flip'n travels

WARNING: NOT FOR THOSE WITH WEAK STOMACH

Growing up in the Philippines made my guts strong as leather. My early memories of my balut eating days is as vivid as and LED screen (Balut is a boiled duck embryo). My mom has to cover my eyes while I ingest the helpless unborn little tweety bird inside. I hated those nights. but I grew up, and it became a staple beer match and it’s one of my secret weapon to induce an instant hypertension to my enemies (hahaha kiddin).

I was also trained to eat chicken, not just its meat but every single part of it. I went through a phase when these delicacies became part of my daily snack menu. Grilled heart, lungs, spleen, liver, and intestine kebab (isaw). I ate this poor creatures entire anatomy, Literally head (helmet) to feet (adidas), I  used to love the helmet because of the rich smoked flavored brain and the feet for it’s barbecued sticky skin and ligaments. And oh! The pig blood stew (Dinuguan) is also my favorite even up to now.

I thought Filipino cuisine is the most bizarre in Asia, well I guess our neighbors got their own share of this unusual taste and gastronomic eccentricity.

After my momentous (tiring) walk on the great wall, we went back to Beijing. Since Marlena and Justin were both lone travelers just like me, we decided to reconvene at the hostel after 2 hours of rest. We thought of going around the city on a late night walk. After days of popular Chinese dinners it actually became boring. So we decided to go on a little food tripping, and we all uttered the same food destination–WANGFUJING

I once told by a Chinese friend that Chinese eat everything that flies, except airplanes; everything with four legs, except tables; and everything that swims, except submarines  -  and visitors to Beijing’s fast-food market will be left in no doubt of that.

A stroll along the food stalls of Wangfujing Snack Street, not far from Tiananmen Square, reveals delicacies of every conceivable kind. The side street was filled with foreign tourists and I can smell someone will get ripped with the food prices. I intentionally joined Marlena and Justin so that I can take some photos of this exotic attraction. But Marlena was so adamant that we should try everything! That’s when my tummy hardened, as stiff as a board. I was a bit worried, because anything with more than four legs freaks me out. Two meters away from the street food stalls, I can see all sorts of creatures on bamboo skewers.

Oh no! beetles, worms, seahorses, snakes and various arthropods like crickets, roaches and (gulp) scorpions.

It made me step back a little but Marlena suggested that we should try it. Justin refused with a solid “HELL NO!” while I softly uttered “hoh my god!” I wanted to pull a ninja disappearing act from the scene and just go home without them knowing. But Marlena’s enthusiasm and bravery made me feel ashamed of my so called “machismo” (don’t argue!). So Justin and I had no choice but to grow some balls.

After trying to devour a chewy, skin-y, slimy grilled snake skin, we moved to the next in line and tried several others. Some of them are OK some are not so convincing. We paid a hefty tourist price of 8 to 15 Yuans per stick, but I know from the get-go that we weren’t paying for the taste but for the experience so I didn’t complain.

Scorpions are some of the creatures I dreaded ever since I was a child, I squirm by merely picturing them on my head. In our clan, we all have a non-negotiable fear of anything with 8 legs. Scorpions, being a member of the arachnid family is of no difference with their tarantula cousins. So never in my wildest dreams did I even perceived that I will be sinking my teeth on these creepy crawlers.

But as they all say: In China everything is possible. And so I did.

My tummy literally trembled like it is about to pass enormous amount of gas enough to obliterate half of the crowd of Wangfujing, and I felt a bit dizzy while I was holding the stick. I took a deep breath, ready to shout “here goes nothing!”, closed my eyes as I bit off the legs first, and it felt like cockroach’s legs in your mouth, half chewed and I swallowed it quickly. Then I saw the sting at the end of the tail and it’s still intact. I was so scared of getting sick because of the venom. So I tried cutting it off before eating the whole scorpion. That’s when I pricked my finger with its sting… GREAT!

I didn’t want to let the crunchy leg segments of the insect linger in my mouth, so I tried swallowing it as fast as I could. So don’t ask me what it tastes like because I quickly chewed the whole thing while chanting the words “Think Shrimp! Think Shrimp! Think Shrimp…” before totally swallowing it.

Whew! I survived!

It wasn’t bad, neither it was good. I find it hard to say it was yummy when I was picking morsels of what seemed like cockroach legs in between my teeth. Wangfujing also offers a selection of snacks for those who are not so adventurous like chicken gizzards, octopus tentacles, sea urchins and candied fruit deserts which I, by the way, personally don’t recommend, because the scorpions are more edible than those.

Visiting Beijing could be a once in a lifetime experience for me, so why should play safe? I am glad I went for this Fear Factor-ish adventure, I did it and followed the Flip’n Travels Creed #1.

Arguably the most popular place to stay within the backpacking community–Borneo Backpacker is strategically situated right smack in the middle of the city, everything is almost just a kembot away (oh well, Kota Kinabalu is just the size of Makati, so everything is really a cigarette butt flick from where you’re standing).  I love everything about the hostel, the common room, the free internet, free quick breakfast and the staff who helped us all the way.

