Travels to the Province of Laguna, Philippines: The Underground Cemetery

Cebu , Philippines ... big market for dried fish and other seafoods

Cebu, one of the provinces in the Visayas Island of the Philippines, Home of many great beaches, delicious foods and of course fish and varieties of seafoods (edible seashells and seaweeds) and what else, but dried fish and seafoods of every kind. Every visitors who come to Cebu will never miss the market for these Dried goodies called  Daing in Tagalog and Bulad in Cebuano, the dialect spoken in Cebu. Bulad is from the word Binilad which means dried in the sun.

Below are pictures in one of the markets in Cebu City where dried seafoods are abundant. There are so many varieties that will delight the eyes and of course the nose with the wondrous smell of Daing/Bulad. It is called Tabo-An Dried Fish market in Cebu City

My favorite and the most popular are dried Danggit  or Daing na Danggit  (simply called Danggit), a variety of small fish dried to perfection with just the right amount of salt and dried Pusit (Daing na Pusit).  Both are good for breakfast with fried eggs and Sinangag (fried rice with salt and pressed garlic) and Sawsawan (dips) which can be slices made from  tomatoes sometimes with chopped onions with a bit of salt or fish sauce (Patis) or a mixture of vinegar (Suka), crushed Garlic (Bawang) and Bird's Eye Chilies (Siling Labuyo).

I am salivating just thinking of these delicous dried seafoods from my home country. There are some varieties of dried seafoods available also in some Asian Foodshops in Germany, although care must be considered when cooking it especially when you live with the Germans as they will never accept its smell inside their homes.

Can be seen are Dried Danggit and 3 kinds of Daing na Pusit (dried squid and cuttlefish). There are also Fish Tapa (jerky made of fish instead of meat), Fish Tocino, and many other choices.

Dilis (dried Anchovies), Dried Espada (Swordfish), a kind of fish which looks like an Espada (Beltfish) and other dried varieties of small fish carefully lined up and dried. What makes them special, is that, they are not salty at all when fried and really very delicious eaten with newly cooked Sinangag (fried rice) in the mornings for breakfast or even in lunch and dinner.

Below, my friend who is spending her vacation in her hometown in Cebu Province, enjoying cooking and eating the delicious Bulad from her very own home. I hope she will bring some to Germany soon.

Food Discovery: Foodshopping in a Turkish Shop Just around the Corner of my Home

Lovely Food Shop, a Turkish food shop,  a mini grocery, a Discounter, a term used in Germany for groceries offering quality but cheap food items. My new discovery, ADR (Alan Daima Razi) Discount, where I found  almost every ingredients I wanted to cook... delicious delicacies from Turkey and Arabic country, the dried spices, dried and fresh herbs most especially my favorite Coriander, Schnittlauch (Spring Onions), Lauch/Porree (Leeks), Petersilie (2 kinds)  and Mint,  different kinds Turkish sausages, different varieties of canned and dried beans, Turkish cheeses, sweet and savory snacks, different varieties of green and black olives from big to small sizes, different kinds of flours, Couscous, Bulgur, Semolina, Noodles and vegetables and fruits which are my favorites, too. I saw 3 varieties of onions, one variety looks like small marbles, 2 kinds of Zucchini (green and yellow), different varieties of Paprika from non-spicy to so spicy. In the freezer sections are frozen Falafel and meat (Halal). They have different kinds of flatbreads, too, plus the famous Simit of Turkey. The most wonderful part, is that this lovely food shop is just walking distance from my house. So now, anytime I want to cook my favorite foods, I only need to come here, as often as I like. It is indeed "small is beautiful".

It is a pity I can not ask the friendly saleslady if I can make some photos inside the shop, but I intend to frequent this shop as much as I like, just to make me feel so good.Seeing foods from other countries is a thrill for me.  It  almost show me the culture of Turkey with all the foods I saw here. When I saw Simit, it was like I am transported to Turkey and see street vendors selling Simit. 

I almost forgot, the saleslady is so efficient, so accomodating and friendly, too as I expected from a Turkish. She answered all my queries about which variety of Paprika (pepper) are spicy (Scharf) and all other questions I wanted to ask, if Tzasiki is available in their shop, for example.  

I met so many Turkish in Germany, I may not know them personally, but those I met on the streets or mostly in Imbiss (small eateries) and foodshops owned by them have always been friendly. I wish that one day, I can be closer to some of them so I can finally feel at home in my new community. 

Returning home, I was so excited to make the photos of what I bought and I used the fresh Mint at once to marinate the chicken pieces I wanted to cook.

You will see below, few of the food I bought just for testing. 

These not so spicy Paprika is called Carliston. I bought this in a pack for making my first Mulaku Badji , a popular Indian street food. The saleslady is right, this is the best variety of Paprika for me for testing.

