Mabuhay From the Philippines: First Post

At the time of this writing, my website is still under construction, so by the time you read this post I’ll be back in the USA. I wanted to kick off this blog though writing from my second home: The Philippines.

Mabuhay! The traditional greeting of the philippines translating 'Live Long!' but is used as a phrase for "Welcome!"

So who is this dude? Just another ADHD millennial having a bit of a third-of-life crisis and starting a blog (you know how it is). Mainly I just needed somewhere to lay out my ADHD rants so my poor wife doesn’t have to keep hearing it.

That’s partly why we’re here in the Philippines. After the great lockdown of 2020, I started working from home, and my wife’s been stuck with my shenanigans 24/7. It was only fair we returned home to see the family in recompense.

It’s her first time back in a few years, and thanks to the crazy cost of airline prices it’s been a little longer for me. It’s great to see everyone, but I also really missed the food.

Filipino Food: The Underrated Gem

Filipino cuisine is seriously overlooked in the West. Sure, there are some dishes that might seem… adventurous for Western tastes.

Let's be honest, though, every culture has those. Think about it - there’s plenty of “weird” Chinese, Vietnamese, and Korean food that most westerners never hear about and don’t come to mind when thinking about those cuisines.

That said, Filipino food is packed with absolute bangers - adobo, pancit, chorizo/longanisa, bistek, lechon, incredible baked goods… chef’s kiss! If they got the right marketing, they’d blow up in the West.

It's Coffee Time

Here’s a discussion that gets less airtime: Filipino coffee. Most of the coffee discussion in the Philippines is dealing with instant 3-in-1 coffee, but that’s not what I’m about. If you know where to look, there are some amazing coffee adventures to be had.

The most common coffee crop in the Philippines is Robusta which is used to fuel the demand for instant coffee, but there is way more to be found. For example, in the mountains of Mindanao high-grade arabica beans can be found. The tropical climate and high elevation leads to sweeter beans that rival the best that more popular coffee countries have to offer.

The real treasure, though, is the Philippines’ liberica coffee beans, traditionally known for use in nationally acclaimed “Kapeng Barako” (strong coffee). The liberica fruit has a much higher sugar content than arabica or robusta, and this gives flexibility in depending how it’s roasted it can have a stronger and more bitter flavor (barako) or it can have a sweeter, fruitier flavor than many arabica beans can.

And hey, we can’t talk about liberica fruit without mentioning civets, or luwaks as they’re called in the Philippines. These weird cat-lemur things live off of coffee fruit. There’s a local delicacy throughout the Philippines and Indonesia known as ‘kopi luwak’ or ‘civet coffee’, which is coffee beans extracted from their… um… droppings.

Sounds gross, but hear me out. This idea is popularized because the civets instinctively eat the sweetest and ripest coffee fruit, meaning they’re naturally picking the best beans from the trees. Their digestion process preserves the beans while they’re at their ripest. The beans are washed and then roasted which gets rid of any unsavory bits, so you’re not really drinking… well, you know.

I’ll admit, I haven’t tried the civet coffee yet, so I can’t vouch for the flavor or whether it meets the hype. I do have it as a ‘must try’ on my next visit!

More Than Just Good Eats

Obviously, this trip has been more than just food and coffee, but I’m passionate about those things. This post is more of a ‘hello’. I’ll dive deeper into coffee, Filipino cuisine, my travels, and more in later posts.

I’m a photographer, philosopher, and foody with an incurable penchant for sarcasm (thanks, ADHD). This blog is where I’ll mix those things together like some ice cold halo-halo. Maybe we’ll build a community, maybe this will just be a way to save my wife’s ears. Either way, it’s going to be fun.

My Philippine adventure is ending, but a new one is just getting started. I’m excited to share my journeys and experiences with y’all, talking your ears off, and hopefully sharing some new perspectives.

Here’s to new journeys and bright horizons!