And Now For Something Completely Different…

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.   If you plan on living over here it’s something you will have to think about as well.  The real estate market is very slow over here since the banks keep a tight reign on credit.  Plus the standard 30 year mortgage is nonexistant here.  So most houses are bought and paid for on a cash basis.

We looked at houses for sale but most suffered from “Pinoy House Syndrome” as I call it. In other words, the house was built then nothing was ever done to it for upkeep.  The tropical environment is very harsh to houses, and regular maintenance is needed to keep them from falling apart.  I had to laugh at a couple of people who offered us houses that were 10 years old and looked a wreck and they still asked over P4 million for it!

So here we are waiting to design and build our house.  Luckily I have a friend who was an architect in the States so I already have someone that can put my rough design into paper reality.  I really don’t want the standard house that is built here these days.  Hollow block and concrete with metal or wood frame casement windows.  That type of house builds up heat in the afternoon sun and it takes days for it to radiate out.  So, for me it’s time for a little historical research.

How did they do it in the old days before air conditioning?  The answer is simple, the Bahay ng Bato or house of stone.  To be sure only the first floor is made of stone with and upstairs made of wood.  The stone gives a stable foundation and keeps the termites from getting into the wood upstairs.  This design dates back to the early 1800’s and originally the downstairs was the carraige house, offices or family store and the wooden upstairs was the living area.  The windows were large wooden sliding panels with capiz shell instead of glass and the whole design of the living area was open to allow for breezes to cool naturally.  Wood also doesn’t have the heat retention problems of stone or concrete.

Even though I am in love with this design it may be hard to put into reality.  In my research I found only one manufacturer of Capiz Shell windows in the Philippines and it’s “price on request” or as my grandmother used to say “If you have to ask, you probably can’t afford it.”  For now the cost of building will be in the future so I can dream on about having a house that needs little or aircon.

Umami Explosion?

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 actually cause the taste perception that they refer to as Umami.  They eventually came down to a certain type of seaweed that is abundant on the coast and is used in soups.  The chemists were eventually able to isolate the compound MSG and in 1903 Aji-na-Moto corporation was founded and began large scale production of MSG.  In retrospect it is one of those ingredients like corn syrup or hydrogenated fats, that would not have won FDA approval if it was introduced today. The argument goes back and forth over the health issues of MSG but it has certainly been linked to high blood pressure.  Also the Philippines seems to be the largest consumer of MSG in Asia.  Why? because it streches the meal farther allowing you to use less meat, a plus for a poor family.  However all this MSG has also given rise to rampant high blood pressure and one of the highest death rates from stroke/heart attacks in Asia.

Luckily, eliminating MSG from the diet is not an impossible task, it just involves some extra work on your part with cooking.  I cheat, I bring in “No MSG” beef and chicken base from the states however you can make your own broth if you are so inclined.  I will over save the bones from when I de-bone a chicken and make chicken stock out of it.  With the Chinese cooking that I do, MSG is not really necessary with the proper application of spices.  I did find one recipe that I want to share with you that illustrates umami without the use of MSG.  It comes from the Anhui region of China a cuisine that is not well known in the west due to the remote location of  Anhui.  A trip to the Palenke and I was able to find Fresh Bamboo Shoots, Tofu and Chinese Sausage.  In Gaisano supermarket I can find the remainder of the ingredients (dried black mushrooms, Sesame oil and oyster sauce).  The Oyster sauce is Lee Kum Kee brand made in Malaysia (not Manila) which I find closer to the flavor of true Chinese Oyster Sauce.

Stir Fry Bamboo Shoots and Mushrooms

Ingredients:

1 Block Firm Tofu or 3 Chinese Mandarin Sausages (or a mix of both)

8oz Fresh bamboo shoots (rinsed and par boiled 5 mins)

1 Clove Garlic, minced fine

8-10 Chinese Dried Mushrooms (soak in water 30 mins.  Drain mushrooms and reserve liquid, cut mushrooms into strips)

2 T Soy Sauce (Silver Swan or something  Chinese)

1 1/2T Chinese Rice Wine or Sherry

1 T Oyster Sauce

1t Sugar

1/4C  Reserved Mushroom Liquid

1/4C Chicken Broth

1 t Cornstarch dissolved in 4 t water

Sesame Oil

If using Tofu cut into 1″ cubes, sausage into 1/8″ thick rounds.  In a measuring cup mix broth, liquid, sugar, oyster sauce and soy sauce and set aside.  Get a wok hot and add 2 T oil.  Stir fry the Tofu and/or sausage until browned and remove from wok.  Add 2T oil and stir fry the bamboo shoots and mushrooms 1 minute.  Add the sauce, bring to the boil and add the cornstarch mixture, stir the wok quickly to thicken.   Add the tofu/sausage and turn off heat.  Finish by drizzling on some sesame oil and mixing in, around 2 t.

