Let’s face it, the diet in the Philippines is quite a bit different than the diet back in the USA where I come from. If you are reading this, it’s most likely that you are from some either the USA or some other western country, since my website statistics show that most of my readers are not Philippine based. Since you are likely reading this from another part of the world from where I am, I expect that you realize that the food served here is much different than you are used to.
Let’s see, what are the differences? They eat a lot more fish here than we normally would. They eat a lot of rice! If they eat meat during their meal, it is a small amount of meat, which is generally used as more of a flavor additive for the rice. For us, the meat is usually the major part of our meal. Another big difference is that here they tend to eat any type of food at each meal. For us, we have certain kinds of food that are for each meal. For example, generally speaking, for breakfast we might eat bacon, eggs, sausage, and things like that. Here, it is not out of the ordinary to have a hot dog or some spaghetti for breakfast!
In my opinion, there are a lot of eating habits of Filipinos that are a lot healthier than ours. But, still, there are some that are far less healthy. One of the less healthy habits is that a large portion of the food here is fried. We eat a fair amount of fried foods in the west too, but not nearly as much as they do here. Some food items are actually dripping with oil when served. Not only is that very unhealthy, but also unappetizing for me.
I think that a great thing to do to improve health is to combine the best from the Filipino diet with the best from a western diet. Eat salads, which are rarely served here but getting more popular, but also cut back on your serving of meat. Certainly, it is healthy if you can add more fish to your diet, although the way you cook it is the determining factor on the healthiness of the dish.
Since coming to the Philippines about 7 years ago, my diet has indeed changed a lot, and mostly for the better. Making a full change to a Filipino diet is something that I did not do, nor did I want to. I just sort of blended the two different diets and chose the ones that suited me best. I have lost about 140 pounds since living here, although I still need to lose more. But, I am indeed healthier now than I was when I moved here. Probably the biggest change I made was by eating more fish and seafood in general. It’s something that I really enjoy, especiallly since fish can be gotten so fresh here, right of the boat in some cases.
A lot of times, if you come on vacation, you can eat the diet that they eat here. You know, “when in Rome, eat like the Romans do!” But, doing it for a couple weeks of vacation is different than making a complete change when you live here. When you come here to live, make some slow changes, and in a year you can be where you want to be!
Bon apetit!
I was also warned about the Filipino dietary habits Bob, my wife told me, we will do ok on the money we have if you eat what I eat, when I looked at what she ate, I passed out, the smell is incredible, some of the things really turn my stomach, but i have no problems eating fish, as long as no bones are in it, that also turns me off, I noted Filipinos eat so much with oil on it, and they cannot eat a meal if it does not have rice with it.
She also told me, you will have to eat what I put on the table, I thought to myself, oh does that mean I will not eat steak or bacon, because I like my traditional english breakfast, Eggs, Bacon, Bratwurst Sausage, all the wrong things, she said you can have those, if you have money, but you will do better if you eat what I eat, so I guess I will have to wean myself onto the local food as you have done, and by the way, I also need to loose lots of weight, so we are on the right track.
Hi Peter, as I said, I eat a mix of a western and Filipino diet. I eat lots of American and European foods. I am sure you will be able to afford to eat the same.
Hi Bob,
I thought it's funny when one time my housekeeper asked me what I do with the fish head when I showed her the whole fish I got from Boston. Mind you I have to drive 5 or 6 hours to get my fish up here. When I told my housekeeper what I do with the fish head, the next time she came she told me her husband couldn't sleep when she told him what I told her. I couldn't understand it at first why it bothered them. I learned not to tell some people what and how do I eat. Make an interesting conversation piece, though, hahaha. Good job, by the way. For making it easier for other American(or nationality) spouses(male and female) to understand what we eat and why we eat certain kind of foods.
Liklik
Hi Liklik – well, I guess we can't all be fans of fish heads, right? Ha ha… to each their own!
I find your blog very informative! Is it easy enough to find dried fruit, nuts, bran, and oats in the marketplaces?
Hi Mike – dried fruit and nuts are readily available. You can get bran and oats, but you will have to do a little searching for the right place for those.
I always considered the Filipino diet part western, part chinese and part hispanic then add rice and a lot of seafood.
