, pig feet, and tripe (stomach).

Another local delicacy is chicken feet – cooked crunchy – I confess, not my personal favorite.

Both a favorite snack and cooking food is dried seafood – especially fish of every variety! Notice that most of one wall of this large supermarket is taken up by dried seafood!

The fresh seafood is also wonderfully varied.  (I wish I enjoyed it more, but one doesn’t develop much of an appetite for seafood in Montana – no sea!)  I am actually becoming quite fond of squid, especially batter-dipped and deep fried – yum! No, we really don’t have facilities for cooking it at home (or the desire?)  There is lots of fresh squid, octopus, and tarot (cuttlefish—another cousin.)

There are always lots of shellfish, crabs, and fresh fish of all sizes, shapes, and, yes, colors.

This was our favorite little produce stand where we could buy fresh veges very cheap every weekend.  Unfortunately it was “condemned” due to safety concerns related to the new building supposedly being constructed on the lot behind it.

This small fruit stand is co-owned by a young man named Rain who personally delivers fruit to us at the office once a week.  He goes directly to the “wet market” before daylight to get the best and freshest fruit as it arrives.  I have never been able to resist a pun so I love that “Rain brings fruit”.

                           

My personal favorites so far are mangos, bananas 

(including red bananas) and deep fried bananas.

I also love  lychee and  rambutan, –  The rambutans are little red “hairy” fruits about 2 inches (5 cm.) long.  Lychee are small and red similar to rambutan, but not hairy – not yet back in season either, unfortunately.
the mangoes we get average about four and a half inches long (11 cm.) and very heavy and juicy. 

Dragon fruit is as fun as its name and quite tasty.

 Kaimito is a beautiful purple – especially inside.
—and very yummy.

Chico is a very fun fruit not unlike a roundish apple in appearance, but more like a peach in texture with a very tasty, unique flavor.

Marang is “furry” on the outside and must be hung up to ripen or its own weight will cause the fruit to bruise!  It has a pungent odor until peeled and the fruit is very sweet.

  

Guabano is leathery and looks much like an apple on the inside.

Mangosteens wear funny little caps and have a sweet white segmented fruit inside.

mangosteen

Chocolate is good with everything—including bread, bacon, and “puto mayo ug sikwate”(sticky rice cooked with sweetened coconut milk and served with cacao syrup.)

At the SRC (Self- Reliance Center) where we work, we try to help people become self-reliant -- able to provide the necessities of life for themselves and their families.  We do this through a 3-fold approach: teaching skills related to planning and getting an education; job-searching and job-enhancing skills; and skills for starting and growing their own business.  Since individuals are considered "too old to be employable" at age 30- 35 in the Philippines, the church is encouraging self-employment for most adults. Our focus now is on helping local leaders develop their own programs for individual and group enterprises.  

We recently attended a delightful program sponsored by the Mabolo Relief Society (women's organization) of 3 traditional foods that make inexpensive start-up businesses: 

pork barbecue -- thin pork strips marinated, mounted on a bamboo skewer, and cooked over an open flame; 

siomei-- ground pork garnished with egg in a thin wrapper then steamed; 

                                                                                                          

and puso or hanging rice -- rice boiled in a pocket woven from coconut leaves.                                  

It is a wonderful feeling to be a part of something that can help lift people out of poverty one step at a time.  We are all children of our Heavenly Father and he wants us to be successful and to help each other.  I feel so blessed to be even a small part of His plan.