Agog For Adobo

My apologies for not writing an article recently but I have been fighting with internet problems and this morning I found out a good friend of mine here in Davao passed away during the night.

I have been a student of history for as long as I can remember and any time that I can cross that with my other passion, cooking then we have a winner.  For some time now I have been wondering about my favourite dish here in the Philippines, Adobo.

It seems more or less to be a national dish but everyone has their own way of making it.  Where my fascination lies is in the history of this humble dish.  For a long time I really wondered if it was truly a Philippine dish or something that made it’s way over during the Spanish Colonial years.  So I dug down, talked to some people and discovered some interesting things.

Adobo originated hundreds of years ago as a way of preserving pork for long periods of time.  Basically around 3 kilos or more of fatty pork were placed in an earthen jar and simmered over a low fire with salt, a little water and coconut vinegar.  After 3 hours of cooking most of the fat has rendered out and the Adobo is placed into a glass jar and sealed.  The fat rises to the top and creates a seal which will keep the pork from spoiling for allegedly up to 6 months.  The French have a similar dish called pork confit and it serves the same purpose, to preserve meat without refrigeration.  Sometime around the 1700’s Bay leaves, garlic and peppercorns were introduced into the country and made their way into Adobo.  It wasn’t until the late 1800’s when toyo or soy sauce was brought into the country and Adobo transformed from a simmered dish into the quick cooking dish we are familiar with today.  Well I just had to try my hand at making some of the historical stuff, so starting with 1 kilo of pork belly I cut it into cubes and added it to a pot with 1/4 c water, 1/8 c salt, 1 T peppercorns, 3 bay leaves and 6 whole cloves of garlic, peeled.  Simmer for 15 minutes then add 1/2 c Coconut Vinegar (Sukang Tuba), reduce heat to low and simmer very slowly for 2 1/2 – 3 hours.  The smell alone while it was cooking was divine and by the time it was done the meat had taken on a nice brown color and was melt in your mouth tender.  I don’t think my wife was too thrilled with it but I put the leftovers in a mason jar and left it on the kitchen table overnight.  The next day the flavors had melded together and I was in love with the taste.  It was the best pork I have had while living here.  If I would change anything the next time I make it, it would be to add some cayenne pepper.  My wife and I have really gotten into eating spicy food lately,  and well at least cayenne is healthier than MSG.

I Think I’m Turning Chinese

I worked for quite a few years in the food service industry so to say I know my way around a kitchen is an understatement.  I can cook most any recipe from simple to complicated.  Recently I have been focusing on the simple part by trying a variety of Chinese recipes.  I do this for a number of reasons but I think paramount on the list is the availability of fresh ingredients here that I would have to buy tinned in the states.  Bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, etc.  Another is is that it so much cheaper and I daresay healthier to cook stir fry with less meat and lots of fresh veggies.

I really got interested in doing stir fry the first time I went to the wet market with my wife and saw all the vegetables available here.  Many of the things Filipinos consider their own are actually transplants from China, Eggplant, Asparagus and celery being the biggest examples.  It is relatively cheap to get a small bag of bean sprouts and usually the same vendor will have fresh sliced bamboo shoots.  One day I had a bunch of leftover bamboo shoots and made a stir fry of them and Chinese sausage with mushrooms.  I don’t think my wife was too impressed but I liked it and it was a recipe from an area of China usually overlooked in western cuisine.

