Because I am asthmatic and diabetic at the same time I make sure that I always buy the brand my doctor prescribes. Self-medication is a complete no-no, not just for me but also for anyone who is in need of medical treatment.

Most of the time, we like experimenting with cough and cold medicines, because most of us think it’s no big deal. In reality, it is. I dread having coughs and colds because it triggers my asthma. After the runny nose, come the incessant coughing that is just so disruptive at work and when I go sleep.  When I do suffer from coughs, I cough so hard that I sometimes see little bright lights. My doc says it’s not a good thing. I can’t always take asthma medication because it’s not an asthma attack. My lungs have that icky phlegm that it needs to expel but can’t because it has gotten too thick.

I have never taken those shady herbal cough medicines available over-the-counter. Many of these so-called herbal medicines are made from indigenous plants that have been traditionally used to treat coughs, asthma attacks, even remove boils and worms. Traditional medicine advocates recommend that the leaves are prepared and taken as a tea.  Now they came up with cough syrups and tablets from a mixture of these plants. I personally believe this is no better than cherry syrup. Cherry syrup hardly has any cherry in it, it’s mostly food color and sugar. Real cherry is sour and is never sweet. This makes me think that manufacturers cannot apply for a license for these medicines because they have not been proven to be effective. There is a reason why pharmaceutical companies go through testing and regulation; they are going to sell us chemicals that will affect our physical well-being. If a manufacturer cannot get a license for their products, why should we buy it?

The problem with herbal medicines is that they are largely unregulated in the Philippines. In the US and the UK, protocols have been in place to regulate testing and distribution of herbal medicines. It is safe to assume that with the lack of such protocols in place in the Philippines, we cannot trust any herbal drug that does not bear DOH approval.

Though it is true that there are ten herbs approved by the Philippine Department of Health as medicinal, there has been no mention of how these herbs are to be handled and who is authorized to make these into capsules. In the provinces, we do have remedies for minor ailments that are made using indigenous plants. Although they work for minor cuts, bruises and even hiccups, these medicines are not regulated and tested enough to determine their long term effects on the liver, kidneys and other vital human organs, when ingested as a tablet or when mixed with food.

I can’t be the guinea pig of these herbal manufacturers who are just out to make a quick buck.

If you have health problems, go to a professional and buy the right medicines. Don’t scrimp on a few bucks for your health. After all, it is truly your only lasting wealth in this uncertain world.

In anticipation of the travels that I am planning to do this year, I stumbled on some old pictures of my trips. One particularly interesting trip was the Davao Food Tour in 09. It was fun and I really want to go back. However, I realized there were other provinces to visit and I can’t keep going to just the same place. I need to have some variety, thus in the coming months you will see posts of my travels.

Visiting provinces in the Philippines is always a good experience. Believe me, this is not marketing speak. In my experience, and I am very picky during my travels, I have not been to a provincial city I didn’t like. Foreigners and Filipinos alike must realize that there is a lot of color and dazzle to life outside Manila. Multinationals are beginning to look at Davao and Cebu to bring to do business. Cost of living is much cheaper than in Manila. Compared to other Asian destinations, Philippine provincial cities have cheaper food and lodging, yet the basics of good business can also be found. We have 5-star hotels in almost all of our major cities. Food is an eclectic mix of Asian and European tastes, you can’t complain about not having anything decent to eat, if you know where to go. The secret to enjoying the islands is to be adventurous. Try new things and stop looking for 7-11 or McDonald’s. Our water is clean, our facilities complete and our service, superb.

This grilling restaurant in Davao is the perfect example. Foreigners come here very rarely because of the way it looks on the outside. No maître d’hôtel, no sous chef, no valets. Just a bunch of ladies in t-shirts fanning the coals while you wait for your orders. It is weird how these foreigners are constantly afraid of eating unfamiliar food. That is how you will be familiar with the local cuisine, you have to try it. Luz Kinilaw is a good place to learn how to eat raw fish. Their tuna is so good and is fresh, not frozen like the ones fancy Manila restaurants serve. You will taste the difference.

