[nggallery id=1052]
Try as we might, we at ELV find it hard to get behind Filipino (not Philipino) food.
Or even enjoy it.
At all.
Why, you ask? Because it seems like the least interesting, most over-fried, greasy and in-artfully seasoned of all Asian cuisines.
And don’t even get us started on the sweets…which are odd even by Asian standards.
But there’s a Filipino restaurant within walking distance of ELV’s law office now, that’s fairly filled with Filipinos, so we figured forgetting our fatuous failures is finally fortuitous.
Which means we shall frequent this restaurant in a final, futile(?) fueling of our face, and forgo the friction between the Philippines and our favor, to then either forget its frailties or fracture its facade.
We know, of course, that Filipinos and Filipino food can get along just fine without ELV’s endorsement, but clearly, if a white guy as passionate about all things Asian as ELV can’t get on board with this country’s food (after 15 years of trying), something is seriously amiss in its kitchens.
Zeus hath spoken.
That is all.
I completely agree! Every encounter I have ever had with Filipino food – including food prepared in private homes – has been unpalatable.
Max the Sage says: “lovely people, vile cooking.”
On this we are in agreeance…
Obviously, McArthur was not returning for their food. :)
TRH
Thanks for remembering the F vs. Ph.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – Filipino cuisine is best made in a home, by someone’s mother.
Our cuisine is best defined as being salty, fatty, porky and sour.
Also, judging by your pictures, you seem to have a) ordered wrong and b) be missing essential condiments to get past the above adjectives. They help.
ELV responds: All we did was order things off the menu, and consume them as they were served. Like we said, we’ll go back a couple more times to give this cuisine a serious whirl in a hopeful attempt to find something good to say about it.
The funniest thing about our post is the “meet hot Filipino girls” dating site that Google Ads decided to link with it. ELV apologizes to those sensitive souls offended by the soft-core porn.
I have no knowledge of Filipino food but the alliteration was fabulous, folks.
I’ve had decent Filipino food, but nothing transcendent, as I’ve had with most other cuisines from the pacific rim. I don’t know of any Filipinos who are willing to take me in and prepare a feast, but for those fond of the cuisine, I’m willing to listen to recommendations in town, both in terms of restaurants and in terms of what to order.
Just by looking at your photos I can tell that you got dishes that even I wouldn’t give to my most gung-ho haole friends on their first try. Also, Grace said it best, if you want good Filipino food, find someone’s Filipina mom and go eat their food at home. The only reason I’ve ever eaten Filipino food outside of my home was because it was either too difficult or expensive to make at home, or it was rare to find the ingredients to make it. Filipino food is “the people’s” food at it’s core so if you’re looking for something along the “fine dining with cloth napkins” line, pick another culture to feast on, at least until you get a better grasp of the cuisine.
I married into this culture, and I think Filipinos are some of the most kind and generous people on the planet. But you have identified my secret complaint and my private pain. I was practically playing blues harmonica while reading your post.
Indeed, any culture that holds up canned beef stew as a status symbol is going nowhere fast cuisine wise.
try going Regional Philippine cuisine… I would recommend the cuisine of Negros & Panay Islands otherwise called Ilonggo cuisine…
it’s delish. trust me.
the other cuisine is Pampangan which is ok but more fearfactory with their roasted crickets and goat papaitan (bile stew)…
try doing Chicken Inasal at home…