We booked a dorm room with 10 beds and as always, Monette is the only rose among the Venus flytraps. Although we made a wrong decision on getting the upper bunk because right after the Kinabalu climb, getting onto the bed became a painstaking challenge. Getting up the ladder took a lot of time, effort and ganda points, and just when you reach the upper bunk, that’s when you’d realize that you left the toiletries in the shower room, PERFECT!

Although we are not liking the idea of the two flight of stair cases going up to the hostel lobby considering the painful assault that we had to brave after a Mt. Kinabalu.

We tried several restaurants within the area. Just like in most parts of Malaysia, Kota Kinabalu is home to a fusion of Malay, Chinese and Indian cuisine. There are fireworks of flavorful explosions in each food corner in the city. Predominantly seafood, but a parade of noodle, savory toppings and all sorts dumplings can also be found in most unassuming restaurants, and it comes in a backpacker friendly price.

Just downstairs of our hostel is a history inspired nook, with a collection of world war II photos of Sabah and historical memorabilia, the place’s rustic feel lured us on our first night in the city. They serve Nasi Lemak at MYR 8.

We tried the curry house along Jalan Gaya, a block away from our hostel. This is a typical Indian fast food, where you can take everything buffet style at MYR 7.00. This place is similar to the one where Thana took us when we were in KL. The best way to do it is to just mix everything together, forget about complementing flavors, just grab your plate and dive in. Just make sure to ask which one is too hot and spicy if you’re a sissy and picky foodie like Monette. And be ready with the glass of water, just in case (Which I learned the hard way).

The flaky, buttery, freshly cooked and slapped (yes, they slap them) Roti is available at MYR 2.

Right across the street is a 24 hour, always busy Fong Ip Cafe. An open air Chinese fast food restaurant that serves noodle, rice meals, western breakfast and of course, their popular dumplings. They are also known for their drinks like Lemon iced tea, sugar cane juice and Iced Tea Tarik (MYR 2.00). This is where we kept on coming back, it was a good deal at MYR 6 up. Make sure to try the stewed tofu and the squid/fish ball looking… thing.

There are also seafood restaurants near the ports, but us being island creatures didn’t even bothered trying. It will be like Korean tourist eating kimchi in a foreign land. It is a must try if you are really into sea food or if your food pyramid consists mainly of corn, potato or McDo meals. In our case, we opted grabbing a cup of our usual fix right across the strip, we sat there while we quietly agonized on every throb of our aching muscles.

Okay, so the whole Bangkok shenanigan didn’t really came out as we expected it to be. It could possibly be the lack of funds, the wrong trail of itinerary, or it  maybe just the fact that we got fixated with the whole Angkor Wat immersion that preceded the trip. Or simply because we were tired, flat tired.

So to cap off our final night in Thailand, we decided to walk along the river until we reach Wat Arun, chill out a bit and wait for the sun to set behind the Rattanakosin skyline.

So, did we checked-out the temple complex? No! I know this may sound unlikely but at 4PM, we already stepped on the break and slowed down to end our last full day in Thailand. We were too exhausted to cross the Chao Phraya River so we just settled and grab some fishball-ish street food along Maharat Road.

the deck, waiting for the sunset

There were short small alleys perpendicular to the main road and the river, we combed each alley as we encountered all sorts of spectacles. From filthy restaurant back door, residential kitchen exuding pungent fumes, residents packing a bundle of hand pulled noodles  to senior residents chilling out catching-up on the day that was.

One unassuming alley, Soi Pratoo Nok Yoong will lead you to The Deck by the River, a restaurant with a panoramic view of the Chao Phraya, a perfect vantage point to see Wat Arun on a sundown.

The entree’s in the menu were ridiculously pricey so we just reserved a table, grabbed a cup of our caffeine fix and waited for an absolution…

Wat Arun’’s construction began in 1809, it may have been named “Temple of the Dawn” because the first light of morning reflects off the surface of the temple with a pearly iridescence. Steep steps lead up to two terraces. The height is reported by different sources as between 66.8 m and 86 m. The corners are surrounded by 4 smaller satellite prangs. The prangs are decorated by seashells and bits of porcelain which had previously been used as ballast by boats coming to Bangkok from China.

The temple will light-up instantly once the darkness envelope the city. After minutes of anticipation, it did and so I started clicking the shutter of my camera. After a couple of good frames (or so I thought), I stopped. Sat down and slipped the camera in the bag. I hypnotically stared, with the deafening silence and temple lights reflecting on the river surface, I remained motionless. What’s on my mind?… NOTHING!

Perfect way to close this interesting Thai adventure.

OK before anything else, let me say this: I am not a heavy beer drinker (at least not as heavy as Monette) couple of bottles will attenuate me to a lesser form of social being, add another one and expect me to start blabbering some gibberish Spanish with a Nihongo accent.

It was couple of years ago when I heard of this urban legend about the Happy Horse. According the this drunkard’s folklore, there are these nasty bottles of red horse beer out in the market containing twice as much of the usual alcohol content of the beverage. It will definitely kick your guts up your head.

As the legend goes, There is a Happy Horse in every 2 cases of the beer, it is marked by an ostensibly smiling horse on the logo of the lager and red (instead of yellow) label prints at the back. Sounds like kwentong lasing? Well, what do you expect?

