Category: I Used to Live There!

Multiple Menus At the Wedding Dinner

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This is just a short update to the post I made on the 4th about how great the wedding dinner we went to was.  I’d originally said that the fruit tray might have been leftover finger food brought in from the area outside the banquet hall.  Actually, there were multiple menus.  That makes a lot of sense.

First of all, the top of the menu that’s pictured in the previous post says “Chinese Menu” across the top.  I thought it might have just been the menu that was chosen for the dinner.  Also, a friend said he was sitting at another table with other Muslims.  I thought it was just for social reasons.

I heard this from someone who heard it from Raymond, the guy who threw the party, so I’m a little unclear on the details, but I think there was also a Malay menu and a vegetarian menu.

Most importantly, the fruit wasn’t leftovers.

What Can I Expect in the Philippines?

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A guy I know told me he’s going to be making a trip to Davao in the Philippines and asked me if I’d been there, and what he could expect, and if I had any tips for him.  So, I gave him a quick heads up of what you should really keep an eye out for when you’re in the Philippines.  This is the message I sent him:

I’ve been to the Philippines quite a few times. My wife is Filipina and I’ve gone there to visit with her family in the Manila area. I’ve also been out to Pampanga Province. There are over 7000 islands in the Philippines, so I can’t say I’m an expert or anything but here’s what I can tell you:

…[Personal details removed]…

That aside:

For your spending money, beyond airfare and hotel, I doubt you’ll need more than 400 [USD] bucks. […] That should be cool. Just to give you an example, a movie in the Philippines is only about 3 USD. You can also both eat for about 500 PHP, or 10 USD. That would be a meal at a place like an Applebee’s. If you wanna get fancier than that the price goes up, but not by much.

If you need more beyond that, there are ATMs all over the place that you can withdraw from. Depending on your bank of course. You should ask them in advance, and notify them in advance so they don’t reject an ATM request from the Philippines. Also, if you do take cash with you, don’t carry more than 2 -3k PHP on you at any given time. Don’t carry a fancy cell phone. If you have a nice watch, buy and use a cheap one for your trip. Don’t wear extremely expensive clothing. Try to look poor. I know it sounds ridiculous, but you don’t want to look like a juicy target. Oh, and if you have a cheap camera to use, I recommend taking that one with you instead of whatever expensive fancy camera you have. Crime is rampant there and as a white guy walking around you’re already going to draw a LOT of attention.

Also, if you purchase anything that’s not in a store with a price tag on it, expect to have people try to rip you off. Even when I was with my wife and father-in-law they would try to do it. They’d try to charge double or triple for a pack of smokes. I wound up waiting with my wife around the corner while my father-in-law bought the smokes for us. So ya, just keep an eye on your wallet, don’t carry a lot, and don’t try to be flashy. Being white and in the Philippines is flashy enough, [especially when you start to get further away from major tourist cities].

On the upside, you can expect to eat well while you’re there. I don’t know much about tourist attractions in the Davao area, but if you want to know about good beaches, there’s Boracay and Palawan. I don’t know the price details on those but you can Google it and add it to that $400 amount. Most people, except when it comes to money, are going to treat you very well.

[Personal details removed]

Oh, something you might want to keep in mind is that Filipinos are VERY family oriented.

[Personal details removed]

Also, most Filipino families still live in multi-generational households, like what you hear about in Mexico. [You’ll often find many family members, like brothers and sisters, still living in the parents house along with their wives and possibly their children.] Not all Filipinos are that fortunate. You’ll see some people living in houses that look like they’re made of corrugated metal and plywood. It’s really depressing sometimes to think about, but the odd thing is that most Filipinos know they’re poor but still are fairly positive about life.

Out and about in the city you’ll definitely know you’re in another country, but it’s weird… when you step in a mall you’ll feel like you could be somewhere in the US. Oh and speaking of malls… carry some toilet paper with you. The public restrooms usually don’t have it. They usually don’t even have toilet seats because people try to steal them to resell.