The acidity of the vinegar and other spices will literally “cook” the tuna. If you are craving for something grilled, there’s chicken (native), tuna (this is their specialty) and other seafood. I liked their grilled squid.

Bottomline, you will not spend an arm and a leg for a filling and delicious meal. I ate here last 09 and I spent no more than P500 pesos, including take out. I don’t know exactly where this is in Davao city but I am 100% sure, all cab drivers know where it is.

I believe every one of us has a favorite restaurant. One that we will visit no matter how far. I, for one, have more than just one favorite restaurant. If I want to eat Korean food, I get dressed and drive a good 40 kilometers to this restaurant in Brgy Holy Spirit, Don Antonio Village, Quezon City. I love it because they serve authentic Korean food and it is also the favorite dining place of Korean nationals studying English in the school beside it. Why did I mention this? Because that is what SkewU is all about. It is your favorite kebab place and that you should visit it whenever you feel like eating Angus Kebab.

SkewU is located at 56A East Capitol Drive, Brgy Kapitolyo, Pasig (tel: 399-2863). It’s a small place with an airconditioned area and an outdoor area for the smokers. Owner Dennis says they were originally at Banchetto and they used to be a big hit with the midnight dining crowd in Ortigas. However, with the closure of Banchetto in it’s original place and move to the megatent and in other places, their regulars missed them and thought they had stopped selling the Angus Kebab. Worry not, Banchetto fans, SkewU is very much alive and serving the Kebab you love and more!

If you recognize this, then you must be a Banchetto regular! Yes this is the famous SkewU Angus Kebab meal that you’ve been looking for. It was my first time to try them last night and it was really good. I especially love the sauce. I also had some Chicken Kebab.

It’s all in the skewer. Metal skewers instead of the bamboo type that we’re used to. It makes a difference in the cooking process. Metal can stand the heat and is reusable, thus allowing the SkewU chef to cook the Kebab with more heat than if it were on a bamboo skewer. Hotter barbecues means more locked in flavor for the Kebab. True enough, SkewU’s signature Angus Kebab is both juicy and tender.

You must try this with Biryani rice, not just plain rice or garlic rice. Buryani rice is sort of India’s answer to the Paella. They cook really fragrant rice with basmati spices, meats and other goodies. SkewU’s Biryani rice is only P25 per cup (US$ 0.58). Not bad if you want seconds, or thirds.

I also ordered the Angus Tapa. This is probably one of the best tapa I have tried. They serve it in a sizzling plate. You can order it in sharing portions or in a set meal for one.

It comes with a special sauce that I really like!

When you dine at SkewU, don’t forget to order dessert. They have Pasta Crepe (Mango or Blueberry) and Melaka Tapioca (I love this one.)

They call it Pasta Crepe because they sliced the crepe into strips like Fettuccine. I like the touch!

The Melaka Tapioca is basically glorified Sago, but, oh boy, it’s magic to the taste.

This is my favorite dessert. Excuse my diabetes but I think I want this for my cheat days.

Check out their menu and prices. I think you will agree with me that this place deserves to be visited. Also be their friend on Facebook and be notified of their latest promos!

This is what was left of a wonderful lechon kawali (deep-fried pork belly) meal at Romy’s kitchen, a small canteen inside the Delarosa Carpark 1. I learn about this place when my office was still at the 27th floor of the Enterprise Center, Ayala Avenue cor Paseo De Roxas. I can’t remember who introduced me to this canteen, but when I do I shall mention that person here. Romy’s Kitchen is known to be the home of the best lechon kawali in town. I have tried others but they all pale in comparison to this. I had no intention of blogging about it so I didn’t bring a decent camera when I ate there. However, the crunch and punch of their Lechon Kawali was just to good I had to make a blog post out of it.