Pancit Canton, the dish that I see every birthday and holiday, is a staple item here in the Philippines.  The name says alot as it gives us a historical look at the Chinese influence on Filipino cooking.  To you or me pansit is Lo Mein, a humdrum staple to be found on every Chinese Menu in the states but this dish has authentic Chinese roots unlike my favourite dish, General Tso’s Chicken.  There are 8 great traditions in Chinese Cuisine, centered on geographical areas, Anhui,  Cantonese,  Fujian, Hunan, Jinagsu, Shandong, Sichuan, and Zhejiang.  Most are unknown in the USA as they come from mountainous regeions of China which had few people immigrate around the world, however the spicy Sichuan cooking is well known as well as some Hunan dishes but it is Cantonese that we concern ourself with today.  Ah yes this gets us in full circle back to Pansit Canton which is a Cantonese dish in it’s original form.  Here in the Philippines the dish has been tweaked with a bit over the years to appeal to the local tastes more, and also Chorizo Bilbao a Spanish element has replaced the sweeter dried Cantonese Sausage.  Cantonese used to be the height of the Culinary art back in the 1920’s and many chefs tried to replicate the cuisine of that area.

So how are my culinary experiments going?  I’d have to say very well.  I’m not starving, I feel healthier and my wife hasn’t hit me with the wok yet so I must be doing something right.  I’ve been thinking for awhile in which direction I want to take my column here on LiP and I am still ever led back to something to do with cooking.  What do you think?  Would you like to see me post a weekly recipe here or should I just stick to articles?

State of Calamity: Luzon

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock these past few weeks you’ve undoubtedly heard about the absolute disaster that has befallen the people living on Luzon.

Back to back typhoons, one of which saw fit to circle back around and revisit the northern part of Luzon, have left a path of destruction that the nation will be a long time in recovering from.  My heart goes out to the people in the disaster areas and to the countless dead, victims of the wrath of Mother Nature.  In watching the news I was revisited with memories of the destruction left on Gulfport and New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina.

All this has allowed me to evaluate the differences between how the USA handles a disaster and the Philippines… and also the similarities.  As far as I know the Philippines has no version of FEMA, although they do have a disaster preparedness bureau which like FEMA in the USA is underfunded and woefully inadequate to the task at hand.  Here as in the USA a large part of relief efforts depends on individuals whether donating volunteer time, clothing, food or money it is through their efforts we are too a large part of relief for the refugees.  During the aftermath of Katrina donations poured in from all over the globe and it was this money that helped most in alleviating the suffering of the people of New Orleans.

It is a sad testament to the Philippine Coast Guard they their training was not enough to prepare them for the rescue of countless of people trapped on rooftops much like New Orleans after the levee breaks left countless people in the 9th Ward trapped on rooftops.  In New Orleans the Coast Guard, Navy and Army did a splendid job of rescuing people from their perilous situation, however I found the rescue efforts lackluster in Marikina after Ondoy left the city underwater.  I suppose it is like most government entities in the Philippines, Underfunded and Undertrained Personnel.  Not one week after Ondoy, the Philippines was faced with Typhoon Peping which left the north inundated with more rain than the ground could handle.  Here in the aftermath of the storm a huge landslide claimed the life of 160+ people.  Landslides are an all too common problem in the Philippines.  In the USA the US Army Corps of Engineers determines unsafe areas to build, but if such an entity exists in the Philippines I have never seen it.  Even if it did I doubt that people would listen anyway as land is precious here, no matter how unsafe it is to build on.

The Philippines has a problem on it’s hands the scope of which has yet to even unfold.  Typhoon season is not over yet either, we can only hope and pray that other storms spare the Philippines from their fury as it is beyond the abilities of the Government to handle any more disasters.  Perhaps it is time to start actually being a government for the people and stop worrying about furthering political aspirations… a lesson even the USA needs to learn as well.

So is it Really Paradise?

It’s actually an inside joke between me and my family that I moved from Paradise to… well Paradise.  See I lived 6 years in a town called Paradise, Md.  Before making the move here to the Philippines I did all the research and visited all the websites just to see what I was getting myself into.  For me I feel most websites about living in the Philippines come from one of 3 groups, “I Love the Philippines”, “I Hate the Philippines” and what I call the dreamworld websites that hype the Philippines as an Asian garden of Eden.  What I really want to do with this article is see if the hype is really true by evaluating some of the myths promulgated on the internet.

