Food, food, food

We've now been here for a week and a half and have eaten so many different foods. Tonight we had shabu shabu (Japanese style of cooking thinly sliced meats and vegetables in broth) after an evening at the spa (facials for the girls, foot massage for the guy).

Some observations about food thus far:

• We had dinner the other night at a Chinese noodle shop for less than $15 for 3 people. Two bowls of won ton noodle soup and seafood chow mein and we were full. Plus 2 watermelon shakes (very refreshing) and a can of San Miguel Pilsner. The beer cost less than the shakes.


• The Filipinos must love garlic. It seems to be everywhere. On the breakfast buffet we've seen garlic rice and fresh corned beef with garlic (it would've been perfect without the garlic). Even the butter at Outback Steakhouse had garlic in it.


• Pork is also plentiful, but we understand that they raise lots of pigs here and not many cows.


• Iced tea tastes like it was made from powdered Lipton iced tea. The fruit shakes (no milk) are much better than the tea. I had a pineapple one tonight and it tasted like pineapple sherbet. I had a watermelon, strawberry and grape shake this weekend and it was a great combination. I need to try a green mango shake before I leave.


• The country controller thought we were staying late at work last night and brought us hamburgers from a Filipino burger chain. It was good but loaded with a very heavy mayo. And it was a little on the sweet side and I don't know why.


• They have Shakey's pizza restaurants here and they're quite popular for lunch. I haven't seen or eaten at a Shakey's since growing up in Hawaii. The thin crust pizza is really thin and pretty darn good! Made for a great lunch.
  
  
• Starbucks has something called coffee jelly, a sweetened iced coffee shake with small coffee cubes (similar to bubbles in bubble tea). Apparently they're only available in the Philippines.

A number of people have been trying to get me to try balut, which a Singaporean colleague describes as "a half cooked duck egg that is about to hatch." Now doesn't that sound delicious? I'll try magenta salted eggs, but I don't know about this!

This post needs a photo....here's one of Brett at the ATM. Note the raised platform he's standing on because the Filipinos are rather short (5'3" is the average for women). Brett is 6'2" so he would have to bend down to see the screen.