This is the kind of canteen that most Makati employees have probably tried already but hardly noticed how good their meal was, until it was all gone, burped and farted out. Those who do eat there probably don’t notice that they have not changed prices since 2007, if memory serves me right. A heaping saucer-full of freshly popped Lechon Kawali cost P60 per order. Each order is actually good for two people with mediocre appetites. However, upon sinking your teeth into the fat and crunchy rind, you will realize why you don’t want to share the P60 cost with even your faithful lunch buddy; you will love to just pop it in your mouth even when you have eaten all your rice. When I used to have lunch often at Romy’s Kitchen, an officemate of mine would ask me to buy her an order and she would eat it from a plastic bag like she was eating a bag of chips. No, she would not share with me so I made sure I had my own takeout.

If you work in the Makati CBD area, craving for Lechon Kawali and other delectable delights but on a very tight budget, Romy’s Kitchen is your best choice. Located on the second floor of the Delarosa Carpark 1, behind Enterprise Center building. Ask the guards if you don’t see it right away. Just make sure you are there before 12 because the lines get so long that the Conga line stretches from the food counters to the stairs on the first floor, outside the canteen. Best time to go there is 11 am. You also opt to go there after the lunch crowd has finished eating, but there won’t be too much of a choice in food when it’s past 12 pm.

It was a good dinner. The service was good, as usual in a Japanese restaurant. Nihonbashitei looks like an 80s restaurant and for no uncertain purpose. When  patrons walk into the restaurant, they will immediately notice the 1980s feel and  the warm service.  The prices are reasonable, perhaps less expensive than the neighboring restaurants along Pasay Road.

Like this really tasty roll from Nihonbashitei, I wish everyone a wonderful New Year, full of hope and good things to come. May 2012 be YOUR year and may you have A LOT on YOUR PLATE this year, a lot of love, happiness and g0od fortune.

This initiative is to support the local agriculture, ecotourism and anti-poverty efforts for people in Palawan. I’m totally supporting this effort. The devastating effects of Sendong in Mindanao is just a sample of what is to happen to us if we let mining companies destroy the environment.

There is nothing wrong with mining. We need the minerals for our gadgets and life-saving equipment. However, this movement aims to STOP MINING IN PROTECTED FORESTS. Mining companies have encouraged corruption at the highest levels of government. Local officials are the ONLY ONES benefiting from mining operations in the provinces. As it was with logging concessions, only government officials stood to gain from it all. Mining does not help the local economy.

The Nauru example

The Republic of Nauru is a small island in the Micronesian Islands. British and German corporations jointly exploited the island for their natural phosphate deposits. Supposed they had money deposited for the islanders that amounted more than a billion Australian dollars, which had disappeared because of corruption. So now, no money, no resources and still wallowing in poverty.

We cannot let that happen to us. Unscrupulous mining companies bribe their way into mining into virgin forests, old-growth, those untouched for millions of years. These forests protect us from drowning in our own shit. If we let these mining companies dig and destroy our mountains, oceans and seas, we are giving up our only chance to get of poverty.

Ecotourism and the Puerto Princesa example

Puerto Princesa’s leadership has been strong enough to resist and say No to Mining and look at how it has affected the people? Ecotourism has provided income and livelihoods for residents of Puerto Princesa and has also given it a place in the books as one of the seven wonders of the world. Being in the exclusive list will bring in more income for both the country and the residents of Puerto Princesa, who stand the gain the most from these efforts.

Let us help our fellow Filipinos out of poverty. Say No to Mining in Palawan. Let your voice be heard by signing up here.

I used to work in the One World Square building and before Taparazzi, there was this Japanese restaurant that was such a pain to look at because we all knew they were not making enough money for the rent and overhead. Even with the high demand for eating places and the dearth of restaurants, that Japanese restaurant tried to so hard to weather the times and we all knew it was only a matter of time until they would pull out. And pull out they did, paving the way for Taparazzi.

It wasn’t full when I dined there today. There were just two other people having a conversation over the remains of what could have been a really awesome meal. Looking at their menu on the board, I’d say there wasn’t much they offered except for Tapa (cured beef strips) which is essentially short order fare. However, I noticed something about the black and white zigzags that told me there was something promising about the whole setup. So, at P165 pesos per plate of Crispy Bacon Tapa and bottled water, I went ahead and ordered away.

