The Philippines: You can check out but you can never leave

[Mark Berkowitz]

The recent mentioning of ‘Hotel California’ in another post reminded me that even after leaving the Philippines, and returning to the USA, I’ve merely ‘checked out’ but I have never really left... just like the song:

‘You can check out any time you like,
But you can never leave!'

First of all, I’m married to a Filipina and she still has a Filipino mindset.  On top of that, we still converse from time to time in Tagalog with my limited Tagalog vocabulary.

In addition to meeting other Americans with Filipina wives and Fil-Am children, I always seem to end up talking to random people who have been previously married to (or have dated) Filipinas.

Even while I’m just doing day-to-day errands, the mere mentioning of the Philippines brings up discussions with strangers about their experiences of having lived in the Philippines, especially while they were stationed there with the US military.

Even when it comes to TV, ‘Showtime,’ ‘The General’s Daughter,’ ‘Ang Probinsyano’, etc. is on at least half of the time.

I guess just as they say “you can take the Filipina out of the Philippines but you can’t take the Philippines out of the Filipina,” You could probably also say that you can take the expat out of the Philippines but you can’t really take the Philippines out of the expat.

I’ve even learned how to make a reasonable facsimile of Bulalo.

Mabuhay!

[Jake]

19 minutes ago, Mark Berkowitz said:

I guess just as they say “you can take the Filipina out of the Philippines but you can’t take the Philippines out of the Filipina"

Hello Mark, I always say -- when in Rome, do as the Filipinos do.....he, he.

By the way, are you a veteran?  If so, we need to trade some sea stories.  Respectfully Jake USN retired.

 

[Mark Berkowitz]

 

13 minutes ago, Jake said:

By the way, are you a veteran?

Hi Jake,

I never had the pleasure of military service but thank you for yours.

When I was of age, most (if not) all of my peers did anything that they could to avoid going to Nam.  In my case, my draft lottery number was in the high 300's.  Instead of military service, I chose to work for the US civilian government and I've been to many places such as Hawaii with that work.

As far as not being a veteran, I had a nice discussion with an elderly Vietnamese man at Dulles Airport (who was on his return trip to Vietnam while I was on a return trip to the Phils) and he told me that I should have gone to Vietnam because there were lots of girls and plenty of weed to smoke... in other words, he told me that I missed out on lots of fun.

Somehow, it came up in our talks that I'm returning to my Filipina wife and his face turned red and he went into shock and said:  "You better watch out!... Don't ever make her angry!... because if you do, she'll cut your d*ck off." ha ha ha 

[earthdome]

On 6/2/2019 at 12:01 AM, Mark Berkowitz said:

The recent mentioning of ‘Hotel California’ in another post reminded me that even after leaving the Philippines, and returning to the USA, I’ve merely ‘checked out’ but I have never really left... just like the song:

‘You can check out any time you like,
But you can never leave!'

First of all, I’m married to a Filipina and she still has a Filipino mindset.  On top of that, we still converse from time to time in Tagalog with my limited Tagalog vocabulary.

In addition to meeting other Americans with Filipina wives and Fil-Am children, I always seem to end up talking to random people who have been previously married to (or have dated) Filipinas.

Even while I’m just doing day-to-day errands, the mere mentioning of the Philippines brings up discussions with strangers about their experiences of having lived in the Philippines, especially while they were stationed there with the US military.

Even when it comes to TV, ‘Showtime,’ ‘The General’s Daughter,’ ‘Ang Probinsyano’, etc. is on at least half of the time.

I guess just as they say “you can take the Filipina out of the Philippines but you can’t take the Philippines out of the Filipina,” You could probably also say that you can take the expat out of the Philippines but you can’t really take the Philippines out of the expat.

I’ve even learned how to make a reasonable facsimile of Bulalo.

Mabuhay!

Hah. Bulalo, that is something we make often. We get a shank with bone at the local farmers market then cook it in the pressure cooker. So much better with american grass fed beef than carabao!

[Mark Berkowitz]

9 minutes ago, earthdome said:

So much better with american grass fed beef than carabao!

Agreed!  Plus, my wife is impressed with how much better the pork is over here ever since I've learned how to make a copy of Baliwag's Liempo.

[Old55]

8 hours ago, Mark Berkowitz said:

Agreed!  Plus, my wife is impressed with how much better the pork is over here ever since I've learned how to make a copy of Baliwag's Liempo.

The bacon we get in Cebu is amazing.

I also enjoy Baliwag's Liempo.

 

Edited June 4, 2019 by Old55

[Mark Berkowitz]

2 minutes ago, Old55 said:

I also enjoy Baliwag's Liempo.

My wife was in shock about how great my immitation of Baliwag's Liempo tasted.  If you want Filipino food over in Texas, it will cost a small fortune to buy it at the local Filipino restaurants.  The good news is that a Jollibee will be opening up in a month (or so) that's very nearby to me. 

Meanwhile, we've learned how to cook Filipino food at home since it's something that's hard to live without when you've lived in the Phils and your wife is a Pinay. 

 

[Tukaram (Tim)]

On 6/2/2019 at 1:01 PM, Mark Berkowitz said:

...

I’ve even learned how to make a reasonable facsimile of Bulalo.

Mabuhay!

I have not made bulalo, but I made a good nilagang (pork stew) last month.  The summer veggies have been great this year, in the PIs, so I have been cooking a lot lately.   

[Mark Berkowitz]

2 minutes ago, Tukaram (Tim) said:

I have not made bulalo, but I made a good nilagang (pork stew) last month.  The summer veggies have been great this year, in the PIs, so I have been cooking a lot lately. 

It's great that us guys can help out with cooking!  I wonder if your wife is as shocked as mine about how well men can do with cooking meals at home 

[earthdome]

1 hour ago, Mark Berkowitz said:

It's great that us guys can help out with cooking!  I wonder if your wife is as shocked as mine about how well men can do with cooking meals at home 

Hmm.. In my wife's family men share in the day to day cooking chores.