It’s Cheaper to Live in the Philippines

This one is semi-true and as with the USA or anywhere else in the western world it depends where you live.  Rent is far cheaper in Manila than Davao but the cost of foods is higher and getting around town can be a hassle to say the least.  It also depends on how you personally want to live your life.  I know for me I want some western style housing with proper plumbing.  Where I live is a decent middle class neighborhood but is not a guarded and gated subdivision.  I pay P5,000/month for a 2 bedroom bungalow with a nice little yard.   Food is around P1,700 every week or week and a half and that is mostly fresh vegetables and meats.  I cook mainly Chinese style in my home with lots of stir fry dishes and I eat rice, although I buy the brown variety because it’s healthier.  Now if you’re a steak and potatoes man then there’s going to be a significant cost increase.  I pay less for electricity here than I did in Maryland but I only have one aircon and I run it at night.

“Philippine Women will do anything you ask them and wait on you hand and foot”

Yes I seriously saw this on a couple Philippine bride sites.  It really gets my goat because the person who said it must have been talking about another culture and seriously, what are you looking for a wife or a servant?  Anyone who is married to a Filipina knows that they are loving in a way that most western women have forgotten about, as long as they are loved back.  Anger them or treat them wrong and you will have a very upset wife.  Filipinas are also independent minded, at least I know my wife is.  Treat them with respect and you will never find a more loyal partner in life.

“The Philippines is dirty”

Well sometimes it’s hard to argue with this one, there certainly is a lot of garbage in the canals but I have to counter it with “Been to New York lately?”  Chicago, Baltimore, etc all big cities have their problems with trash.  At least here in Davao the city has made strides to combat the problem with placing trash bins around neighborhoods.

“Filipinos will cheat you”

Yes I wish I had a peso for every time I heard someone complain about the “Skin Tax” or up-charge foreigners sometimes get levied against them by overeager salespeople.  The only way to combat this is to know how much something should cost and if they charge too much walk away.  I had this problem with a sari-sari down the street where Fortune cigarettes suddenly went from P15/pack to P20/pack.  I laughed at them and said it’s “mahal kaau” (too expensive) and walked to the next store.  Was I mad about it?  no, I’m used to it after 3 years living over here it’s better to just walk away than fuss and bother over it.  The upside is I found a new store to go to where the prices are cheaper and they have a more complete inventory… a silver lining in the clouds.

Have any myths about the Philippines that I haven’t heard?  I’d like to hear your comments.

I Don’t Know What’s Happening but I Like It

I’ve been reading Bob’s blog since almost the beginning, 2 1/2 years now and along the way there has been a lot of good information on life over here in paradise.  One of the best bits though related to marriage and talked about the inevitable “culture clash” that will happen between you and your wife but at some point in the marriage everything would hit a happy medium and you and your wife would begin to create your own unique culture.  Well seemingly that has finally started to happen in my marriage with Venice.

We were wed on July 10th, 2007 so it’s been over 2 years now that we have been married and there were many rocky parts to the path of wedded bliss.  We argued… quite a lot, and blamed it on the fact we are both so bull headed but this scapegoat of an excuse did nothing to help us.  To be honest there were a couple of times where I really wondered if I had made the right decision to move over here.

Ever since I returned from working in Alaska this year I feel different.  Finally unwound after a decade of high stress retail management jobs, finally more patient, and finally more willing to accept the quirks of life here in the Philippines.  It’s a necessary step on the path to true integration into Philippine society and of course true marital bliss with your wife, which leads me to the other half of the equation.  To truly meet in the middle and create that unique combination culture your wife has to change her perceptions as well.

I knew Venice was changing the day she said something sarcastically…. seriously, Filipinos do not understand sarcasm and unfortunately I come from a family history of sarcasm.  It’s no wonder Venice thought I was complaining so much in the first 2 years of our marriage.  There have also been other little things that all combined and taken as a whole shows me that my wife is starting to gravitate towards that happy medium between our cultures.

I’ve also changed in that I am more willing to accept Philippine myths and superstitions, or maybe not fully accepting but I won’t argue about them anymore.  I realized this in myself as I was planting garlic on the windowsills to keep away an alleged Aswang.  But the one thing that I have realized after 2 years of marriage is that I love my wife more than ever.  We have ridden through good times and weathered the bad ones and we are still together so I am willing to say that our marriage is built on strong foundations.  Who knows, as my new culture develops I might even let my wife persuade me into going to church… once in awhile anyway.

