Eat like a Filipino, the easiest of Philippines travel tips!
If you plan on surviving the Philippines on a staple diet of chicken and rice, you’re sorely missing out. Uniquely sweet, salty and sour, Filipino food is as diverse as the 7,000 islands that make up the archipelago.
When in Cebu, make a beeline for the lechon kawali at Leslie’s Lechon: slow, spit roasted pork with golden crispy skin. If you find yourself in Angeles City, Pampanga, try the famous sisig at Aling Lucing Sisig (it’s where the dish was invented, and was made famous in Anthony Bourdain’s Explore Parts Unknown): pork cheek and liver seasoned with calamansi, served on a fiery, sizzling platter.
And while in Manila, take the opportunity to try sinigang at Corazon: a fresh, zesty stew of fish and vegetables, soured by tomatoes or tamarind.
A few notes on eating etiquette: Filipinos typically eat with a fork and spoon (all the better to scoop up that rice with), but will sometimes use their hands to really mix flavours together. Most restaurants provide hand wipes for just this reason, so don’t be afraid to get stuck in.
Drink like a Filipino
Shot na! Filipinos love a good drink, which is reflected in a vibrant drinking culture. Weekends see punters pack videoke halls, glitzy bars, and fiestas, revelling well into the night with their pulutan (drinking snacks).
The booze here packs a punch, with staple beer Red Horse standing at 8% ABV. If there’s one drink to keep an eye on it’s Tanduay Rum: an intoxicating blend that sears your throat but goes down a little too easily with coca-cola.
There really isn’t a word-for-word equivalent of ‘cheers’ in the Philippines. Most clink their glasses to a simple ‘chug’, or ‘shot’, or even the Japanese ‘kanpai’ (a taste of the national love for all things J and K-pop).
But when it comes to the drinking, things get uniquely Filipino. If you find yourself with a local group, someone acts as the tangerro: a person designated to pour drinks.