I told them I was diabetic and was avoiding the usual sweet meats. Though salty wasn’t exactly what I needed, it was what I wanted after having been forced to munch on some ridiculously sweet doughnuts a while back. The service was lightning fast and I am saying this even as I was really hungry and I am unable to sustain my usual patience. No 20-minute rule for me today. I was hungry and I wanted it ASAP, which was exactly how I got it.

If you are seeing the image above, I recommend you look at it closely. Yes, it IS as crunchy as it looks. Unbelievably crunchy! I mean I have dentures and it crumbled under all that plastic teeth then melted deliciously away into the abyss of my bottomless stomach. It must be the crunchiest piece of meat I have ever tasted, so far.

I was having a party after all so why stop there? I had another order of their Adobo Flakes. I went Adobo today because last night I tasted great Adobo at this place called Ernie’s Kitchen in Quezon City and I wanted to replicate that pleasurable experience. I was wrong. It was a whole new level of Adobo I had never gone to before, until now. P120 per plate. If you pay an extra P30, they’d give you fried rice. All unlimited rice. At current prices, you get plain rice but also unlimited. I like this new unli-rice fad. Restaurants should have done this a long time ago.

The Tapsihan is a part of the Philippine dining experience. From makeshift eating places to the equivalent of the American diner, the Tapsihan is here to stay and Taparazzi gives us a clean alternative to its street-legal cousin. I heard that a celebrity owns this place, but I’m not here to talk about the owner. For once, the Taparazzi has outshined her in my book.

Taparazzi is located at the Ground floor of the One World Square building inside McKinley Hill. If you can find space, you can park in front of the building. If not then try parking at the back. It is a wonderful breakfast place that traverses class boundaries. Queen bee or worker bee, there is something for you to enjoy at Taparazzi.

I am going back tomorrow and trying their Pares. I suggest you go there and try it for yourself.

On this site will rise an ultra-chic department store (aka mall), an ampitheatre (where they had an awesome light and sound show) and (brace yourselves) CINEMAS!  Yes, finally there will a decent alternative to the cinemas of Market! Market!  I love watching movies and dining out, so you can imagine how excited I am.

Already there’s Jamba Juice in the area and there are a lot of people lining up for their Jamba fix. This is reminiscent of the old Greenbelt when there used to be a park, pond and a skating rink beside the old Ayala Museum. Strumm’s used to be the hippest place to be in the area while diners could be seen by passers by cutting through Greenbelt Park coming from South Supermarket, where Greenbelt 3 is now situated.

Shoppers will soon be bustling to and fro, and so will we to the next foodie paradise! Not sure if they will be open by Christmas, probably a little too much to hope for. I noticed this new section of High Street will be very close to the new Shangrila Hotel being built at the Fort. Employees in the neighboring offices will have a grand time shopping and dining at the new mall replete with amenities that Ayala Land has been known for. See you there soon!

To know more, talk to Alveo Land for more information.

Now how is hunger a political matter? It is a known fact that there is enough food for everyone on the planet. All nations are, to some degree, self-sustaining as far as food supply is concerned. There have been advances in technologies used in farming and agriculture that allow crops to be resistant to certain pests, survive storms and even grow in arid lands. So, how is it that 925 million people in a world of 7 billion (almost one out of every seven) is dying of starvation? Here’s why.

