Big Shopping

Very sorry for the previous posts gastronomical interruption. Thank you for indulging me and my stomach to reminisce about the food. Now to continue on with more notes and adventures from the trip itself.

One of the highlights of our trip probably more for the 5 older boys than for us might have been when we went into the town of Catbalogan. This was a planned excursion to take the boys in for a shopping trip. Also factor in that this was Good Friday and a holy week for them there as well. Once we got into town many of the businesses were closed for the night.

We decided before leaving God's Town that we would all spend the night in a very cute hotel called the Rolet. Which to it's US visitors were thrilled at the idea of a night of running water, shower and air conditioning or as it's called there air con. It is also where I experienced my first brown out which is when the electricity goes down. My first one wasn't so bad it didn't last very long. But air con is no good without electricity, now is it?

At least 2 of the boys; Abraham and Junald hadn't been to town since around 2000. So going on the trip to Catbalogan, which was about an hour from God's Town in addition to the 5 older boys, Dan, the asst. dir. Purie, the dir. me, Linda and Becky and we even threw a couple more people in for good measure because they live in the town. We called on our trusted driver who brought us from the airport to deliver us to town, in the same basic SUV. This photo is of just the boys in the back!! I believe the final "head count" was around 13.5. The half accounts for Purie's little granddaughter riding into town with us to go home.

The "big shopping" as it came to be referred to by the boys wasn't going to take place until Saturday morning. A scouting party for food went out to see what they could find from the few eateries still open. The hotel was kind enough to let our 'crew' eat in their little coffee shop area on the the floor.

The food scouts gave me my first chance at experiencing Filipino spaghetti. I had heard and read recipes about this. Sometimes it will include cut up hot dogs. The other key difference between ours and theirs is it is much sweeter. My notebook included a notation that I prefer our style to theirs. My other noted observation was that since they found it at a little take away place it arrived for us to eat in little individual plastic baggies. But, as always they had also found some fabulous bread and pastries. My theory is it's something in the water there that makes their breads and pastries taste so darn good.

Our lodging for the night also made for the perfect vantage point to watch the Good Friday procession that went right past the hotel. Here is a photo of Sebio and Junjie waiting to watch.

And this photo was the view, directly across the street, from the same balcony.





The final couple of pictures illustrate the "goods" from the Big Shopping. Now if anyone is keeping track there are only 4 boys in this photo. There were 5 stuffed in the back of the SUV in the earlier photo and I've mentioned 5 older boys. The morning of Big Shopping, Linda had to take Eric to the hospital for a tetanus shot and stitching because on a day prior he had badly cut his hand.

I had to include this photo of Sebio (it's one of my favorites), I had him model his new sneakers because as I told him those were exactly the kind Sir Aaron would buy if he had the chance. And just to again put their money into perspective. My recollection is we took 5 teenage boys shopping each getting: sneakers, good flip flops, jeans, shorts, tops and underwear for oh about $165 US dollars...and no not per boy, TOTAL. Around here what a pair of teenagers jeans alone could cost that, right? We had given each of them a basic budget and kept track of their spending. After shopping, during our group lunch Becky went over each boys spending and they were told how much was left from their 'budget'. Some had enough for just a pack of gum (I believe that might have been Sebio) to a few pesos.

It was a fun, interesting and somewhat exhausting experience. Not having any kids it was quite a treat to watch and advise 4 teenagers during group shopping trip. Becky and I had our marching orders from Linda, especially that they were to try everything on. It was a bit too far and nearly impossible to return anything like here at home. In the end I do believe they all enjoyed themselves and their purchases. I would be remiss if I did not mention how kind and thoughtful they are too each other. We had to take Eric around for sneakers separately. I know it was myself, Eric and at least one other of the boys. No sooner did Eric pick out sneakers and of course adhering to the order they had to be tried on...it might have been Junjie but one of the other boys bent down to help Eric tie the laces. They really are a kind and thoughtful group of boys growing into young men.

