I didn't even know KFC had a mascot other than the Colonel, but this video that's been making the rounds shows what's supposedly the KFC chicken (maybe it's a Philippines thing?) having a dance-off with the Jollibee bee to the tune of South Korean girl group Wonder Girls' "Nobody." They've pretty much got the dance down. Videos, after the jump....
Continue reading »
The Grocery Ninja leaves no aisle unexplored, no jar unopened, no produce untasted. Creep along with her below, and read all her mission reports here. Sweet glutinous rice in Pinoy hot chocolate. Photograph from chotda on Flickr The boyfriend mentioned something interesting recently: Coffee breaks are the nonsmoker's smoke break. He wasn't referring to the communal pot of watered down joe most offices brew up in the morning and keep on a burner all day, though. He was referring to the process of pulling a perfect shot of espresso, frothing milk till it's just right, then bringing it all together in an earnest little cappuccino. I had never thought of it that way, but making coffee can be a meditative...
Continue reading »
Photograph courtesy of Burnt Lumpia I had no idea until I read this post on Burnt Lumpia. Says its proprietor, Marvin: In the Philippines, street food vendors can be found grilling marinated chicken feet that are playfully nicknamed "Adidas" (three toes = three stripes). Similarly, grilled chicken heads are referred to as "helmets," and pig ears are known as the ever-so-80's "Walkman". I'm not making this up. He's got tips on picking the best chicken feet and a recipe to grill them up right....
Continue reading »
Last month on a visit to Butuan City in the Philippines, writer Robyn Eckhardt and photographer David Hagerman of Eating Asia witnessed the traditional processing of the sago palm, a plant mostly used for its tapioca-like sago flour. They thoroughly document the breakdown of the "Tree of Life" in three parts: extracting starch from the hack-out trunk shreds, using the flour in sweet coconut-flavored sago flatcakes, and frying up the fat-rich sago worms that hatch in the sago palm's trunk. Never before have I wanted to try something made of sago so badly. But I think I'll save the fried worms for later, even if they tasted "crispy, salty, and greasy, with a lick of smoke."...
Continue reading »
Lori over at Dessert Comes First has a lovely photo essay from visiting her neighborhood wet market in the Philippines: "Here, the fish are so fresh that they’re still jumping about, eagerly gulping their last breaths. The fishmongers are so adept at scaling the tilapia that their eyes are everywhere but on the fish. Clams are squirting seawater from their shells, and the market’s aisles are strewn with large containers of just-caught catch from the sea. This is as close to my food source as I can get here in the city. Some stalls over, seafood like squid and baby crabs are lined up attractively, waiting for the next lucky buyer."...
Continue reading »
Filipinos like to eat pork and so it shouldn't come as a surprise that the number one dish expected at any big party or holiday feast in the Philippines is lechon: an entire suckling pig stuffed with herbs, slow-roasted for hours over charcoal, and served whole, its skin turned golden-red and crispy but the meat inside still moist and delectable. Sidney Snoeck has a mouthwatering set of photos from the district of La Loma, the lechon capital of the Philippines, where much of the neighborhood lives and works in compounds dedicated to roasting pigs year-round....
Continue reading »
Marketman’s Philippine Fruit Index: "I was recently reviewing a reference guide which had a section on tropical fruits from this part of the world and I was surprised to note that I seemed to have covered many of the fruits in the book. Turns out that Marketmanila has already featured over 50 locally-grown fruits in the past two years!!" (If you read nothing else, make sure to check out his Mango Slicing 101—it's pretty easy once you know what to do.)...
Continue reading »