My advice to anyone who is married to a Filipina is patience.  The two of you will hit that point in your marriage when the same culture creation occurs and the two of you will be happier for it.

“I Hate the Philippines”

I know what you’re thinking, “Well if you don’t like it go home!”  Well I’m not talking about myself of course but it’s something I heard a foreigner say in the Palengke just today.  Usually I avoid expats with sentiments like this as if they were leapers, but this guy zeroed in on me and decided to involve me in his conversation.  I was waiting for my wife to buy fish, yeah OK, I’m game.

The first question that came to mind was the one I asked, “Why do you hate the Philippines?”.  The answer quite to my surprise was “Because it is full of Filipinos.”  Wow, that’s heavy stuff.  With the obnoxious volume in his voice I’m surprised he wasn’t stabbed on the spot.  Filipinos are nationalistic to a “T” and will defend their country’s honor whatever her faults.  At this point I could feel the many eyes starting to turn our way and I wanted to melt or evaporate anything to not be associated with this guy.  I proceeded to be rational about the thing and the conversation went something like this…  “Well of course it’s full of Filipinos, it’s their country and we’re guests here, what is your problem with them?”  “Well look at this place” as he gestured around the palengke, “It’s filthy, it smells, there’s nothing protecting the food.”  “True” I replied, “but that’s the way it is.  I’ve been buying here for 3 years now and I’ve never had food poisoning.  Maybe you should shop in SM if you want it packaged American style.”  He looked at me with a slight look of disgust in his eyes knowing that he wasn’t going to find an ally in his mad anti-Philippine ravings.

“It’s too expensive to shop there and my wife insists on dragging me down here.”  He gestured towards a young lady looking over pepino in one of the gulay stalls.  Pretty girl, but with an obvious look of embarrassment on her face.  “Well your wife at least knows how to find a good deal, the foods are better here.”  “Ah what does she know?” he snarled, “She’s just from the province.”  I was fed up, an obvious hint of annoyance in my voice I said “What brought you over here then?  Obviously you’re not happy maybe you’d be better off back in the states?”  He observed me like I was cockroach about to be stomped on. “I can’t live in the states on my pension and my kids want to put me into a retirement home.”  “Well then sir I suggest you count your blessings then. You’ve found yourself a beautiful wife who takes care of you and by your admittance it is cheaper to live over here.”  He looked flustered now, “Well yes but I wish they would just change the bad things about this country but nobody listens to me.”  “No they won’t” I admitted, “but as I said it’s their country and they can do what they want with it, would you like a foreigner telling you what to improve about the USA?  No, then it is up to us to make the most of our new life here.  Might I suggest you start to learn about their culture before you give them advice on how to improve it.”  At this I walked away before he could reply and rejoined my wife.

There are many times in living over here that you will run into people with attitudes like this.  I don’t want to change them, I really don’t care if they want to act like a moron in public, but these are the same people that will complain that Filipinos are taking advantage of them.  Of course, they are a proud people and not stupid, they can spot an idiot and differentiate him from someone that is obviously trying to integrate into Philippine society.  I choose to live as close to a Filipino lifestyle as I can, and I feel that the people here are thankful for it.

There Was an Aswang in the Neighborhood!

Now those of you who know me will realize that I am not a particularly superstitious person.  Although I am one that loves stories of the unknown, ghosts, vampires, etc.  I usually will tell you that there is a rational explanation for these occurrences.  Filipinos on the other hand are quite superstitious.

I was woken up the other night because all the dogs in the neighborhood had decided that 3am was a good time to have a chorus of  “Dogs baying at the moon” but after a couple seconds I realized that it wasn’t the moon they were baying at but something flying around the houses.  It was making a constant “Qwak, qwak, qwak” as it flew back and forth between one end of the subdivision and the other.  I woke up my wife and after listening for a minute she got a look of terror in her eyes and told me that it was an Aswang flying around.