That's not a perfect definition of Filipino food. But I find it a breeze switching to the norm when in a Western country.
albeit with much larger portions.
burgers, steaks are not unusual (diner). rice and asian food (vietnamese, japanese, chinese, thai restaurants. I dont find miexican or spanish food odd. if i want something different, ethiopian, german or indian food is easy to enjoy for me.
i'm not alone either. My filipino friends here in the states are the same way.
Maybe i grew up at the right time in davao (80s). When, it was getting easier to find more varied types of meals.
Hi Macky – Interesting what you say about considering the Filipino diet to be part western, because I feel pretty strongly that is it very un-western. Now, let me say – western foods are available here, but not generally part of the Filipino diet. However, you have experience living in most places, as I do, so I do feel that your thoughts have value – as much as mine do, so I kind of want to examine your thoughts more, and to re-evaluate my thinking. I mean, things like steaks, burgers and such are available, but would they really be considered part of the Filipino diet? To me, they are eaten by Filipinos from time to time, but not a regular part of the diet. What do you think? Further thoughts would be interesting to hear.
As with Chinese food and Spanish food, Filipinos have a knack for ‘Philippinizing’ American food. There are hamburgers everywhere, but, the meat is not all beef. It is usually a mixture of beef and pork with garlic powder and other stuff added, more like meatloaf. The buns are sweet, the pickles are sweet, not dill, and the mayonaise or sauce (also often sweet) is 1/4 inch thick on the bun. Hot dogs are bright red and served as a snack on a stick or for breakfast, not on a bun. With the arrival of several pizza franchises from the States, pizza now resembles what we are familiar with. Years ago, it was like a large, sweet, round cracker (biscuit), smeared with banana catsup, and sprinkled with sliced hot dogs, sweet picke relish, sliced Chinese sausage, a couple sliced of green tomatoe, a little ground beef, and topped with Quick Melt Cheese (which does NOT melt), and served cold. 🙂 And then there is the sweet spagetti (which I kinda like).
We make all our own bread because we like whole wheat bread that is not sweet. We make flour tortillas and I have made corn tortillas from scratch! We have always prefered home made foods, so having even less available that we liked (especailly inthe snacks and baked goods department) made that a simple choice to make. Now that we are past middle age and are getting a bit chubby, we don’t do as much baking!
On the other hand, we do eat Filipino foods! We eat lots of local veggies (pako, alugbati and bago), often cooked with coconut milk. We eat fish baked or cooked in coconut milk, but my husband also does not like fish with bones, so we go with the larger or less boney ones. I have no problem with fish heads, there is some very nice meat right on the cheeks! Yum! We love mongos, but I cook them with chicken instead of bulad or other small boney fish. I love liam, but it turns out that the first time I tasted it, it was not prepared in the traditional way. The way I love it is made with corned beef, not shrimp or fish. We cook liempo on the grill, make barbeque chicken marinated in kalamansi and tuyo… great stuff!
And when I have enough people over to justify the effort, I make really grat Mexican food, from scratch! So, I would say we eat a mixture. Maybe some of the Filipina wives who are having a hard time getting their husbands to like the food, could think of ways to adjust the recipe so it is a little more familiar tasting.
Gotta love it when the "lobster lady" stops by the house very early in the morning to show the previous night's catch. Couple of hours later her daughter (the "fish girl") shows up with a basket full of fish. 😎
Sometimes it's hard to eat simple meals! 😀
Hi bob the other aspect of filipino eafting habits which amazes me is the number of times they eat a day .My wifw weighs 90lbs but eats 5/6 times aday .Since she has been here in south africa for nine years she has dropped the rice with every meal habit . Her diet now is mainly salids fruit and fresh veggies. we use very little oil no fried food at all. As yuo known i am oerweight but mainly due to my vitamin drinks. Malt hops and yeast desolved im water in other words BEER. But it is good for you as it contains lots of viteim P. Like louis mentioned a few days ago .In my inlaws house the largest consumer of electricity is the rice cooker.
Bob,
Here's the western influence in the Filipino diet — Jollibee, Spam, hotdog, corned beef, bread.
I don't think these are Filipino inventions, are they? I won't claim culinary expertise so I'd surrender to those in the know.
