Eric's Big Adventure - Part 3: Adventures in Food

Ok, let's make this very clear. I am anything but an adventureous eater. As a matter of fact, other than missing my family very much the prospect of eating unknown objects was the biggest thing I dreaded about the trip.

My first day in the office was hectic. Before I knew it it was time for lunch and therefore, my first real experience with food here in Manila. Up until this point in time I had spent most of the previous two days either in the hotel or across the street at the mall. In either case I had not experienced the local food (McDonald's doesn't count).

I was kind of scared at this point in time. Just a few hours before a conversation led to my discovery that a previous visitor from SolutionWorks, Alex Araujo, had eaten a dish called 'The Balut'. Here is the textbook description: A balut is a fertilized duck egg with a nearly-developed embryo inside that is boiled and eaten in the shell. They are considered delicacies of Asia and especially the Philippines, China, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Popularly believed to be an aphrodisiac and considered a high-protein, hearty snack, baluts are mostly sold by street vendors at night in the regions where they are available. They are often served accompanied with consumption of beer. The Filipino word balut roughly translates to mean "wrapped".

Okay, I don't care how hungry I am you won't find me eating that. If your stomach can take it use the following link for more information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balut

So now maybe you can imagine how my mind was racing before lunch. I went to lunch with the team's Manager (Cecile) and Team Lead (Sherilou). We went to one of Cecile's favorite restaurants called Cafe Juanita. To American's like me you might think a name like that would mean Mexican food. Nope, the choices were an amazing variety of Asian dishes. I was relieved to find a lot of things on the menu which I wanted to try. I settled on a tasty chicken dish that had a nice spice (Sorry but I can't recall the name).

Getting Me Out Of My Comfort Zone:

Day two in the office tested my adventerous side a bit more. We had a team lunch and went across the parking lot to the local mall where they had a variety of restaurants. We had reservations for a place called Max's, a chain a restaurants based in the Philippines.

It turns out they served family-style dining which that means they bring a variety of dishes and everybody takes a little of everything. I let the experienced people order the food and then waited to see what would arrive.

The first item to arrive was harmless enough. A yummy looking whole fried chicken, cut into pieces (1st picture to the left). The next several items were definitely going to test my stomach.

The next item to be passed my way: Sinigang - Tamarind Sour Soup (2nd picture to the left) This dish is assorted vegetables in tangy and sour tamarind soup. Your choice of Shrimp, Pork Spare Ribs, Mackerel or Milkfish. Ok, I tried the broth and it wasn't too bad. I wasn't sure what the meat was in the soup, but I tried a little bit and managed to stay alive.

The third item to come along was Crispy Pata (3rd item pictured to the left) This dish is Deep-fried Pig's Knuckles simmered in special marinade and deep-fried to perfection. Served with a special sauce. Believe it or not, I tried a bit of this too. I figured that I've eaten Pork Rinds before, so I started with the skin. Man, deep-fried pig knuckles. They don't waste any part of an animal around here, do they ?

Ok, so I had to draw the line at the last dish. Kare-Kare (4th item pictured to the left) was the last dish served. Stewed Oxtail simmered in a rich peanut sauce until tender. Served with vegetables and shrimp paste to liven up this native delicacy. Mmmm, I've got your attention now, don't I ?

I discovered this restaurant has made its way to the US. Check out the website for more info: http://www.maxssf.com/

Days three and four in the office were filled with more opportunities for adventures in food. I enjoyed a tasty meal at a restaurant called Bacolod Chicken Inisal which consisted of grilled chicken and some "flavored" rice. I feel better that I didn't ask what the unknown substances were in the "flavored" rice 'cause I'm sure I didn't want to know. It did, however, taste quite good so I rather just leave it that way.

I'm sure there will be more adventures along the way. I'll try to document the more noteworthy ones. One item of note is the incredible number of selections that I am finding on some of the menus. The Chinese restaurant that I visited today had to have more than 100 items to choose from. By the way, I somehow passed on the marianted JellyFish.

Next Blog: Sports, Can I Please Watch Some Real Sports on T.V. ?