Kape at Pandesal

Kape and pandesal are part of the life of most of our fellow kababayan. I must admit, when I was young, its part of my daily breakfast. We woke up early in the morning just to wait for the street vendor selling pandesal. They have this 'pot-pot' sound that you can hear even when they are far, thus alerting us that they are coming. Truly a Filipino tradition....

Saktong hilig nyo, saktong pinoy!

Balut

A balut is a fertilized duck (or chicken) egg with a nearly-developed embryo inside that is boiled and eaten in the shell. It is popularly believed to be an aphrodisiac and considered a high-protein, hearty snack, balut are mostly sold by street vendors at night in the regions where they are available. They are often served with beer. Balut are most often eaten with a pinch of salt, though some balut-eaters prefer chili and vinegar to complement their egg. The eggs are savored for their balance of textures and flavors; the broth surrounding the embryo is sipped from the egg before the shell is peeled and the yolk and young chick inside can be eaten. All of the contents of the egg are consumed, although the whites may remain uneaten.

Balut is a primary industry in Pateros where residents raise ducks for a living. In return, they produce lots of eggs for balut industry.

This is one Pinoy delicacy that we should be proud. Saan man tayo mapunta, hahanap-hanapin natin ito.

Saktong hilig nyo, saktong pinoy!

Halo-halo

Halo-halo (from Tagalog word halo, "mix") is a popular Filipino dessert that is a mixture of shaved ice and milk to which are added various boiled sweet beans and fruits, and served cold in a tall glass or bowl.

There is no specific recipe for this dessert, and a wide variety of ingredients are used. The order in which the ingredients are added varies widely. Primary ingredients generally include boiled red mung beans, kidney beans, garbanzos, sugar palm fruit (kaong), coconut sport (macapuno), and plantains caramelized in sugar. Other components may include jackfruit (langka), star apple, tapioca or sago, nata de coco, purple yam (ube) or sweet potato (kamote), sweetened corn kernels or pounded crushed young rice (pinipig), leche flan or custard, ice cream and gelatin. Other fruits, such as papayas, avocados, kiwifruit, bananas or cherries, may also be added. Some preparations also include ice cream on top of the halo-halo.

Generally, condensed milk or evaporated milk is used instead of fresh milk, due to the tropical climate of the Philippines.

In terms of arrangement, most of the ingredients (fruits, beans, and other sweets) are first placed inside the tall glass, followed by the shaved ice. This is then sprinkled with sugar, and topped with either (or a combination of) leche flan, ube halaya, or ice cream. Condensed milk is poured into the mixture upon serving.

The dessert exemplifies the "east-meets-west" culture of the Filipinos, with the ingredients used coming from a wide variety of influences (to cite some examples: red mung beans which are from the Chinese, garbanzos from the Indian, leche flan from the Spanish, and shaved ice itself which was introduced to the islands by the Americans).

Oh ano...kain na...halina sa Chowking!

Saktong hilig nyo, saktong pinoy!

Common Pinoy Name

As a Filipino youth, we grew up with a nickname that most of our family and friends are calling us. These are names that when we grow into adolescense, we are ashamed of using...hehehe. Like the above example on the video, we often used names like BEK-BEK for maybe Rebecka, MIK-MIK for Mike, LEN-LEN for Lenny or many other names that we can think of.

This is truly a Filipino tradition....

Saktong hilig nyo, saktong pinoy!