Peace Corps Volunteer Vania in the Philippines: There are some tasty dishes in the Philippines



"I really like Escabeche made with tilapia, a sweet and sour dish with ginger. Other tasty dishes include: Lumpiang Shanghai, spring rolls filled with minced pork served with sweet and sour sauce; Leche Flan, a sweet egg custard topped with carmelized sugar; Tilapia Frito, tilapia marinated in soy sauce then fried without batter; and Pork Adobo Pina, pork and pineapples cooked with ginger, soy sauce, sugar and pepper."

Peace Corps Volunteer Vania in the Philippines: There are some tasty dishes in the Philippines

Monday, June 27, 2005
THIS AND THAT

[Excerpt]

Weekends are challenging, because there are so many unscheduled hours. Time just slowly ticks by. I went to Manila on Thursday afternoon to meet another PCV (peace corps volunteer) and vary my routine. Manila's about an hour and ten minutes from my site. To get there, I have to stand in the middle of the street and flag down a large aircon bus. At the PC office, we met another PCV (Chinese American and self proclaimed "ghetto girl" - a hilarious woman) who is scheduled to leave for the US in nine days. She took us to TGI Fridays and we all ended up splitting a room at an inexpensive hostel that night. In the States, I would hardly glance at a Fridays, however, here it's like fine dining. I was so excited about eating American food and having choices. Ater much consideration, I ordered a salad with grilled chicken. I know, really exciting stuff - but I rarely see anything green on my plate these days. We shared hot wings and bleu cheese.

There are some tasty dishes in the Philippines, but most of the ones I really enjoy are for special occassions - fiestas. I really like Escabeche made with tilapia, a sweet and sour dish with ginger. Other tasty dishes include: Lumpiang Shanghai, spring rolls filled with minced pork served with sweet and sour sauce; Leche Flan, a sweet egg custard topped with carmelized sugar; Tilapia Frito, tilapia marinated in soy sauce then fried without batter; and Pork Adobo Pina, pork and pineapples cooked with ginger, soy sauce, sugar and pepper. Most days, I eat fish and rice or rice and fish. The menu may vary to include rice and pork or pork and rice. Rice, as you may know, is eaten three times a day. Most people eat two or three cups of rice (at one sitting) and a little meat. I eat meat and a little rice. I politely decline rice at two of my meals.

Filipinos have incorporated meriendas into their daily schedule of meals. Merienda is a snack that you can enjoy between meals. Most people eat merienda twice daily and others three times - midnight merienda. A sandwich is considered a snack. I should say, anything without rice is not considered a real meal. Rice is eaten with spaghetti or even pizza.

Sugar is popular. Tea and coffee are sweetened before they reach your table. You may find sugar in ranch dressing, butter, mayo, pizza sauce, sliced white bread, tarter sauce in addition to many other things that aren't normally sweetened in the US.

When this story was posted in June 2005, this was on the front page of PCOL:



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American Taboo: A Peace Corps Tragedy Returned Volunteers met with author Philip Weiss in Baltimore on June 18 to discuss the murder of Peace Corps Volunteer Deborah Gardner. Weiss was a member of a panel that included three psychiatrists and a criminal attorney. Meanwhile, the Seattle U.S. Attorney's office announced that Dennis Priven cannot be retried for the murder. "We do not believe this case can be prosecuted by anyone, not only us, but in any other jurisdiction in the United States." Read background on the case here.

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June 16, 2005: Special Events Philip Weiss, PCV murder writer, speaks in Baltimore June 18 "Rainforests and Refugees" showing in Portland, Maine until June 25 "Iowa in Ghana" on exhibit in Waterloo through June 30 NPCA to hold Virtual Leaders Forum on July 29 RPCV's "Taking the Early Bus" at Cal State until Aug 15 "Artists and Patrons in Traditional African Cultures" in NY thru Sept 30 RPCVs: Post your stories or press releases here for inclusion next week.

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June 14: Peace Corps suspends Haiti program After Uzbekistan, the Peace Corps has announced the suspension of a second program this month - this time in Haiti. Background: The suspension comes after a US Embassy warning, a request from Tom Lantos' office, and the program suspension last year. For the record: PCOL supports Peace Corps' decision to suspend the two programs and commends the agency for the efficient way PCVs were evacuated safely. Our only concern now is with the placement of evacuated PCVs and the support they receive after interrupted service.

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June 6: PC suspends Uzbekistan program Peace Corps has announced that it is suspending the Uzbekistan program after the visas of 52 Peace Corps volunteers who arrived in January were not renewed. The suspension comes after a State Department warning that terrorist groups may be planning attacks in Uzbekistan and after the killings in Andizhan earlier in May. Background: PCOL published a report on April 23 that Peace Corps volunteers who arrived in January were having visa difficulties and reported on safety and visa issues in Uzbekistan as they developed.

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June 6, 2005: This Week's Top Stories Kinky Friedman will "sign anything except bad legislation" 6 Jun Niels Marquardt Makes Chimpanzee Protection a Priority 6 Jun Laurence Leamer needs approval for "Today" appearance 6 Jun Desperate Housewives' Ricardo Chavira is son of RPCVs 6 Jun Anthony Sandberg runs Berkeley sailing school 5 Jun Amy Smith field-tests sugarcane charcoal 5 Jun Mary Johnson organizes workshop on genocide 3 Jun Jonathan Lash in 100 most Influential Business Leaders 3 Jun Hastert jump-starts Chris Shays' Campaign 3 Jun John Coyne says 41 RPCVs applied for scholarships 3 Jun James Rupert writes on bombing in Kandahar mosque 1 Jun John McCain says to expand opportunities for service 1 Jun Jay Rockefeller's relationships with Japanese go way back 1 Jun Anat Shenker met her husband during service in Honduras 31 May Ryan Clancy punished without hearing for visiting Iraq 30 May Melissa Mosvick remembered as a fallen American hero 29 May Kurt Carlson played basketball against Togo's national team 29 May Helen Thomas's favorite president remains JFK 24 May

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