A Guitar And Gear Support Forum

Thanks to YT, I spent some time watching live market and street scenes from the Philippines.

Several food stalls, so I had to look up popular dishes.
"Betamax", "Walkman" seem to be common nicknames, based on the shape of the caked food!
(Betamax is a retangular blood cake, IIRC)

I also discovered that *everything" is retailed out in plastic bags, found it is the common container throughout Asia. Hot, cold oily, doesn't matter, it seems.

EDIT to add: the much-maligned YT has some marvelous stuff tucked in obscure corners. I am working on my Ph.D. there!

PoodlesAgain wrote: ↑Sat Jan 18, 2025 11:58 am Thanks to YT, I spent some time watching live market and street scenes from the Philippines.

Several food stalls, so I had to look up popular dishes.
"Betamax", "Walkman" seem to be common nicknames, based on the shape of the caked food!
(Betamax is a retangular blood cake, IIRC)

I also discovered that *everything" is retailed out in plastic bags, found it is the common container throughout Asia. Hot, cold oily, doesn't matter, it seems.

EDIT to add: the much-maligned YT has some marvelous stuff tucked in obscure corners. I am working on my Ph.D. there!

I think you need to talk with @golem. He knows a great deal about Filipino food.

Never been to the Islands but briefly dated a Filipina back in NJ for a time. Some of the best dishes were Sinigang, a sour soup usually with shrimp or fish, Crispy Pork, Pancit, a noodle dish. Some of the worst dishes were almagamations from the post WWII period like Spaghetti and hot dogs, which was so absurdly sweet from added white sugar, it made me wretch.

Yeah...here in Thailand, plastic bags are the go to take away container for many street foods. They conquered shopping bags as now stores expect you to have your own re-useable bags with you (or pay for plastic bags). But the street food culture is producing an alarming amount of non reusable plastic every day...and Thais locally tend to burn them along with other trash...a disgusting practice that fouls the air.

My wife's Filipina, and I've spent significant time in the Philippines. But, we don't eat street food much, and her family is out in the provinces of La Union, so it's probably not much like @PoodlesAgain is seeing.

If I spend about $30 I can feed a large family with the food here:



This is one of my favorites, you can see we do have it in the USA:



Andok's is my favorite over Baliwag, but I think it's a bit more location-specific than restaurant-specific.


If you want some video footage of the fish ponds and oceans in my wife's area and how we get great street food I'll have to source it.

Right now I'm leaning towards not retiring early if I'm enjoying what I'm doing, but it's a backup plan to retire early there if work dries up for any reason.

A good friend of mine and occasional bandmate goes to the Philippines all the time and plans to retire there in the next couple of years. He writes records songs about the Philippines. He is quite popular there. He records under the name Manila Jones. He is one of the best guitar players I know and it has been an honor to take the stage with him over the years. We recently did a few acoustic shows. I hope to do more before he becomes an Expat.

I know nothing about the food but I have they bury eggs, let them ferment, then eat them. Not sure I would enjoy such cuisine.

tonebender wrote: ↑Sun Jan 19, 2025 12:00 pm A good friend of mine and occasional bandmate goes to the Philippines all the time and plans to retire there in the next couple of years. He writes records songs about the Philippines. He is quite popular there. He records under the name Manila Jones. He is one of the best guitar players I know and it has been an honor to take the stage with him over the years. We recently did a few acoustic shows. I hope to do more before he becomes an Expat.

I know nothing about the food but I have they bury eggs, let them ferment, then eat them. Not sure I would enjoy such cuisine.

Are you referring to this egg ? :



A balut egg is a fertilized duck egg that has been incubated and then boiled or steamed. The egg is eaten from the shell, and the contents include the egg white, yolk, soup, and a developing duck embryo.
Origin and popularity:
Balut is a popular delicacy in the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries.
It is thought to have originated in China and the Philippines.
The Chinese introduced balut to the Philippines around 1565 or 1885.
Preparation and eating:
The egg is incubated for 14–21 days, depending on local culture.
The egg is then boiled or steamed.
The contents are eaten directly from the shell.
Some people prefer balut when the embryo is still mostly liquid, while others prefer it when it is more mature and chewier.
Balut is often served warm with spicy vinegar and salt.