Things you found strange about the Philippines

[Derbo/Yamkins 4]

I am comparing bulk buying to that of America, cases of canned goods, cases of water, etc. Those I could not find..... Gallons yes. but that is not "bulk" items.

(Yamy replying)

We do have those in the Philippines but maybe in the particular area where your fiancee lives, they don't. Wholesale stores (or those that really sell bulk) like Puregold Duty Free, Makro or Uniwide are found usually in business districts. Although, most malls do offer bulk. It's just not wise to buy those there.

Being Filipina, I still find those that you mentioned "new" or surprising for me.

If you're going with Gretchen to her medical exam or embassy interview, you could explore the metro together. I suggest Makati (nearer to NAIA) and Fort Bonifacio in Taguig if you would like to see places that are different from what she's used to. It would be nice for her to see these places in the Philippines before she leaves for the US. It would be fun.

I guess it is safe to say that the Philippines is just as diverse as people are saying the US is (or any other country, for that matter).

[~happyndinlove~ 540]

I am comparing bulk buying to that of America, cases of canned goods, cases of water, etc. Those I could not find..... Gallons yes. but that is not "bulk" items.

Where did I state that "gallons" and "bulk" are the same?

FYI, we often purchased items in "bulk". Cases of canned goods are available. We had a 5 gallon purified water dispenser that was delivered to our house, routinely. And FYI (again), they also had cases of water that you can buy. There are also frozen food items even at the Gaisano Mall. At least in our location.

These items are obviously not available at your fiancee's area but it is in a bigger places. Your exposure to the bigger and different stores is obviously limited.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Where did I state that "gallons" and "bulk" are the same?

FYI, we often purchased items in "bulk". Cases of canned goods are available. We had a 5 gallon purified water dispenser that was delivered to our house, routinely. And FYI (again), they also had cases of water that you can buy. There are also frozen food items even at the Gaisano Mall. At least in our location.

These items are obviously not available at your fiancee's area but it is in a bigger places. Your exposure to the bigger and different stores is obviously limited.

Maybe he is used to shopping at Costco.

[A and T 82]

The milk in the Philippines taste terrible, its like even the carton of milk is bad. I think it is all condensed milk and not real/fresh milk ? Anything I try to bake with it, taste terrible, its off color and doesn't expire fast enough to be real milk.

So the Philippines is missing on decent tasting deserts due to nasty milk

[~happyndinlove~ 540]

The milk in the Philippines taste terrible, its like even the carton of milk is bad. I think it is all condensed milk and not real/fresh milk ? Anything I try to bake with it, taste terrible, its off color and doesn't expire fast enough to be real milk.

So the Philippines is missing on decent tasting deserts due to nasty milk

Perhaps it is your baking that is terrible. Not the milk. I find American milk flavorless. The fat free milk tastes horrible. It's a mixture of water and chalk powder.

Dessert in the Philippines rock! You must have been eating at the wrong places and missing the "decent" desserts.

Edited August 2, 2011 by ~happyndinlove~

[David & Kezia 25]

Confussion about flip flop etiquett, they all seem to take off their flip flops when they come in the house but they want me to wear mine in the house.

Judy was primarily in charge of making sure I had my slippers on but once when getting out of bed I told her "just relax" I don't need slippers just to

walk into the kitchen. As soon as I step into the main room, one of her cousins notices I don't have my slippers on and rushes to get me some.

People remove their footwear (shoes or flip flops) before they enter the house because it usually carries dust, sediments and mud from outside, and we should not be carrying that into the house, especially if you are visiting, because it would be a lot of trouble for the host/hostess to clean it up afterwards (especially if it is mud). Homeowners take pride on having a clean floor (even shining, squeaky clean, or so dust free that if you walk on them your bare foot wouldn't pick up anything), and parents especially would tend to dust the floor every few hours or pressure the kids into doing so, and walk on it barefoot afterwards to check if we did a good job.

However, first-time guests or VIPs (like who you probably are to them) are exempted from this rule, and the rule is now for you to ALWAYS have footwear on, so that your bare feet wouldn't feel the dust and whatever sediments are on the floor (or maybe it's a wet or muddy floor for those who doesn't have "floors"). That is why people are so embarrassed when they see you barefoot and they rush to get you some flip flops (or "tsinelas" as we call them).