Top 4 reasons for world hunger

1. Armed Conflict. This is the spawn of everything that makes people miserable. In a place where some groups want to be top dogs, there will surely be conflict. Countries at war suffer from the lack of trade thus the citizens are left with nowhere to buy food and supplies. We all know that civil wars and such as purely political in nature; mostly because some bastard wants to control everything and become king. I will go out on a limb and mention Mindanao. There is real hunger in Mindanao, in the ARMM region to be specific, because the conflict has prevented fair trade. Anyone who wants to work or do business in the region needs to appease those in control, kick some money their way. The very leaders of these poorest of the poor regions are the very people who want poverty to stay because the poverty of the town means money in their pockets. Ecleo and Ampatuan to name two of the clans who have maintained hunger in their land.
2. Price Control. Remember the time during the past administration when rice prices soared to P40 a kilo? I can never forget that. It was a big dent on my budget. I used to spend P26 per kilo and then, seemingly overnight, I had a fork out an additional P14 for the same kilo of the same low quality rice I used to buy. Then we all heard that while the prices of rice went up, our government was importing shitty rice from Thailand and Vietnam. What gives? If prices went up, why in hell were the rice farmers getting poorer and poorer? Apparently, the increase in rice prices went mostly to fertilizers and logistics costs including the increased fuel prices. And other people’s pockets.
3. Unfriendly Weather and Natural Disasters. Typhoons equal crop destruction and the it all snowballs into the mess that we all know to be famine. Got the money, but nowhere to buy. That’s an even bigger problem than not having money to buy food. For most of our farmers in the countryside, this is a yearly tradition. When the typhoons come, and they always do without missing a beat, several millions of pesos in agricultural losses are chalked up and the famers are left with nothing but debt. I don’t know if it is ever possible to grow crops without the use of pesticides, but if it is, I hope there are initiatives for it. There is crop insurance though, but it only works if government people stop dipping their hands into the cookie jar.
4. Poverty. Hungry people can’t think straight, much less hungry children. So they steal, beg, sell themselves for sex. It’s a hand-to-mouth existence that poor people pass on to their children, who in turn make more children of their own. The cycle never ends. For a poor person to go to college is already a hurdle. When that person graduates from a diploma mill, what kind of job does he get? Not the same juicy paying job the ivy league graduate gets. So the poor guy is stuck in a thankless 10k a month job. Then he gets married, has children and the same thing happens over and over again. If luck smiles their way, his kids get to go to school. If not, well, they’ll be stuck in that creek with a four-letter name.

All hope is never lost. There are institutions that do their share in helping alleviate hunger. In the Philippines, Unilever is doing its share in helping give food to hungry children. Support this initiative. It’s the least you can do.

Continuing our foodie adventure in Angeles, Pampanga I realized there was more to this city than just the food. There was the history. The history by which an entire province was judged by the misunderstood actions of a few. Enter the Macabebes.

The Macabebes were once a tribe of warriors who had no national identity. As far as they were concerned, they were part of tribe/clan and will do all they can to survive. As soldiers they were obedient, reliable and loyal to the masters they serve. They were soldiers for the Spanish and were used as scouts by the Americans. I believe that this is where the misunderstanding began. Because they were employed by the Spanish army, the Macabebes were deployed in almost any part of the country that had rebellions against the colonial government. Eventually, the Macabebes were successful in aiding the Spaniards in putting an end to these rebellions. Not that they were traitors, they were simply doing what they can to survive. In exchange for their loyal service, the Spaniards gave them a livelihood and allowed them to enjoy a slightly better lot than the other Indios, not that they weren’t victims of colonial oppression themselves.

The Kapampangans, compared to their Bulakeno neighbors, are more enterprising and hard-working. This can be seen by their bustling cities and actively changing economic lansdscape. After the American bases, the Kapampangans sought other ways of earning money from the property vacated by the Americans. Now, Clark is an industrial complex that includes call centers, an international airport and large casinos that generate income for the local government. The tragedies of Pampanga make up a long list of bad-luck turn of events that can bring any city to its knees. Amazingly, the city of Angeles has managed to keep their economy bustling and business booming despite the odds. Personally I am impressed with their collective fighting spirit and their immense pride in their language and culture. Such spirit can obviously be seen in their food and festivals. October was a month-long celebration of Angeles’ milestones and continually remind their people of how steadfast they had been in the face of adversity and impossible odds. Nature dealt them with a losing hand but they prevailed just the same. Indeed, an incredible feat.

I highly recommend that you try their heritage tours and enjoy the lunch that comes with it.

If you want to experience the beauty of Angeles, Pampanga first-hand, I highly recommend that use the following contact information:

landline: (+63)45-887-4703

Mobile: (+63)915-421-6606

Email: angelesmuseo_kfi@yahoo.com.

A photo op with Miniang Pamintuan, Mayor Ed Pamintuan’s better half and wonderful cook of the featured Sisig, a must-try.