If you’re going to stay in Davao City this won’t be an issue, but if you go out to the provinces there usually aren’t taxis around. [There will be buses, jeepneys, and tricycles around. They typically have set prices, so you’re not likely to get stiffed too hard there, but it’s best to be with a local who knows the ropes when trying to ride those.] The tricycles are pretty fun to ride in, but hold on because there aren’t seat belts…

My last word of warning is do not, under any circumstances, let anyone trick you into eating something called balut. Sinigang, adobo, menudo (Filipino style, not pig guts like Mexican style), tinola, pancit canton (instant noodles, take some home with you, they rock), ox tail kare-kare, are all good local dishes. But… not balut. That’s just disgusting. If you see a place called Max’s Chicken, I highly recommend it. Get the half chicken. I did, and I stripped it to the bones. I don’t know what they put in there but it’s delicious! Jollibee isn’t that great. It’s a step down from McDonald’s. Most Filipinos love it though. Uh… longanisa is a sausage that’s pretty good, depending on what kind you get. You might see it at McDonald’s there if you stop in fro breakfast.

On reflection, what I can add to this is that most beggars are part of a syndicate and aren’t really poor. If someone’s poor in the Philippines you can really tell.  They won’t just be dirty.  They’ll look like they haven’t eaten well in weeks.  These beggars can be damned persistent and will sometimes even try to help you give them money by reaching into your pocket for you.  Keep your eyes peeled.  Even the cute little ones selling flowers are just trying to rip you off.  I need to send this little bit of information to him too!

Note: The text in brackets and italics has been edited or added to make the message more clear for posting on a blog.

Excuse Me Sir, But You Have Soup On Your Shirt

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I saw this set up at Bossini a few days ago in some mall or another.  I don’t remember where.  At first I was like, hey that’s pretty neat.  I looked at the shirts and I was even thinking it was pretty cool.  Then I realized that it was a move to pull in suckers.

I understand the desire people have to wear branded clothes, and that’s cool.  I don’t mind having Levi’s on my shirt, or Esprit, or whatever.  If you’re paying top dollar for a branded item, why not let people know it?

Where this effort by Bossini goes wrong is that the logos aren’t the Bossini logo. It’s Campbell’s.  So, if you wear this shirt you’re not really showing that you’re wearing Bossini.  You’re endorsing Campbell’s soup.

If you buy one of these shirts, you’re paying good money to be a walking advertisement for a soup company.  You’re not sporting a label.  You’re sporting an ad.  On top of that, I doubt Bossini is illegally using the Campbell’s trademarked logos, so this has to be a deal, meaning that Bossini probably got paid to market the shirts already.  On top of that you’re paying to wear them.

In the end you’re being made to look like a fool to have the opportunity to advertise for a soup company.  Oh, and Bossini makes lots of money.

Coconut Cakes

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I’ve posted about these before but it was a long time ago. These are treats you can get from a small push-cart vendor in Food Republic at Vivocity.

They’re incredibly delicious but the reason I felt it was worth posting about again is that I found out that they’re Indonesian treats. The maid where we live is from Indonesia and when I offered one to her she got really excited and asked me where I found them. Apparently she’s been searching for them since she got here. I doubt she goes to Vivocity very often though.

So the next time we go I’ll bring a bag of them back for her.

Cool Tree Sculpture at Vivocity Mall in Singapore

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My wife and I were at Harbourfront to meet a friend for dinner. She is visiting from the US on a business trip. She spent the day at Sentosa and while we were waiting for her we took a look around Harbourfront Mall. We’ve been all around Vivocity but we didn’t realize there was another mall attached the port where you get on the ferries and cruise ships. It’s nothing too special, though there are some nice shops down there.

When we left it to cross over to Vivocity there was this really cool tree sculpture placed between them. I took the following photos on my iPhone. Not bad for a 2 megapixel camera with no flash, huh? I think I’m getting the hang of this thing finally.

I wish I knew the backstory on this sculpture but I didn’t see any plaques or informational signs about it posted anywhere. If anyone knows and can fill me in through the comments section that would be great!

Singapore Wedding Dinners Kick Ass

Bradley Farless1 Comment

So, a guy where my wife works got married in May.  Tonight he had his celebration dinner.  I was thinking it would be a small thing.  A get together of a few friends and office colleagues.  I thought wrong.

This celebration was held at the Furama Hotel in Chinatown here in Singapore.  They really went all out.  There was music.  There were slideshows.  There were speeches, toasts, and tributes.  It was a lot of fun!  There was wine, beer, soda and tea, with free refills even.  The food was definitely great.

The food was served in a large serving platter in the center of the table and everyone at the table helped themselves to a portion.  I was impressed with how fast they managed to change out the dishes and keep the food coming considering how many tables there were in the banquet hall.