If you look up an Aswang on Google you won’t find much but I was able to talk to my in-laws and get some basic information.  Apparently the Aswang is a witch like creature that is related to the Manananggal.  They look like a normal person in the daytime but at night they leave half their body behind and fly around terrorizing pregnant women.  Just like witches in other parts of the world they have a “familiar” too who is called a “Kikik”, a large bird that sits on rooftops spotting prey for the Aswang.  All these creatures are mostly seen in the province, as apparently they are not fond of city life.

Being the researcher I am I delved into the mystery and did come up with a few likely culprits for these frightening night creatures of Philippine lore.  The islands are home to a number of night birds some more common than others.  The Large Eared Nightjar is a bird that prefers to hunt in fields and the edge of woods and whose call while normally a long tweeting wail can sometimes be a number of short stuttering chirps similar to kikik, kikik, kikik.  As for the aswang I do not have a ready answer.  The Scops Owl makes it’s home here in Mindanao but they are getting rare as their habitat is destroyed… but then again the Aswang is getting rare as well.  Whatever was flying around the subdivision that night sounded big as it passed back and forth through the houses.

So how does one protect against the evil forces of the Aswang?  Interestingly enough Garlic and Salt, tools that vampire hunters in Europe would be familiar with.  So the next evening I helped my wife crush enough garlic to kill a vampire army and assisted in placing each clove on a windowsill along with a handful of salt.  We also put up this protection on the chicken coop because apparently the aswang will attack chickens if there is no other prey… or if she’s feeling lazy that night.

If you are going to live in the Philippines and marry a Filipina then prepare yourself for dealing with the superstitions she will undoubtedly believe in.  Don’t try to offer any rational explanations as it’s a part of her culture to believe in these things.  Instead just smile as you crush garlic and help her with “protecting” the house… she will love you for your help and understanding.

A Trip to Pearl Farm

It seems like it has been forever since my wife and I took a vacation.  Somehow living over here day to day feels like one long giant vacation at first but then sooner or later you realize you are stuck in a day to day rotation of things to do, errands to run etc.  We all need a break sometimes and least living in the Philippines gives us so many more options than I had when I was in the US.

The Kadayawan festival was being celebrated right before I came home this year and unfortunately I missed it but it did give us an opportunty to avail of a promo at Pearl Farm Resort.  For those of you who don’t know, Pearl Farm is a 5 star resort located in Kaputian, Samal Island.  They have a pier in Lanang where you board the bangka for a 45 minute trip to the resort.  The promo that we decided to take advantage of included an overnight stay in one of the “Samal” houses and breakfast the next morning.

The trip over on the outrigger boat or “bangka” was spectacular.  We were able to enjoy beautiful weather and calm waters all the way down to the resort.  The guide told us that from time to time you can see bottle nosed dolphins and whale sharks in these waters but unfortunately none were to be seen this day.  Upon arrival at the dock you are greeted by the courteous staff and given a pinapple based drink and welcomed with the sounds of native music.  After checking in you are free to roam around the resort and see all it has to offer.

Boredom is not a word that you will be seeing in Pearl Farm.  You have the choice of 2 swimming pools and 4 beaches to swim in as well as a world class spa and exercise facilities.  From the beaches of Malipano Island,  just offshore of the resort, you can snorkel in some of the cleanest, clearest waters I have seen so far in the Philippines.  The waters around the resort are a sanctuary for native fish and you can swim over pristine coral reefs and enjoy literally thousands of tropical fish.  For those of you who are divers, 2 wrecks dating to World War II can be found offshore.

Mealtime is no small affair at Pearl Farm.  While our package included breakfast on the second morning, we had to pay for lunch and dinner which were P800 and P900 respectively.  For this amount you are treated to a 5 star buffet of Filipino foods. There is something for everyone and even if you are not particularly fond of native foods, you will not leave hungry.  I heartily recommend trying the bistek if they are serving it that day and for dessert they make a superb durian float although unfortunately this dessert is seasonal and not always to be found on the menu.

I am happy that my wife and I were able to take advantage of this special promo.  With room rates starting in the $120/night range exclusive of meals an overnight stay was a little too expensive for us to consider.  We had gone over in the past as part of the day trip which I heartily recommend to anyone wanting to visit the resort.  The fee for the day trip is P1,500 per person which includes ferry rides back and forth and a buffet lunch.  It is a once in awhile treat for us to visit Pearl Farm and every trip is remembered fondly.

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