While my friend, here in the Olongapo City area, was taking a prescribed medicine, he was informed by his Doctor that for the next thirty days he had to be “Cocktail Free”, a time out from consuming those wonderful beers and rum and cokes? Shock, was the only way to describe my reaction to that very sad news. So in simpatico I decided to join him in this month long cocktail fast!
We still got together for lunch and things, but it was Ice Tea’s instead of the normal libations. Two weeks into this self imposed fast I came to the conclusion that, this was not one of my better ideas. What was I thinking? My liver functions were good, I only shook a little in the morning, and I went to AA meeting’s and refused to tell them my name, remaining true to the program. I had traded in a perfectly good car for one with an automatic transaxle (front wheel drive) so my wife could drive me home after Cocktails. This fast was defeating the reason for the new car. (See how my mind works?) With two weeks left on this dumb idea I broke the cocktail fast.
When a plan is bad, it’s just plain bad, so that day I had a rum and coke, and found it was a good thing I broke the fast, and was glad I did because, after just that one cocktail, all was right with the world again!
If my liver does act up I’ll rip it out and hit spin cycle on my Maytag washer. Being retired and gainfully unemployed, I’ve earned the right to consume when desired. This is one of the reasons I inhabit these 7,000 plus Islands, I can think of one other, and they have brown eyes.
Those back in the good old U.S. of A. please don’t get the impression that we drink every day, for that is not true. Just the days we want to. Now I do tend to imbibe on days when I listen to Country Music. The trouble is I have 500 plus Country Albums on my computer (even more Rock & Roll). I download 100 albums to a flash drive (USB) plug it in to my Stereo hit random and can play Country Music for four days straight.
Then I remembered that relating our experiences to friends after interacting with our hosts can be fun. Unusual things happen here, bazaar even, even while just staying at home. As a dear departed friend Charlie always said; “We choose to live here! If you don’t like it, the airports in Manila, need a ride?”
Hi Paul – Nothing adds sparkle and life to Merienda like San Magoo!
Well, maybe two San Magoos. Or, three. Or . . . .
WHAT THE HELL WHERE YOU THINKING PAUL???? FRIENDS DON’T LET FRIENDS GO DRY !!!!
I couldn’t handle not drinking san miguel and tanduay if i was in P.I, mix in some chichiarones and thats all i need and maybe some shade and a fan also and i am good to go!!!!!!!!
Hi Paul,
LMAO!! Short article but very funny!! I guess its Brian who is the one that is not supposed to drink, judging from his comment. Correct me if I am wrong.
I like the term SAN MAGOO and you are well acquinted with tanduay now!! Try Lambanog next time.
Toting
Paul;
For years it said “DRINK MORE SMB” under every bottle cap, I thought it was a lawful order! I said “Aye Aye sir” and opened the next one.
Hi Brian;
I will take your words to heart. It will never happen again, I swear!
Hello Toting;
Re-read Brian’s comment again, I feel he’s quick to have a San Magoo.
I first had a San Miguel Beer in Spain around 1965, pure dish water. So when I got here a few years later I did not want to drink it again. I was so wrong about that, because the Philippines unlike Spain knows how to brew good beer! I tried the Lambanog just once, I just don’t remember doing it. Thanks for you comments!
God Bless You, Paul, you’ve brought up a subject near to my heart. It has been a few years since our last trip to the Philippines, but I’ve read that San Miguel has changed the recipe for the Pale Pilsen. Is it still just as good?
A friend who spends summers doing research in Manila and the rest of the year teaching in Georgia mailed me a new San Miguel, the All Malt – apparently a Philippine beer that follows the old reinheitsgebot. The price sticker on the can of All Malt was 46.50 pesos. Is the Pale Pilsen still selling for 19 pesos a bottle now?
I’m not as big a country fan as you, Paul, but I did get all the albums that Johnny Cash did for American Recordings the last few years of his life and found them pretty amazing.
Hello Peter;
I’ll take all the blessings I can get. The pale pilsen is the same as my first one back in the 1960’s Just Great! The price? The truck comes by, unloads the beer, my darling wife pays the man, and I drink one. Could not tell you the price. It is 40 pesos at my friends bar, that I do know. I open one for you later today, enjoy!