Rinderschinken means beef ham sliced very thinly. I like them with newly-baked German Brötchen. Next time, I will try them with the flatbread.

Savory snack - Roasted Yellow Chickpeas. They also have one which is colored white. I will buy it next time.

This is how the Roasted Yellow Chickpeas look like. It is easy to chew but crispy and unsalted. I think it is a good substitute for croutons as toppings for salad.

My best discovery that day, was the fresh Mint, bunches and bunches of fresh mint in the fresh vegetable section of the shop.

Fresh Mint, I could not get over it, finding very fresh Mint and Coriander in this small shop. I love Mint and I intend to make Lentil soup with mint which I tasted in one of my favorite Turkish Mini Restaurant where I formerly resided.

I made 3 photos of the fresh Mint because I was really so happy with my new food discovery for just 0.99 euros cents per bunch.

I had to keep the receipt as my remembrance of my life in Germany. I know I will be frequenting this shop anytime I like and get the thrill of being transported into another wonderland called Turkey. 

Everyday Traditional Foods from the Philippines in a Small Eatery called Karinderia/Carienderia

Karinderia or Carinderia is a small eatery  usually located by the side streets of most big cities in the Philippines or canteens of offices, schools and other establishments around the Philippines where food is offered at reasonable prices, but still tasting good.

Here are some of the foods offered in a small office Canteen owned by my bestfriend in the Philippines which is located near a construction site in one of the landmarks in the Philippines where construction of many buildings are undergoing.

More than 12 kinds of savory and sweet foods are offered by them everyday, from breakfast until almost end of office hours which is around 6 in the evening.

How I miss these foods, In the Philippines, you just have to get out of your house, walk a bit, then you will already find a small eatery offering newly cooked foods. This is something which i will never experience while living in Germany. There will be lots of bakeshops and gas stations offering sandwiches or sweet snacks, sometimes there are also some traditonal foods like Wurst (sausages) and meat dishes,  but never as many choices of traditional foods right at your doorstep.

What can I say more. Philippines is really a home sweet home. Here also is a picture of the 3 lovely women who cooks and prepares everything so they can offer workers and employees these delicious home-made dishes.

I miss my friend, Eva (the middle in the photo), I have not seen her since almost 10 years. Now she is turning into a good enterprenuer together with her partner, a good cook, too

Pochero, meat stew and the most distinct ingredient is the Saba or cooking banana. It is Pochero becuase of these bananas

Breaded fried chicken. Friend chicken will always be the Filipinos favorite food.

Ginataang Tilapia, Tilapia, a variety of lakewater fish cooked with coconut milk

Adobong Baboy, savory pork dish where the pork is cooked with vinegar, soy sauce and spices.

Dinuguan, the Philippines one of a kind blood stew

Fried Liempo, pork stomach fried to perfection until the pork skin is crispy.

Nilagang Baboy, boiled pork ribs with lots of vegetables, like Chinese cabbage, Corn on cobs and potatoes, with pepper and salt to taste. Eaten best with Fish sauce called Patis with freshly squeezed Calamansi (Filipino lemon)

Another variety of Dinuguan, blood stew  without so much sauce, and made from inner organs of pork, like lungs, heart, liver and intestines

Ginataang Tilapia, fresh Tilapia cooked in coconut milk, this time with lots of sliced tomatoes which makes it creamy and a bit sour.

Maruya, sliced cooking banana called Saba, breaded and fried

Philippines..My Home Sweet Home (Part One)

Here are some of the many wonderful things and activities which anyone can enjoy in my country, the Philippines.

There is really have so much fun in the Philippines and around its islands.

Riding on a bamboo raft in one of the 7 Lakes in San Pablo City, Laguna .. the Lake Pandin

Picking up Santol fruit. Santol is one of the fruits in the Philippines

Visit one of the hidden family-owned resorts in Laguna and still be able to pick fresh fruits in the backyard

Grilling Eggplant (Talong in Tagalog) and marinated Pork Belly (Liempo)

Enjoy freshly grilled foods while enjoying the company of the family for a weekend in many of its quiet resorts

Ride the colorful  jeeps (jeepneys) and the tricyles and enjoy the view while on traffic or the company of other passengers 

The Lake Pandin, with its clear waters. located in San Pablo City, Laguna. Just of the the city's seven (7) lakes

Carabao of the Philippines. I had the privilege to ride one when I was 16 , many summers ago and it completely changed my life ...it was my last summer before entering a big university in Manila

Travel farther north of the country and spend time with the natives of the area ... then they will let you ride their carabaos and enjoy the river in  Nueva Vizcaya.

Visit some of the wet markets and mingle with the locals and later cook fresh seafoods which is abundant in the all  over the country. My nephew already having fun in the market with all the fresh foods around

One of the luxuries, you and I can truly enjoy in my country is a personal visit of professionals to give massage, pedicure and manicure right in your own home.