However these are eaten a lot nowadays by Filipinos. Seems there are also several Jollibee's now in the States though I have yet to try one, myself. I am not much of a burger person. My meals are either eaten outside or ordered and delivered. And burger places don't deliver so that knocks that out of my orbit 🙂
On the other hand many pizza places are open late at night so pizza is my "fast food" choice.
Hi Bob- I have never disappointed a chef in my life whatever part of the world I'm in.
There is one dish I will not eat however and thats Bulad, I draw the line there.
Hi Bob,
I'm drawing from basic home cooked meals and many of them are basically "put-togethers" and rice. steak means the bistek tagalog variety (with onions or mushroom) and similar stuff. its not the same as the t-bone or fillet mignon variety, but it was an easy transition for me.
burgers are readily available since anyone could cook that. we didn't have fastfood chains in davao in the 80s (no jollibee or mcdonald's) but any merco or outdoor hamburger stand (like minute burger) were common. every kid knew what a burger tasted like. There's alway one propped close to the school.
They may not be textbook filipino culinary meals, but they are very much ingrained in the local diet.
Some elements of a Filipino diet tends to be a mishmash of different cultures (spaghetti with hotdogs). So, even though it maybe difficult for an expat to adjust to the local diet, it can be quite easy the other way around. And when in doubt, all I need to remember is three magical words — "just add rice".
Hi Bob – thank you for a great website and blog. I'm moving to the Philippines (Island of Mindanao) in January 2008 to get married and live and am really looking forward to the experience. I'm a vegetarian so was wondering what the price and availability of vegetables is like.P.S. I eat fish also.
As a seafood lover I enjoy the philippine food..its fantastic. On the rare occasion I feel like beef a word of caution: when they cook it and its well done to me…its still rare to thier tastes….the final product is living proof that yes you can retread a truck tire with steak !!!
Hi Paul – We have a guy that comes around every morning with fresh shrimp and crab. Gotta love it!
Hi Frank – I understand everything you are saying!
Hi Angie – on the foods you mention:
Spam – This might have been an American staple 50 years ago, but I would bet that less than 1% of the US Population eat Spam even once per year now. I simply wouldn't consider Spam to be a normal part of the US diet.
Jollibee – Yes, a lot of hamburgers are eaten in America, but a Jollibee hamburger does not taste like a normal hamburger in the USA. Have you noticed that the Jollibee restaurants that are in the USA are located in places with large Filipino populations/ It would be my bet that not many "traditional Americans" eat at Jollibee.
Hot dogs – again, the ones eaten here are not often very similar to the US ones..
Bread – The bread here is sweet, nothing like the bread in the USA.
I guess my point is that while these items have a similarity to the USA items, I don't think they can show that the US diet and Filipino diet are similar. Just my opinion.
Hi Jim – I'm with you! What about balut?
Hi Macky – I can see your point. However, I would argue that something like Bistek Tagalog is not very similar to a steak eaten in the USA. The cooking is way different (Americans generally eat their steaks rare or medium rare, Filipinos prefer it well done in my experience). Like with Angie's points, I don't really agree, but I am flexible!
Hi Richard – The availability of vegetables varies depending on where you are. Places near to Baguio, Tagaytay, and Bukidnon in Mindanao have a lot of great veggies readily available. A lot of more remote places may find western style veggies hard to find. But, the availability of veggies all around the Philippines is improving a lot in recent years.
Hi AmericanLola – I have to say, I agree with pretty much everything you said!
Hi brian – I'm with you on the seafood. They have great seafood here! The quality and the variety are excellent. The steaks here? Well… let me move on to the next topic! 😀
I've eaten just about everything Filipino since I got here… even Dinigguan and Bagoog (no I don't like either of them). I am training the maid how to fry foods properly so they aren't too greasy… rule is if it's dipping with grease then the oil is not hot enough. When I leave the maid to her own devices it's usually rice and fish soup for dinner. On a diet like that I've lost about 30lbs since I got here. I don't mind the food, my only request of my asawa is that 2 times a month we cook something more American for dinner… tonight was mashed potatoes, fried chicken and gravy. Now if I could just find some collard greens I'd be in heaven, but kamote top salad is not so bad.
