For many travelers heading to Asia, food is half the reason to go. People cross oceans dreaming of Thai curries, Japanese sushi, and steaming bowls of Vietnamese pho. But the Philippines? Somehow, it rarely makes anyone’s bucket list for culinary reasons. For years, food writers and culinary commentators have predicted that Filipino cuisine will be…
Tag Archives: Southeast Asia
01
maalis
maalis
If Metro Manila is the brain of the Philippines, then Cebu City is its heart – and the heart, as we know, sometimes does things the brain simply cannot explain. It beats, dances, loves, and sings. You can only find its rhythm when you stop searching and simply let yourself be. I have a problem…
25
helmi
helmi
Let’s take a look beyond the border, into a parallel world that is everyday reality for most Filipinos but utterly baffling to those of us perfectly comfortable inhabiting just one reality at a time. In the Philippines, all kinds of supernatural beliefs are woven into daily life and culture. Some Filipinos will firmly deny believing…
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marras
marras
In the previous post, I listed the most common (yet often completely wrong) stereotypes about the Philippines and Filipinos. But that was only half the story. So here’s the rest – another five stubborn misconceptions that sometimes contain a grain of truth but collapse like a poorly built sandcastle when applied to an entire nation…
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marras
marras
Is the Philippines truly a place where you can live like a “king” on a thousand dollars a month? Is it inherently dangerous? Is every Filipino genuinely happy, all the time? Many of the assumptions Westerners hold about the country – its cost of living, safety, or the nature of its people – are due…