Philippine Info - Volunteer For The Visayans In The Philippines

The Food

Filipinos are fond of eating and of feasts. The buffet table and Filipino cuisine is a gastronomic telling of Philippine history. It has been influenced by the Chinese, the Spanish, American and other Asian people. Each country’s cuisine introduced here in the country has been “made Filipino” by the ingredients and by local tastes to suit the native taste buds.

You will learn that the Filipinos are also adventurous when it comes to eating and cooking food. Every part of the chicken or pig, which is common meat sources, is being used and turned into exotic dishes.

Fruits and vegetables are also abundant in the country. Among the tropical fruits are bananas, which is available all-year round, mangoes, pineapples, durian (a stinky-smelling but sweet fruit from the south), santol, lanzones and papaya.

An average Filipino family’s meal usually consists of rice, meat or fish dish and vegetables. You will immediately notice that rice is ever-present in every meal. It is the country’s staple food.

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Most common in a buffet table, especially during feasts, are:

Lechon – a whole spit-roasted pig; usually the main attraction in a buffet table
Pansit – a Chinese dish localized by the Filipinos; a rice-noodle dish with different condiments, which varies from place to place
Lumpia – vegetables rolled in edible wrapper; sometimes fried, sometimes served fresh with sweet sauce. Other times, instead of vegetables, ground meat is rolled into these edible wrappers.
Dinuguan – an exotic dish of pig innards with blood and coconut milk
Adobo – pork dish with soy sauce and vinegar and other condiments
Puto – sweet rice cake, which is a very good pair to dinuguan

Other Filipino foods that are really a must-try when you visit the country are:

Native sweets and delicacies – usually made of coconut, sticky rice or root crops like cassava, sweet potato, sweet yam and taro.
Young Coconut meat and juice – a refreshing drink, may be taken plain or with milk and sweetener; fruit salad with young coconut meat is a must-have
Halo-halo – a dessert made of a mixture of fruits, crushed ice, rice crispies, creamer and sugar. Sometimes, it is topped with a scoop of ice cream
Isaw – barbecued chicken intestines dipped in hot and spicy sauce
Balut – boiled duck embryo, believed to be an effective aphrodisiac
Dried fish and squid – considered as “poorman’s meat” but is also a good appetizer
Bananacue – one type of banana, fried with thick sweetener
Siopao – steamed buns filled with differently cooked meat and egg or red beans
Arroz caldo – rice and chicken gruel
Native Chokolate – a native chocolate drink made from roasted and ground cacao seeds

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Transportation

Jeepney

Jeepney is unique to the Philippines. Originating from the army jeeps left by the United States after World War II, the Filipinos have remolded them to accommodate 20-30 passengers. They are the most popular mode of transportation in the Philippines, owing to cheap fare and the conveniences afforded to passengers to board and alight practically anywhere they want. Every single Philippine jeepney is personalized. Each one is dressed up and given little touches that are often reflective of the common man's sentiments of the time.

	Tricycle and Pedicab Tricycles and pedicabs are the other two common means of transportation in the Philippines. A tricycle is a motorcycle with a sidecar while a pedicab is a bicycle with a sidecar. These are for short distances and feeder trips. They usually take you to places that are not accessed by the bigger vehicles.

Boats

Since the Philippines is an archipelago, boats are common in going from one island to another. They have been classified into three types: the pumpboats, the ferryboats, and the modern hovercraft. Pumpboats may be run by motor engines or through paddling. These are used for short-distance island hopping. Ferryboats are big boats that sometimes ferry buses and its passengers. The modern hovercraft, or the Supercat, is the fastest since it doesn't run through water but above the surface.

Airplane

The most expensive, but most convenient way of traveling long distances is on an airplane. The Philippine Airlines is the main airline in the country but there are other airlines operating, too.

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