Last night, I had a close encounter with the creature.

Happy Horse at the right

Sorry to burst your bubble but I did a little bit of a research. According to http://greatergood.i.ph/, the bottles of Happy Horse were simply factory misprints which dates back to its early days in 1983.

Other people claim that the bottle of Happy Horse contains the same alcohol content as its regular counterpart. The argument sounds valid: In the bottling plant, the bottles are lined up on a conveyor belt where they eventually make their way to a machine where they are topped up with the brew.

There can be one, two, three or no bottles of Happy Horse in each case.  Machines randomly grab bottles from the bottling line and place them on the recognizable red cases for distribution to dealers. I bet they would be charging a higher market price considering the hassle of separately brewing and putting-in a special bottle in every case.

So how was it? Can’t distinguish the difference with one bottle. But don’t worry. I will conduct a controlled experiment soon.

In the mean time, when you buy a Happy Horse at a stiffer price, maybe you are being ripped off.

[thanks to Rizchell for letting me borrow her camera to take these photos]

flip’n advisory:
DRINK MODERATELY!
and prevent this from happening to you

Being that we are backpackers, it always follows that we travel on a budget. Our plane tickets carefully booked, our hostels painfully scrutinized, and our daily allowance tightly budgeted. It is also an art of backpacking to find the most affordable places to eat in. We also consider the cultural requisites like flavor, tradition and the old school way of cooking it.

In most cases, we end up being seen in the streets and hawker stalls getting down and dirty. Hawker stalls can be found all over Asia, and the Philippines got a good version of it too. Although Filipino street food are irreplaceable, its nearest and most accessible incarnation would be the food court of SM Malls.

SM Sta. Mesa got a pocket full of stores with treats from different regions of the country. It is indeed a one stop traditional Filipino food expo. We were invited to try out what the food center has to offer.

Lugaw – know generally all over the Philippines as the local version of Chinese congee. It is so easy to make, just by combining the broth, rice, ginger, scallions, some other spices and chicken or beef then VOILA! You have the staple snack of the social class A to E. Lugaw ni Juan is the newest member of the chain of food stalls in SM. Sta. Mesa, their version got strips of ox tripe that made it really unique and special.

Lechon de Cebu – Lechon or roasted suckling pig is a popular star of Filipino celebrations like Fiesta, birthday, wedding, baptismal and the list goes on. As a celebratory dish in the southern city Cebu, it is luciously cooked with juicy meat and crispy thin outer skin. Just make sure it is served hot and crunchy.

Empanada - unlike the mexican empanada, Ilocanos’ version is fried, not baked. The northern colonial towns of the Ilocos region boasts a menu of treats that are uniquely Ilocano. Empanada is one of the most popular among them. Balay Ilocos (Ilocano House) serves those traditional cuisine showcasing the flavors of the north.

Sisig - this is one kapampangan’s pride, known as the kitchen of central Luzon, the Province of Pampanga started a pulutan culture. This dish is made from parts of pig’s head and liver, usually seasoned with kalamansi and chili peppers. It is indeed and undoubtedly the most popular beer match across the country. Where else to try it? But from the kitchen who invented it…

FACT: Lucia Cunanan of Angeles City has been credited with inventing sisig. The Philippine Department of Tourism has acknowledged that her “Aling Lucing’s” restaurant had established Angeles City as the “Sisig Capital of the Philippines” in 1974.

The dish is said to have originated from locals residents who bought unused pig heads from the commissaries of Clark Air Base in Angeles City, Pampanga. Pig heads were purchased cheap since they were not used in preparing meals for the U.S.Air Force personnel stationed there.

Pancit Malabon -The ingredients clearly represent the origin of the dish. Situated with the northern fishing ports of Manila, Malabon is the drop-off point of fresh bounties from the South China Sea. Pancit Malabon is a type of pancit, or stir-fried noodle dish. It has a yellow-orange color due to a sauce that includes patis (fish sauce) and crab fat. Its toppings draw heavily from the fresh seafood that is available in the area and may include fresh shrimp, squid, oysters, and hard-boiled duck or hen eggs, as well as pork.

Kakanin (Rice cakes) – There’s a myriad of documented preparation of this traditional snack/desert. Philippines being covered with vast rice paddies, the crop comes really handy to our pre-colonial ancestors. And with recipes passed from generation to generation we are still enjoying the old original and traditional taste and texture.

Who would’ve thought we can experience a good historical and cultural culinary tour inside the Philippines most popular shopping center? Our visit with SM City Sta. Mesa became a sampler of what Filipino kitchen has to offer.

The relaunching of SM City Sta. Mesa Food Court showed an impressive recovery from the wrath of typhoon Ondoy last year. The new festive look and Wifi enabled food park is cheerfully serving the universities and communities of Sta. Mesa in Manila.

We would also like to thank Jolibee SM Sta. Mesa, Pizza Hut SM Sta. Mesa, Island Gas, ASC Marketing, Inihaw Express, Kusina ni Gracia, Baliwag Express and Mr. Maynard Bulosan for showing us what they have for the budget conscious foodies like us.