Bob – I eat Balut and I like it, perfect finish to an evening of drinking red horse tagay style with the family.
Sapm is very much an American food. I wil actually tell you that near where I live Spam has its own festival. I do agree its not main stream but its on every single store shelf and if it did not sell it would not be there. Marlou likes spam so its in our pantry. Here in the states though you can get regular spam, spam light, non-fat spam and spam substitute made with soy-beans. I have her down to spam lite with non-fat being my next goal for her. Austin, Minnesota is where Spam is produced and it even has a large Spam museum. If anyone would like to taste vegetarian spam substitute I think you would actually like it. Let me know if anyone needs some. You pay the shipping and cost and I would be glad to send you some. Ron
Breakfast: Rice & Bulad(dried fish), vinegar, whole tomatoes and bare hands.
Morning Snacks:Boiled sweet potato and bare hands.
Warning: over-eating of sweet potato will make you otot(fart) so much.
Lunch: Rice & Paksiw from last night(paksiw could be anything- pork(left over lechon)fish, okra, eggplant or any green leafy vegetables seasoned with vinegar, ginger, shallots, salt, pepper , etc.
You can also cook altogether the meat or fish & all the veggies mentioned.
Afternoon snacks:Boiled unripe banana and bare hands.
Dinner: Rice and…do we still have paksiw left?
My husband's diet was what I called "cans, bottles and boxes". Even veggies were canned! So I was determined to change it when we got married. Thankfully, we're both "fish" people so I could could cook fish however style I want and he eats it with gusto. Sad, we don't have the deep sea fish —we just rely on cat fish. We minimize buying salmon when it's artificially colored. I don't relish tilapia so much because I find them too large–I wonder what's used in fish farms to feed the tilapia!
We still have few canned sardines and salmon. I love sardines in tamato sauce with hot hot rice and go kinamot. My relatives in Phils used to say, "Have you been to town since you have sardines (Ligo or Youngstown brands) for dinner "? Else, we could have chicken tinowa!:lol:
Hi Kiarizona!
You must have forgotten the benignit ! I like it when the coconut milk is thick and the sugar used is the brown one (kamay), not the central sugar; with ripe banana(arabia or saba) in it plus a little sweet rice. It's perfect for afternoon snack especially during rainy days!
SPAM & Jollibee! Two cullinary delights in my life! 😆
Hawaii has the largest per capita consumption of SPAM in the world. While in the service, I found Spam to be a "live saver" on a couple of otherwise "nothing to eat at all" occasions. Will never give up my love of that wonderful concoction, and will forever thank Hormel (makers of SPAM) for blessing mankind in such fashion! 😉
Jollibee in the USA isn't quite the same as in the Phils. USDA regs don't allow for the mixing of ground beef & ground pork (or other mixed combinations) for sale to the general public, so the "Yum" (hamburger) isn't as yummy in the USA as in the Phils. An order of "Chicken Joy" won't come with sweet spaghetti, either. A "Breakfast Joy" menu item started up within the last year or two – not too bad with garlic rice, tocino, egg, tomato and hot dog (not the real three & a half inch red breakfast hotdog but a whopping five inch and thick red hotdog). The Ilocano influence of garlic rice sways my vote! 😆
When stuck in the USA, one has to go with what's available. Jollibee, Chow-King, et al are just for fast food – local Filipino restaurants provide the real comfort food! 🙂
Ay, korek ka, Jul!
How about some…benignit with sticky rice balls!!!
We only have Mexican style sardines here in a big can and I don't like the left over to be sitting on the fridge. Once I opened a can, I have to eat it all day until it's all gone(With lots and lots of Pepsi to make me burp coz I feel delirious if I can't burp).
My husband use to sprinkle grated toblerone on his rice but now he can eat it just the way it is.
He likes all kinds of paksiw too.
…and here's for you to ruin your appetite:
I heard, they feed the tilapia with chicken dung.
Oh. no!
Hi Paul!
Does Chow-King in CA have their halo-halo ? Well. it's not the best halo-halo i've tried but if one is in this part of the world, halo-halo is one comfort food to count on.
I miss also the mango and ube flavor of icecream. I don't care if it's magnolia or Selecta.