The meal came as 8 courses:

Furama Cold Dish Combination

Braised Shark’s Fin Soup with Crabmeat

Steamed Live Prawns With Chinese Herbs

Braised Black Mushrooms With Sea Cucumbers and Broccoli

Steamed Live Tiger Garoupa In Hong Kong Style

Deep-Fried Crispy Chicken With Prawn Crackers

Braised Ee-Fu Noodles With Golden Mushrooms

Hot Red Bean Paste with Dumpling

The menu.

This fruit dish wasn’t served to every table.  Only a few were brought out after the meal.  I’m not sure where they came from and it wasn’t on the menu.  Someone mentioned that there were finger foods outside the banquet hall though, so perhaps it was a leftover from that.
The food came slowly, over the course of about two hours, and the portions were moderate, but even still it was a very filling meal.  I think the last dish that got cleaned was the chicken.  The server took away half of the ee-fu noodles because most everyone was full by that time.
The red bean past with the dumplings was really good!  I’m not sure what was in the dumpling but it tasted almost like cookie dough.  Our table was one guest short, so I snagged the dumpling from the extra bowl.  No one else seemed to be making a move for it so I didn’t hesitate.  Strike first!  And eat!
The only dish on here that I found a bit odd was the sea cucumber.  I actually ate a piece of it before I found out what it was.  The last time I had sea cucumber was about 20 years ago and it made me vomit instantly.  I was able to keep it down this time, and it wasn’t that bad at all.  I was told that it’s a delicacy that can take up to five days to prepare and that it is very expensive.  I was told that a small bushel of these sea cucumbers can cost up to 200 SGD.
As for the other dishes, they were all fantastic.  The chicken was just right too.  It wasn’t dry at all and the skin was very crispy!
Furama sure knows how to put on a dinner party, and this was definitely a fantastic wedding celebration!
Congratulations, and best of luck to Raymond and Anna in their marriage!

MSG By The Bag

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Well, I was pretty busy today and I’m getting ready to leave for a wedding, so instead of along post, I’ll just post this:

MSG, which has known negative health effects, can be bought by the bag here.  I always thought the stuff was illegal in the US, but I can’t seem to find any info on it right now.  Maybe later when I get back I’ll do a little more digging.

Update:  Information from MSGTruth.org:

  • MSG tricks your tongue into making you think a certain food is high in protein and thus nutritious. It is not a “meat tenderizer”. It is not a “preservative”. The food industry is trying to confuse the issue by focusing on the “fifth” taste sense they call umami. Free glutamic acid is detected by the taste buds as a simple way to signal the presence of protein in a food, just as there are fat receptors to detect fats and receptors that sense carbohydrate or sweet flavors. The purpose is to help us discern real food from inedible matter. It changes your perception of not simply taste but the nutritious qualities of what you put into your mouth. However, and here is the main problem with free glutamic acid – It is the very same neurotransmitter that your brain and many organs including your ears, eyes, nervous system and pancreas in your body use to initiate certain processes in your body.
  • MSG stimulates the pancreas to produce insulin. So many diets these days are concerned about the Glycemic Index of foods and yet none of them address the fact that MSG and free glutamic acid stimulate the pancreas to release insulin when there doesn’t even have to be carbohydrates in the food for that insulin to act on. The food industry has found their own “anti-appetite suppressant”. It’s a convenient way to keep consumers coming back for more. The blood sugar drops because of the insulin flood. And you are hungry an hour later. Sound familiar?

Hey, that does sound familiar. There’s a common saying in the US that when you’re hungry you shouldn’t eat Chinese food because you’ll be hungry a few hours later. I guess that saying is based on the truth of what MSG does to you.

Of course, it doesn’t stop there. MSG is in a lot of foods that you wouldn’t have guessed. Check out the MSG Truth site and see for yourself!

Typhoon Ondoy Aftermath, More Disaster

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(Image via bardagols on Flickr)

The aftermath of Typhoon Ondoy is turning into a huge disaster.  I’ve been hearing bits and pieces of news and I figured I’d try to put it all together here.  It’s very disheartening to say the least.  Of course, you can’t expect a lot of good news in the middle or immediate aftermath of a disaster, but some of the things that are going on are just ridiculous.


One of the biggest problems right now is that there are vacant homes everywhere.  Granted, they have water damage, but there are still valuable items in some of them.  Unscrupulous people are taking advantage of this and there is rampant looting in affected areas.  These families have already sustained massive damages to their homes, and they’re going to be financially crippled for quite some time.  Having their possessions stolen will only make matters worse.  Plus, vandals aren’t going to be using the spare key, so there’ll be additional property damage on top of what was caused by the typhoon.

