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Farewell My Friends…

February 21, 2010 By LouisT 21 Comments
bicycle

I am sorry to say this is my last post on LiP.  Many things in life are not certain and my life is certainly no exception.  Due to the increasing failure of the US Dollar, Higher Airfare Prices and Worldwide inflation I have decided to pack it in and move back to the USA.  I have a very good job in Alaska with prospects for another job and I have decided to take the opportunity to set up housekeeping in Jacksonville, Fl.  My father and step-mom live there so I will have family in the area. There are many reasons I finally came to this decision but the warbling value of the US dollar in relation to the peso is taking an incrediable bite … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Louis Tagged With: Business, Daily Life, Financial, Living in The Philippines, Louis Tamasi, Moving, Travel

10 Things You Need to Know Before Coming to the Philippines

February 10, 2010 By LouisT 29 Comments
Ten things to know before you come

1. Dress appropriately for the situation - This rule really applies to government offices.  Yes there is a dress code when entering government buildings, mainly long pants and shoes must be worn.  If you show up in shorts, tank top and flip flops (yes I saw a guy like this in immigration) don't expect to be allowed entry by the security guard.  Please, for the sake of all the expats living here, just go home and put on the proper clothing as your acting like a buffoon is giving the rest of us a bad reputation. 2. Don't Make Jokes - Yes I'm serious.  If you're the kind of guy who was the class clown and feels the need to joke about everything … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Louis Tagged With: Adjustment, Daily Life, Expats, Filipino Culture, Living in The Philippines, Louis Tamasi

Fashion Sense

February 7, 2010 By LouisT 15 Comments
barong

Dressing properly comes second nature to me as I was raised in part by my grandparents.  They taught me the value of looking your best and feeling good about yourself in the process.  It's a pity this lesson is lost on some of the expats I meet.  I've been wanting to write about this for a long time now but was toying in my mind with the wording so as not to come across pompous or insulting so if I step on some toes I apologize, as with everything I write, your mileage may vary. Here in the Philippines everyone dresses as well as their budget will allow and in certain setting it's just understood that you dress better than we are used to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Louis Tagged With: Clothing, Expats, Living in The Philippines, Louis Tamasi

Backyard Chickens

January 13, 2010 By LouisT 11 Comments
chickens

Anyone who has been to the Philippines knows that chickens are way of life over here.  There's hardly a yard that doesn't have at least 1 cock tied up to a tree, but it's so infrequent to see hens.  Obviously they must exist otherwise there wouldn't be any cocks.  Honestly the cocks are kept as fighting cocks and the owners lavish much attention on them.  I'm not here to speak out the pros or cons of cock fighting or Sabong Pinoy my interest in the matter lies in keeping chickens for a steady supply of eggs.  Am I the only one who has noticed prices climbing at an alarming rate over here?  A tray of 18 eggs at the Palengke will run you P158, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Louis Tagged With: Animals, Expats, Food, Living in The Philippines, Louis Tamasi

Pumpkin Pie

January 6, 2010 By LouisT 7 Comments
Pumpkin Pie

For me being an American what could top the holiday meal off any better than a nice slice of pumpkin pie?  Unfortunately here in the Philippines it's a bit pricey to get a can of Libbys pumpkin puree and there's no ready made pie crust available but hey, I'm a resourceful guy, there's always a way to accomplish your goals.  The pie crust was no problem, I got that recipe down pat when I was on the quest for the perfect Apple Pie in the Philippines.  What I really needed was a substitute for pumpkin.  I found it too, in the palengke.  There is a type of squash here that the locals call Kalabasa, it's a pumpkin although I am unsure what variety … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Louis Tagged With: Food, Holidays, Living in The Philippines, Louis Tamasi

The Miracle of Malunggay

December 16, 2009 By LouisT 15 Comments
malunggay

There is a tree here in the Philippines called the Malunggay tree that goes by many names but in English is best known as the Horseradish tree. [editors note: although the English language name is "horseradish tree" it is not related to the horseradish condiment that is popular in the west] It grows everywhere here in the Philippines and really is a wonderful herb because the leaves are packed full of nutritional value.  Ounce for ounce the leaves of the tree have 7 times the vitamin C in oranges, 4 times the calcium and twice the protein in milk, 4 times the vitamin A in carrots, 3 times the potassium in bananas.  Furthermore each serving of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Louis Tagged With: Filipino Culture, Food, Health, Living in The Philippines, Louis Tamasi

Of Pipe Smoking and English Tea…

December 9, 2009 By LouisT 21 Comments
pipe

When I went back to the states this year for my annual foray to work in Alaska I had to come to terms with the end result of the current administrations attempts to tax smoking out of existence.  Yes cigarettes were now over $50 a carton and I decided it was a prudent fiscal maneuver to stop smoking them.  I had tried cold turkey many times before but it just wasn't going to work for me so I decided to replace one vice with another... Instead of cigarettes I restarted the pipe.  I was in luck actually because my dad, bless his soul, had all of his old pipes along with my grandfather's stashed away in the garage.  For good measure I bought … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Louis Tagged With: Daily Life, Expats, Food, Living in The Philippines, Louis Tamasi

5 Filipino Ingredients I Love to Use in My Cooking

December 2, 2009 By LouisT 16 Comments
muscovado

Professional chefs will tell you that a recipe can only take you so far what really makes the difference is ingredients. When I first came over to the Philippines I had to change my way of thinking and eating.  Like most Americans my meals had revolved around potatoes and now I had to switch gears as it were and deal with rice. Over time I was able to learn about all the fruits, veggies and spices available over here and tailor my cooking to these new found jewels of cuisine. Here is a list of my favorites: 1 - Muscovado Sugar Muscovado sugar is looked upon over here as the "poor man's sugar" because it can be bought for as little … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Louis Tagged With: Food, Living in The Philippines, Louis Tamasi

And Now For Something Completely Different…

November 18, 2009 By LouisT 12 Comments

I can't write about cooking all the time, even I get tired of sitting in front of a stove all day especially in the heat over here in the Philippines.  What I have really been thinking about lately is a house.  My wife and I have our eye on a piece of property, 168sqm at a good price in a very nice subdivision.  Not one of those guarded and gated subdivisions mind you, just a normal middle class neighborhood.  Once we acquire this property I'm going to have the daunting task of building a house on it. We decided long ago that it was better for us to just build a house, that way we could get what really wanted and not what someone else built.   … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Louis Tagged With: Davao, Expats, Homes, Living in The Philippines, Louis Tamasi, Shopping

Umami Explosion?

November 11, 2009 By LouisT 8 Comments

You hear alot about Umami lately and I decided to do a little research into what it really is.  Umami is actually Japanese and means basically "brothy, meaty or savory".  The Chinese have a similar word, xianwei, which means "fresh flavor."  Here in the Philippines Umami applies to MSG (Mono-sodium Glutamate) or as they call it Vetsin. It's in everything here and is nigh on impossible to get away from.  At all times I try my best to cook without using MSG because of the health risks associated with it. So if MSG is bad for you where did it come from?  Well it seems in the late 1800's the Japanese were trying to isolate what ingredients … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Louis Tagged With: Food, Living in The Philippines, Louis Tamasi
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