Why live in the Philippines?

[jimeve]

44 minutes ago, Guy F. said:

we built a good quality house which keeps the noise out

How do you keep the noise out? Ours is built good quality. Noisy karaoke at the moment, been going on all day.

[Guy F.]

35 minutes ago, jimeve said:

How do you keep the noise out? Ours is built good quality. Noisy karaoke at the moment, been going on all day.

A decent perimeter wall, solid concrete walls (not hollow blocks) with lots of rebar, good double-glaze windows, and an insulated roof.

[graham59]

On the whole... agree with the O.P.

Certainly,  very rarely will I touch the local food.

Horrible,  flavourless, full of fat, sugar and salt, and often prepared in unsanitory conditions, then left to sit around in 30C + .

I cook my own.

Crazy lazy place, but I'm a crazy lazy person, and POOR..so...

Edited July 16, 2020 by graham59

[Ozapriliaguy]

9 hours ago, BrettGC said:

The Angry Midget (wife) summed it up for me when asked if she ever wants to reside permanently in Australia: "Why would I want to live in a country where people care so much about the things that don't matter in life?".  She was bought up "middle-class", is university educated and spent a fair whack of her adult life working in the west so she's seen both sides.  

For me, I've travelled and lived all over the world and had a similar experience to Anthony Bourdain on his first visit to SE Asia and empathise strongly with one of his quotes:

“I remember the moment I first realised I’d been living my whole life in black and white. It was like discovering a colour I never knew existed before, a whole new crayon box full of colours. That was it for me, from then on; there was no putting the pieces back together, no going home. Things were different now. Asia had ruined me for my old life. “
• Anthony Bourdain – Parts Unknown, June 2014

My first visit to SE Asia, and specifically Indonesia, Thailand and The Philippines, was in 1989 at the tender age of 20.  It's been a love affair ever since.  

Oh, and I like Filipino food if it's home cooked or in a resto, not the mass produced stuff.  But I do carry my own bottle of home made chilli oil with me when we go out.  I never could figure out why PI is one of the few SE countries that doesn't spice their food to "burn" level.  

...and yet, you both reside in Australia...a little hypocricy there? 

[Joey G]

My preferred list of "local" food... which hasn't changed since 1979 (not nay special order):

Pork or chicken adobo

Lumpia (pork, onion, peppers, cabbage... and we do the big ones)

Pancit (with lots of veggies)

Fried Rice (pork, chicken, or shrimp... or all)

Fish... grilled or soup

Bar-b-q on a stick (whatever meat is available)

White rice with any of the above.

Pandesol... warm in the morning

All taste fine and can  be prepared relatively healthy.  And if it counts... Shakeys Pizza in the PI is pretty decent.

[Ozapriliaguy]

9 hours ago, BrettGC said:

 "Why would I want to live in a country where people care so much about the things that don't matter in life?"

TBH - I have found the Filipino to be the most materialistic people on the planet, and I have travelled across the US and down through Europe a few times. They will forego rice and food just to have a 'branded' phone or other item, and all judge each other by their possessions. Maybe your midget is special.

[Ozapriliaguy]

6 minutes ago, Joey G said:

Lumpia (pork, onion, peppers, cabbage... and we do the big ones)

My wife makes an awesome chicken Lumpia and I use sweet chili sauce as the dip - try it. As for the rest of your list - hey, it's all personal taste, and none of it is to my taste, except that the only rice I will eat is Basmati rice - not available here.

[Ozapriliaguy]

10 hours ago, BrettGC said:

 "Why would I want to live in a country where people care so much about the things that don't matter in life?"

Oh, and just as a small sociological experiment on the anti-materialistic sentiments of your partner, take that iPhone/Samsung/branded cell off her and replace it with a Cherry Mobile.....get back to us on how that goes, ok? 

[RBM]

20 hours ago, GeoffH said:

SWMBO's mama used to run a carendaria, she has a large range of local dishes that she cooks (and she's a good cook).

 

That is fine if your there early......My experience is all food is cooked early am and left to sit all day....until sold, what happens with left overs is anybodies guess.

[BrettGC]

10 hours ago, Ozapriliaguy said:

...and yet, you both reside in Australia...a little hypocricy there? 

 

10 hours ago, Ozapriliaguy said:

TBH - I have found the Filipino to be the most materialistic people on the planet, and I have travelled across the US and down through Europe a few times. They will forego rice and food just to have a 'branded' phone or other item, and all judge each other by their possessions. Maybe your midget is special.

 

9 hours ago, Ozapriliaguy said:

Oh, and just as a small sociological experiment on the anti-materialistic sentiments of your partner, take that iPhone/Samsung/branded cell off her and replace it with a Cherry Mobile.....get back to us on how that goes, ok? 

Ease up mate, just because you've had a different experience to some doesn't mean you have to be insulting.  You know nothing of our situation and yet you've decided to judge based on no knowledge or information at all.  I'm not even going to clarify since you seem to know it all already and decided to bring everyone else down to your level of what quite simply appears to be bitterness and unhappiness -  well based on your posts so far anyway. 

Or is  this a troll?

Edited July 17, 2020 by BrettGC