One thing that’s really bothering me is reports of politicians “branding” the relief packages with their faces and names.  This practice is common in the Philippines.  Every time there is road construction, or some new public facility is being built, politicians waste plenty of citizens’ tax money to put up huge billboards describing the work in progress, the responsible politician’s name, and more often than not that politicians face, or even a family portrait.  Is that really necessary?  Everyone knows who was elected to serve in that region, so it should be plain who backed the roadwork or the new construction.  Putting up all of those billboards is a waste of funds that could be put to better use in a country that is, on a normal day, already struggling to keep afloat economically.  Now, after this huge disaster, when so many people are suffering, the politicians aren’t worried about providing relief.  They’re worried about advertising and branding.  It’s fucking disgusting.  They have no sense of propriety.  This is not the place or time for that sort of thing.  What’s even worse is these packages aren’t being provided by those politicians.  It’s being provided by multiple donations from all around the world.  The politicians are repacking it and putting their name on it, as if they paid for it all themselves.

Many Filipinos are also claiming that relief goods are only being handed out when media is present, and not before, nor after.  It’s as if this whole tragedy has become a platform for politicians to advertise themselves.  How heartless is that?  Rather than focussing on what’s important, they’d rather use it as an opportunity to try to ensure they get reelected.

Here’s a news flash.  It was partially through failure on the part of elected officials that this disaster happened in the first place.  Lack of awareness campaigns to reduce pollution, lack of announcing the impending disaster, lack of rescue personnel and equipment, lack of funds.  Lack of leadership.

This raises the issue of government misuse of public funds, most notably the Philippine president, Gloria Arroyo, and her huge expenditure of approximately 1 million Philippine Pesos in New York City for a dinner.  Personally, I hope that this causes a shift in the right direction in Philippine politics where there is more accountability of where and how money is being spent.

The icing on the cake is that another tyhpoon, named Pepeng in the Philippines and internationally known as Parma , is expected to make landfall tonight Friday night, and only 1/4 of the rainfall produced by Ondoy will be required to recreate flash flood conditions.  Oh, and Pepeng is a stronger typhoon than Ondoy was.

I’ll be keeping the Philippines in my thoughts and prayers tonight.  Good luck guys.

Delicious Mooncakes!

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Ok, so before I came to Singapore, if you’d asked me if I wanted a Moon Cake, I would’ve thought you were joking.  It sounds like something out of a fairy tale.  Moon Cakes, fairies, magic mushrooms… you get the point.

But, lo and behold, there are in fact moon cakes and they are… very good!  Well, I suppose it depends on where you get them, but the ones I’ve had are good.

Here are pictures and descriptions of the two types I’ve tried so far:

This moon cake was given to me by the people I stay with here in Singapore.  I’m not sure where it’s from or what the flavor name is exactly, but I was told it’s supposed to be champagne.  It certainly tasted like it had some sort of alcohol in it. It was rather soft, but not squishy.  The texture is thick and almost creamy.  That white thing in the middle was an edible capsule that contained a thick brown cream that carried a heavy taste of alcohol.  Overall, it was an interesting and satisfying treat.

This next one is Jade Custard flavored.  It didn’t taste like any custard I’ve had before, but it was pleasant.  The flavor is mild and again it had a thick, almost creamy consistency to it, though you can see from the pictures that the filling in both was more solid than fluid.  This one had a white center.  Not really sure what it was, but it was good too.

I’m not really aware of any special observances that go along with eating moon cakes, or if you’re supposed to do it in a particular way.  I heard from a friend though that if you’re looking for the best moon cakes in Singapore you should go to Raffles Hotel.  I guess they make them in the kitchen there.

So Much For A Clean Singapore

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One of the things that Singapore is known for is its cleanliness, so why is it being treated so badly? Look at this mess! This is a sitting area below an HDB block. It’s regularly like this as well.

I’m sure the first thing someone will want to say is, “There are lots of foreigners! It must be the foreigners!” I don’ think so though. I think it’s kids that aren’t being properly disciplined and taught to take care of their surroundings. I see kids sitting there all the time, hanging out smoking and listening to music with their friends.

Of course there’s going to be a some litter, regardless of where you are. Even the cleanest parts of Singapore are a tad dirty, but this is just excessive. There’s really no excuse for it. It’s simple laziness and a lack of caring. Or perhaps they just don’t give a shit, because they know that some poor foreign worker will come along and clean it up?

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