If i remember it correctly, in my despedida party in Manila we “filtered” some 150 liters of beer (San Miguel, San Mig Light and Red Horse).
There was a special patrol of friends (or cousins of friends?) buying all the cold bottles from each and every sari-sari store in the barangay.
Wow, Pinoy surely can drink a glass or two…
Cheers, Paul!
Hello Paul, Glad to see you have found retirement enjoyable as I have. Wish I was sitting under that Mango tree with you right now. Days here in Austria are getting a bit cool, but the beer is still good, albeit a bit more expensive than down there! I’ll be back! 🙂
When I first went to Davao, in 1991, My wife was worried about me drinking the water, so I had a choice of beer, rum, and Coke. After my first two weeks, my wife expressed her concern that I was consuming too much beer & rum. Wanting to keep the peace, I begrudgingly switched to coke. I was consuming one flat per day & was on a consistent caffeine buzz. While working in the yard one day, fabricating a fishboat, I noticed that a scorpion had made it’s way into an empty coke bottle. I took the bottle to my wife and told her I found it when I drank the coke. After that, I was allowed to drink my beer in peace. As I plan to have a few steel fab. projects on the go when I return, my first project will be to lay a few plates on the ground and wait for a few scorpions to fry themselves – no idea why they do this – That way I’ll be prepared for when my wife visits!
Mike
Hello Paul,
Just a few more days and I hope to be enjoying one of those cold San Magoo’s with ya! It has been a long, hot, dry, dusty 12 months here in the driest country (Kuwait) in the world! Last time there I had the same options as Mike and then got fussed at for my choice of San Magoo’s. I did try the Matador but I do not remember much of that night either. Think I will stick with the San Magoo’s this time.
Steve
now look what you did i am going to have to travel to a liquor store that carry s san miguel beer a little further then where i buy my corona and now i will be hurting the Mexican economy which will in return probably make someone lose there job in mexico and they will most likely move to the usa illegally and take someones job here! hope its not mine!
oh
Hi John;
Thank you for that thoughtful comment.
Your welcome Paul,
I lost my computer a couple of days ago to a surge that got past my surge strip. It was a test to get signed in. I am usually much more thoughtful than that lol. Hope your friend has survived his fast……i2f
Hey Paul,
I too have decided to cut back on my consumption of adult beverages. From now on I will only drink when I’m alone or with someone 🙂
Paul
SanMig, dam that stuff is addicting. When I was there in the 80’s I was so fond of it I didn’t even mind drinking it the local way
“room temperature”.
And even if you ran out you could always send some 6 year old kid to the sarisari to buy you more, got to love the Philippines.
Hey Neal;
I was stationed in Newport RI back in the 70’s, got my first Tattoo at Sailor Don’s on the square. I’m from Boston/Cape Cod, pretty far from it, at that.
I used to sit at the Sari-Sari drinking San Magoo beer here in Olongapo City years ago, and every time I wanted ice for my warm beer, the lady would shout “Juhn” and this kid would disappear and return with one glass of ice. One day I suggested that she get a cooler and keep ice at her store. She looked at me like I was evil and said “Then Juhn have no job!” I ordered a beer and then I shouted, “Juhn!”
Paul
Just for you I will have a “Sam Adams” with my next cup of “Chowda” as we dont get SanMagoo here in RI.
The Olongapo City days, been there done that but the massive amounts of MaryJane and SanMagoo clouds the memories. Gotta love the smell of shit river on a hangover.
Neal;
I was between Merchant ships in 1995, and for the first time in years I went to Boston for my vacation. My four brothers took me on a walking tour of the Freedom Trail thru Boston. After an hour of that, I wanted a beer and they took me to the Bull & Finch Pub by the Commons, It was the “Cheers” bar and full of tourists, my youngest brother Dan ordered me a Sam Adams, and it was good. But I’d been away for 30 years, and I wanted a beer that I grew up with, I ordered a “Knic” beer, which they didn’t carry so I asked for a “Gansit”. When the bartender served me he said; “you’re no tourist, watcha’ doin’ in this clip joint?” (And I did pronounce beer the correct way BEAH.) But I so much wanted a “SAN MAGOO”.