Phreaky Philippine Phood

Well I have been here for two days now and I have already eaten some "different" things. I was taken to a restaurant that overlooked a lake with a volcano in the middle. It was quite a lovely place. For lunch we had garlic rice with a dish called Pla-Pla en Gate. (Tilapia simmered in coconut milk) We also had tiger prawns, a pork dish called Adobo, and a dessert called Halo-Halo made with mixed fruit, beans, iced milk, and an ice cream made from purple yam. This was all served inside of a young coconut, so that you could scrape the young coconut meat with your spoon and eat it with the rest.

That night I was taken to a Chinese seafood place where you pick from several live choices to have prepared for you. All of these meals are served group style, so the group orders three or four items, and you all share the food. My host ordered steamed crab, a strange orange looking fish, pork spare-ribs, and an item called sea mantis. The sea mantis is fried whole and you eat the whole thing shell and all. Yummy....

Picture of the Lake. The Volcano is the closest little island in the middle.







This is a picture of traditional Halo-Halo, mine was served in a young coconut.

And this is what a live Sea Mantis looks like in the tank. Kind of reminds me of a large Pillbug.

Thats all for now... Further bulletins as events warrant...