Good grief, Kiarizona! What country(ies) supplies tilapia to the US ?
Hi Bob,
I don't really like fish or any meat with fat on it. This makes things a little difficult when I am there. I did try to eat some squid one time in the philippines but I was sick straight away. It takes me a long time to pick bits of fat and gristle from all the meat that they serve.
For me it is sometimes easier to order vegetarian food rather than disecting my dinner! I like rice though!
The fruit is amazing over there, I miss that!
PS. I have lost 2 stone in weight, I have not eaten after 8pm for about a year.
Hi Jul –
Yes, Chow-King (and Jolibee) have halo-halo, as do many of the more mom & pop places, but the halo-halo varies from store to store. In National City, the supreme halo-halo comes in a plastic bowl with a scoop of ube and mango ice cream. In Mira Mesa, it come in a large plastic cup and, depending on your order, with one type or both ice creams. Guess it's up to the franchise owner just how the halo-halo is offered. 😐
Still, it's pretty good considering where you are – and of course will never equal that back in the Phils! 🙂 Like the real estate salesman says, it's "Location, location, location"! 😆
Hi Louis – kang kong also makes a nice salad green.
Hi Ron – I'll pass! Thanks for the offer, though! 😆
Hi Kiarizona – Now, see… that's what I've been talking about. What you have listed is a fairly typical Filipino diet from what I have seen, and there isn't really anything American there! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Jul – I'm with you! I love catfish, but really prefer the big meaty catfish in the States, not so much the Hito here. Also, I hate eating anything out of a can. I prefer something fresh!
Hi Paul – Interesting thoughts! Your culinary opinions are somewhat different from mine, though. 😉
Hi Kiarizona – grated toblerone on rice? Hmm… that sounds rather strange to me. Is that almost like champorado (is that the right word, maybe I forgot)?
Hi jul – I also love ube ice cream. Really anything ube flavor would get my vote!
Hi Phil – In pounds or kilos, how much is a stone? I have heard that word from Brits before, but I don't know how much it is!
A stone is 16 pounds I think, almost certain! Anyway I am 13 stone now, its not too bad for a 6 footer!
Phil
Hi Phil – Wow! That's great to have lost around 32 pounds! I have lost over 130 pounds since living in the Philippines, but still need to lose more! Best way to go is to do it slowly by changing your habits permanently. Congratulations!
Phil- a stone weighs 14 pounds http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_unit
Bob -I've had Kang-Kong also but I prefer it steamed with some salted black beans. When I first got over here I was 160 kilos, that was 6 months ago. I just went to the doctor for a checkup and I am down to 150k
Glad to hear, Louis. I'll have to try some steamed kang kong with black beans too.
As Louis says, 14 lbs is 1 stone
Louis, surely you mean down to 150lbs, not 150 kgs? i'm getting confused here
I love my wife's chicken adobo. I want to make an Aussie version using kangaroo tail, but my wife is horrified…..she thinks kangaroos are too cute to eat. Mind you, this doesn't stop here from devouring legs of lamb.
paul. could you give me an idea how much you pay for halo-halo in the states, as we had a philippine festival here in brisbane australia recently and they were charging as much as AUD$6 for one cup and was nowhere near as nice as you get in phils
Hi Laurence – I enjoy adobo myself! I'll be interested in trying the roo adobo!
Anthony haire – Wow! $6 for halo halo!
Hi Anthony Haire – where we currently live, halo-halo costs between $3.50 and $6.50 USD (without sales tax), depending on size of serving, franchise/store, and location. Smallest size I've experienced is approx 12-14oz. A "Halo-halo Supreme" (Jollibee) or "Halo-halo Fiesta" (Chow-King) are pretty much top of the line, high priced items. Asawa-ko & I make our own – no respectable balikbayan household is without a shave-ice machine! 😆
Hi, Bob.
Champorado is the word.
But the way my husband did it, just grate toblerone ever a plate of steamed rice.
When I asked him why, his answer was,"It's so white,it needs color".
Nothing to do with American(white) and Filipino(brown).:wink:
Hi kiarizona – Ha ha… your husband has a sweet tooth, I think! For me, if I wanted to add a little color, I might have put some black pepper on it!