We saw quite a few new outfits being worn at church for Easter Sunday. Several of the boys mentioned and thanked us for the Big Shopping in notes they put in the memory books we were given upon our departure. But more about that in another post.

Next Post: I think I'm finally over the trauma to write about the Attack of the Toilet Bowl Ga'gamba!

Food Glorious Filipino Food

We interrupt our regular chronological trip report to talk about another favorite subject of mine....FOOD! For those of you who know me the revelation that I'm a certified foodie comes as no surprise. So I thought it only fitting to devote one of my posts to food, specifically the foods I ate and have come to love from the Philippines. And thanks to my travel mate Becky, aka Ma'am Bicky I have some lovely photos to accompany my ramblings. And so let the food descriptions begin.

A couple of less than positive things I will admit to about the food on my trip:

1. I did not try the balut. Linda loves this and I think looks forward to it every time she visits her second home. Balut is an Asian delicacy. Here is the description from Wikipedia: balut is a fertilized duck (or chicken) egg with a nearly-developed embryo inside that is boiled and eaten in the shell.

2. After white rice at every meal, 3 times a day I really didn't want to see it let alone eat it any time soon after I returned from my trip.

3. While I wouldn't eat or even entertain on my plate shrimp with their heads still attached when I visited New Orleans years ago, I did eat them while in the Philippines. And I didn't die or have any heebie jeebies!

4. I tried jackfruit and it wasn't my favorite thing but that might have been because it was very warm when I ate it. I tend to prefer my fruits cold. And more importantly we learned Ma'am Becky is allergic to jackfruit among others.

And now on to the fabulous foods I did eat and learn to love in the Philippines. I think my favorite breakfast food had to be the eggplant! Yes, eggplant for breakfast. Pictured here, it is pretty simple to prepare although when I got home and tried to recreate it I nearly burnt the condo down. Lucky for Aaron he was away that weekend. The basics of the dish: maintain the stem on the eggplant and use fairly small japanese type variety. Roast it over an open flame. There Ester and Dehlia would use one of the fish shaped BBQ contraptions over their gas stove top. At home since I didn't have one of those I used two skewers so I could hold on to it over the flame but I kept lighting the darn thing on fire! After its cooked, remove the skin and it should be cooked enough to then take a fork and smash it. (again don't remove the stem) Then you dip it in beaten egg with seasonings of choice and fry in a frying pan. It was fabulous and I have since bought a fish shaped BBQ contration to try again.

I also fell in love with their fruits some of which were gotten right from their garden. In particular the baby bananas. And try as I may I'm having trouble getting them here at home to be anywhere near as good. Not only are they small and sweet but the color is a deeper yellow. And even when the outsides would turn pretty dark the insides didn't get mushy like ours often do. I have found some baby bananas at home but most are from other countries. My friend Arlene, who I've mentioned before, did get me some from the local Filipino market, but I could only salvage a couple before my co-workers "stole" some of them. And there were other delicious local fruits like mango and papaya.

Speaking of mangoes, run don't walk, to your nearest Filipino market or anywhere else they are sold and get some champagne mangoes. I did not have this variety while I was there but I have discovered their goodness since being home. If you are interested I'll let you do your own research on the differences but one notable one is the skin color, champagnes are golden outside vs. green.

I mentioned Ma'am Linda's joy in balut and mine in eggplant and there will be more postings and recipes later but what about Ma'am Bicky's passion? You must say it like a very lively chant: "mango cake, mango cake" !!

A couple pictures here to illustrate; Ma'am Bicky eating mango cake and the bakery where it was displayed and bought in all its glory.

And let me end by saying it's not like we visit and only enjoy their delicious delicacies we bring some for them to try and enjoy as well. Since we were there during Easter what better treat to bring them....PEEPS. But not only did the children love peeps, of course, but so did the adults as evidence here in the photo of several of the staff enjoying a peep or two!