my commute each day brought me past the historical site of the leyte landing, which is where u.s. general macarthur first came ashore during the liberation of the philippines from the japanese at the end of world war two. the site is commemorated with bronze statues of the americans – wearing aviators – wading onto the beach. interestingly, tacloban was actually the capital of the philippines for a few short months at the end of the war, until manila was liberated.
we were invited a birthday party feast one afternoon in mayorga, one of many feasts thus far, which has been great. the hospitality is wonderful, but i’ve got to say that the food here is as unhealthy as you can imagine. filipinos eat white rice for every single meal. if they have the money, the addition will be pork; the fattier the better. at a more impressive meal, the rice will be supplemented with other empty carbohydrates, such as white wonder bread, chow mein noodles, rice cakes, and cooked cassava (for the uninitiated, similar to a baked potato except drier and with less flavor). the fatty pork will be supplemented with an alternatively flavored selection of fatty pork, fried chicken, and fried fish. absolutely never vegetables, which is disheartening. though the fruit is amazing, it is enjoyed by the average person as a rare delicacy maybe just a couple times per year. little wonder pretty much everyone here that is middle aged and older has rampant hypertension, diabetes and kidney failure.
while on the topic of food, i will end with a couple of the few bright spots. one is halo-halo, literally “mixture.” it is shaved ice soaked in sugary milk, topped with various selections of jello, ice cream, pieces of fruit, red beans, yellow beans, taro jam, crème de leche flan, and corn flakes. another is belut, a 14 day old chicken or duck fetus that is still in the shell. the fetus is killed when the egg is boiled, and the belut tastes best immediately afterword, doused with vinegar. seriously, it is delicious!