HALO-HALO PRICE UPDATE! 😛
Visited the Chowking in Mira Mesa, CA today. Now serving two sizes of halo-halo: $4.75 "Special Halo-Halo" and $3.25 "Basic Halo-Halo." "Special" has ube ice cream and more "fixin's"; "Basic" is just that. 😉
O my, Paul ! I should have bought that ice shaving machine at the garage sale yesterday ! But then, I need to make the fixin's: red beens, sweetened boiled saging and jackfruit,ube jam etc…I wish Chowking is just in the neighborhood!
Hey Paul,
Drive down 20 minutes further and head to National city, Ca. I'm having halo-halo with ube ice cream as i type ($3). I get my filipino fix in that area. Pretty much everything is there.
I lived in the Bay Area for a decade and I've never seen anyplace with more Filipino treats than in National City. I cracked up when I found out that the grocery store has a Jose Rizal statue in front.
Hi Jul – Buy a shave ice machine, visit a local "Asian" store to find halo-halo mix sold by the jar and some ube and/or mango ice cream, and have a blast making your own. You can even get creative with coconut milk, leche flan, tapioca and other delights! 😉
Hi Macky – We go to National City on occasion (visiting friends more than shopping) and believe it to have the best Chowking (and franchise type halo-halo) in the San Diego area. Mira Mesa was a convenience stop as we went to buy bangus at Seafood City.
I think it's "bigger & better" in the West Covina area of LA, complete with bust of Rizal in front of the "Seafood City" store. Plenty pinoy/pinay, and lots of shops and treats: Max's of Manila, Toto Lechon Manok, Red Ribbon Bakery, Goldilocks, & Chowking are among the "brand name" places, and plenty more smaller shops – just like most areas with large Filipino populations. (Get my hand made & tailored barong tagalog for about $175 in a shop in that area.)
Even the $5 phone cards (Luzmivinda, Hello Asia, etc.) sell for $4 (SD area is $4.50 – $4.75). 🙂
Rick – No I mean what I said 160K down to 150K I am a big guy sorry to say, but I'm not sorry to lose the weight.
Louis
Sorry, i wasn't trying to be personal here, i guess i was just caught off balance with the figures and yes good news if the weight is on the downward trend.
come to think of it, Bob said he has lost a lot of weight gradually in one of his previous postings, which is a good sign for a healthy diet in the longer run
i'm english not american and i guess the super size portions which are legendary in the usa, catch up with you
good luck with your weight health and life there in davao
Hi Bob,
I don't think there'll be a big adjustment for us in this area. Ken's used to my healthy Filipino cooking (skinless chicken, lean meats, etc.) plus I do cook a lot of Italian dishes that I know I can make there. I enjoy walking the aisles in the supermarkets to discover what's available. I was happy to find spices and ingredients readily available – ex. balsamic vinegar, mozzarella & parmesan cheeses, etc. I can always go to Father Franco's for fresh herbs! That's a good excuse to take the drive! 😀
I guess the key is to train the cooks on the healthier way of cooking. I do this every time I'm visiting. Oh, they also need to be shown how to grill fish without overcooking it. I don't see this to be a problem, though.
When we're visiting, I have one standard request – seafood and steamed vegetables! I'm happy! 😀
Oh, one question, has anyone tried making guacamole there? Doesn't it come out watery? I make it here with Hass avocadoes. I tried it with a different type avocado (similar to what's in the Phil) and it came out watery.
Hi Tina – It's good to hear that you and Ken can get the items that you want and need to maintain your lifestyle and eating habits! 5 or 6 years ago, doing that was not easy for us, but in recent years so many new products are available here in Davao that we are also able to get the things that we long for.
Hi Bob I like to eat sinigang na hipon with fried rice because
I test first time in baguio 1982. I like to eat some philippino
foods but make very sweet I like to eat more thailand foods
becauses it is very hot and after you must drink cold beer directly it's very nice. Only the problem the beer make fat the people very fast. Now stop the beer 3 months but some times
I drink one beer if I eat .
Hi Zois – I understand! I don't drink much beer myself, just from time to time. Yesterday at lunch was one of those times, though – the fellow at the next table must have enjoyed my company, because he kept buying me one beer after another!