The Care & Feeding of: The Exotic Foreigner

[manofthecoldland]

   You're living in the Philippines, married or in a SO relationship with a Filipina. 

   For some reason, a common question posed to my wife by other women (even those married to other foreigners) is: What do you cook for him?

   I don't know why, but they are often surprised if you eat a lot of local vegetables and staples.

Do your experiences in this matter differ?

[chris49]

On the vegetables it's availability. And price.....so it's a natural to me. There is lettuce in the market coming down from Benguet, Baguio. She doesn't have to ask me, at 20 pesos a head she will automatically buy.

I eat Filipino food. But I taught Gina how to make certain foods, and not to Filipino-ise them. Like spaghetti, I prefer Italian pasta with a traditional pesto or bolognaise, chili con carne, a few things like that, which the family has come to like as well.

Gina will come to me in the AM and ask me what I want for lunch. I will tell her or just tell here to use her own judgment. Pork, chicken, fish, you can't go wrong.

With various vendors coming to the house there's a wide choice. She envisioned I might like beef, but no such luck with the local beef. Caribao on a rare occasion. Goat for special occasions.

Yesterday a 5 kg Dorado( 350 from the fisherman) cooked Visayan style in coconut milk in a big pot. Attracted the neighbors and kept everyone eating until later that night.

Edited March 8, 2016 by chris49

[Jack Peterson]

9 minutes ago, chris49 said:

Gina will come to me in the AM and ask me what I want for lunch. I will tell her or just tell here to use her own judgment. Pork, chicken, fish, you can't go wrong.

 Hmmmmmm I am getting this wrong somewhere along the way, "A" will say the same thing ( At Weekends as she Works) after some deliberation, I will say what I would like but when I am ready to eat I end up with what she has cooked anyway I Try, She tries but..................

[scott h]

1 hour ago, manofthecoldland said:

What do you cook for him?

The question I seem to get from people whom I am introduced to is "Do you EAT Filipino food?". But they say it in such a manner like the either expect a negative response, or have the idea that Filipino food is bad.

[chris49]

15 hours ago, Jack Peterson said:

 Hmmmmmm I am getting this wrong somewhere along the way, "A" will say the same thing ( At Weekends as she Works) after some deliberation, I will say what I would like but when I am ready to eat I end up with what she has cooked anyway I Try, She tries but..................

Definitely that can happen, hmmmmm....it's a courtesy thing that they do. But I admit, if they have it in mind to cook a certain thing, that's what I get.

I'm easy though. To a point where I love Gina's cooking and have noticed she's a cut above others in the area. Having a good budget probably helps too. We buy all the condiments about once a month with one top up run.

[stevewool]

A silly question, but what is a SO relationship,

My answer is i eat anything Emma puts in front of me , well i will have a go, but i am sure she knows that i may not like it so she can Finnish it off herself

[robert k]

Food! The subject near and dear to my heart, just a couple of inches under my heart usually.

There is a lot of tasty Filipino food, not always good for you but tasty. I like chorizo de Cebu at breakfast with last nights leftover rice fried with garlic and a couple of fried eggs. The chorizo knots are fried with a little water and after they are about done you puncture them and the juice mixes with the water and you have sauce for the rice. I would only eat that on days I thought I would work it off.

I have had chicken feet, it was ok. I tried barbecued chicken entrails which wasn't my favorite. I draw the line at balut as I see no reason the egg couldn't have gone to term and the result become a useful member of society before they laid down their life for the sake of Chicken Joy. When baching it, I will eat noodles when I'm busy or lazy. I avoid eating rice whenever it is convenient because I know I will have enough rice in my life to reach my quota.

There is a lot to have to keep things from getting boring. Swordfish, black tigershrimp, crab, various fish, fruits and vegetables. You can make a lot of things from home, the ingredients exist, it's just that they usually don't combine them in the way you are used to. With a little thought and effort you can eat pretty well.

[Mike S]

We get the same question even from both my doctors (both female) they were surprised to learn I really like Filipino food .... well most .... don't like bitter gourd in any fashion .... nor balut .... and some veggies only occasionally .... by the way as there is only the 2 of us J only cooks ulam once a day and we eat it lunch and supper 95% of the time .... breakfast is separate so I guess that means she really cooks twice a day .... but them we have always done it that way .... I eat rice but sparingly .... less than once a week .... I eat the beef here but J cooks it in the pressure cooker or has it mixed with pork and ground up for patties .... spaghetti .... goulash and other dishes .... mixing the pork with a little fat on the pork keeps the other wise dry tasting beef much more moist and flavorful .... try it ..... we use 1/4 pork to 3/4 beef .... we are looking for a hand operated grinder so we can do it at home as I'm not sure just how clean they keep them in the meat market .... and yes we go to the meat market .... 

 

[manofthecoldland]

17 hours ago, stevewool said:

A silly question, but what is a SO relationship,

My answer is i eat anything Emma puts in front of me , well i will have a go, but i am sure she knows that i may not like it so she can Finnish it off herself

Not a silly question. I may have it wrong since I am seldom up-to-date on web/cell ph. abbreviations and acronyms.

My understanding is that it applies to your Significant Other. The US Census used to call it POSLQ (Persons of the Opposite Sex.... living together/co-habiting/living as a couple in a long-term, commited relationship without state recognition.)

   Times and relationship norms have changed a lot over the last 4-5 decades in a lot of countries. Social stigma and condemnation is no longer aimed at people who forgo the legal BS and problems of loving one another without state or religious institutional approval. There are many benefits to doing so, but now-a-days I don't even care to know that sort of thing about happy couples... at least if there are no innocent offspring involved.  

    So I write, "wife or SO' since I know many fine people who live happily together w/o registration.

[expatuk2014]

my wife asks me everyday what I fancy to eat ! and she cooks my meals seperatly from hers and her sister, as her sister likes fish.

my preference is for breakfast either instant spicy chicken noodles or Angus hotdogs or instant oats. with of course the first coffee of the day !

merienda around 10am is normally a sandwich unless we are shopping then its Jollibee or one of the other local food places.

main meal is around 6pm after the sister is home from her teaching job at the college, for me it could be either fried chicken, or prawns, or fish

or if I fancy a burger then its 2 grilled burgers, either US ones or the local ones ! with rice or chips ( fries to you yanks)

we often eat out locally or in Nuvalli ( King bee mmmmmm ) or Alabang ! my late evening snack could be 2 creamy doughnuts or other cakes.

I also like Lugaw and the local fried chicken and Halo Halo from the local market mmmmmmm.