For these last few blog posts, instead of doing a full recap of each week, I am going to focus on one specific part of my experience in the Philippines. This blog post will be about food.
Ordering Food
This aspect of the culinary experience is very similar to America. Many of the interns used an app called Foodpanda to order delivery which was very similar to American apps such as Doordash or Grubhub. In addition, both places have many restaurants that cater to food from outside their respective cultures. For example, the Wesleyan students ate at restaurants specializing in Italian, Korean, Vietnamese, and even American style cuisine. At these restaurants, the ordering experience is similar to America. You arrive at a restaurant and are seated or seat yourself, a waiter arrives to take your order, then after you eat you receive a bill. One notable fact is that in the Philippines you do not need to tip. However, one restaurant I went to had a different dining style. At the Samgyupsalamat, a Korean barbeque place, instead of a chef cooking your food, you cook it yourself. You pay for unlimited meat for 2 hours, then the waiter will bring in more chicken or pork for you to cook yourself at a small grill in the middle of your table. I believe rice, noodles, and other sides are available for an extra price. Below is a picture showing the setup.
Restaurants
The other Wesleyan Students and I tried a few of the many restaurants in the Los Banos area. Personally, I was known for my unluckiness in selecting dishes from some of these menus, but still many of these places had good food. One of our favorite restaurants was Seoul Kitchen, another Korean restaurant. There I had the Spicy Pork Bulgogi. Essentially, it is a seasoned strips of pork served with rice, a small salad, and a spicy sauce. When eaten together, these foods make a sum greater than their parts. In addition, I had a side of kimchi for the first time, which I also liked. Finally, we shared an order of Bingsu for desert. The Bingsu we had was a scoop of ice cream atop shaved ice, with Oreos crumbled on top. If you are ever in Los Banos I definitely recommend this restaurant. Below is an “action shot” of the Bingsu we ordered.
One thing to be careful of when ordering food is that the pictures shown of the food will not always match up with the food ordered, as I learned the hard way.
Fast Food
On the less glamorous side of the dining spectrum lies the fast food of the Philippines. This space is dominated by two brands, Jollibee and McDonalds. Much like Burger King and McDonalds in America, these two chains are always found near each other with similar offerings. One notable difference between Filipino and American fast food is that Filipino fast food serves spaghetti, normally with pieces of hot dog in the sauce. In addition, the sauce for spaghetti is much sweeter than what is normally found in America. Other menus differences include the existence of burger steak, which is a hamburger patty served with mushroom gravy, and almost every meal comes with a side of rice.
Fruit
No discussion about Filipino food would be possible without mentioning fruit. In the Philippines, many fruits considered exotic in America are common. At many roadside stands, fruits such as durian, avocados, and mango are commonplace and cheap. Coconuts are found everywhere in the Philippines. They are even used in one of their signature desserts, buko pie, which is made from the skin of a young coconut.
Conclusion
There is much more that can be discussed about Filipino food, but I have other things to blog about. Hopefully, I have given you a taste of what food in Los Banos and the Philippines is like.