The best compromise really is to have at least two sets of footwear, one exclusively for wearing inside the inside the house, and the rest is for outdoor use. However, if the host can't provide guest slippers (and most don't), guests really just have to take their footwear off and walk barefoot. As for the rest of the household, they either don't have enough money to get an extra footwear (house slipper) or too lazy to switch them everytime they go in and out of the house. (I'm still training my husband on the latter.)

:-)

Kezia

[actob99 156]

Tuba in the morning for breakfast, Emperador Light bottles passed around for lunch and cases of Red horse with Yallo in the evening. TAGAY!!!!! Damm I love the province!!!!

Single-serving purchases at the sari sari when you know you will need the same the next day and have a couple thou peso's in your pocket..

Killing a pig province style is ok, but you killing a deer with a single shot of a rifle and killing it dead instantly is inhumane. Damm I love the province!!

The amount of gossip that can be thrown around in one sitting.

Crab Mentality of the Phils.... Just as one crab is about ready to crawl out of the bucket, the rest of the crabs pull it back in...

Beautiful beach, amazing sunset, a bottle of beer, bucket of yallo and my mahal sitting next to me. Doesn't get any better than that!

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Magic Mic. That was close to a deal breaker right there!

[Cazwik 11]

Balut and fish paste that has an odor powerful enough to suppress life everywhere it drifts.

I m sorry but Durion had to be the most horrific smell I have ever come across , man if they droppd a few hundred of those on a state , World Domination.

[Cazwik 11]

A few things stuck out , but I loved the Philippines. The place I visited was poor, but everyone there was happy and content with their life. They didn't want more. When I would take Jovie's family out to eat ,you can tell they really enjoyed it , When we went to blue jazz in Samal , We got a nice room and I remember how happy her parents were to sleep in a tent on the beach. I didn't kick them out or anything thats what they wanted to do I kinda felt stupid because now me and Jovie had this big room and I thought maybe to others it looked like I kicked them out of the mansion . I loved the kids there. They played outside and roasted in the sun happily "Tumbling" .They would follow me everywhere. I remember buying them all some cola from the little stand and they would drink it as fast as they could to hear themselves burp.the deemed themselves my body guards. The most surprising to me is there was a big storm one night. Wind blowing , rain pouring , It was crazy. A tree fell and smashed the house down that was RIGHT behind Jovie's parents, and thank god the little boy who lived there wasn't in his room sleeping, because it was smashed. I remember looking up as I was helping get the water out of the porch( I guess you would call it a porch....) Area , and I saw a freaking roof flying down the road. I remember thinking ... what have I got myself into now... But the crazy part to me , was after the storm how all the fils got together at the end , and laughed about it , counted their blessings , and the next morning they were helping each other put back together the damages. I mean I don't know about you guys that my trip really changed my outlook on alot of things in life.

[adiiann 163]

I had such a good time reading the other thread about what your fiancee / wife thought about life in the States, that I decided to turn it around a little bit.

When you or your spouse first visited in the Philippines, what was most shocking to them? Here is our list!

-Security guards armed with shotguns and automatic rifles. Checkpoints before entering malls, even cities. - this is not so strange since there's places here in US that has security guards

-Toilet paper must be purchased in public restrooms, and absolutely NOT flushed. - Not sure where is this place, but growing up in Manila, never had to buy toilet paper in public restroom, so I find this strange

-Traffic is chaotic and disorderly. It takes hours just to drive a short distance. - Same case here in most major city, better to walk than riding because of traffic that's why whenever we go in the city, we parked and walk to our destinations

-Spoons are the most common utensil. Even for cutting! - This is strange, really, as far as I know we both use spoon and fork, except for knife because most Filipino dishes doesn't need knife to consume

-Large fences and walls everywhere. Not common to see parks or open grassy areas. - It is equivalent of home security, not strange at all 'coz there are places like that here too

-Stray dogs and chickens wander everywhere! - Stray dog, yes but stray chicken, not sure of that.

-Churches are always full no matter what time of day. - Just Sunday and special days, try the week days in morning when there's mass, mostly you could see old ladies

-Medicine can be bought without a prescription. - Only certain medicines that use for basic medical illness which here you can also get without prescription

-Beautiful skyscrapers RIGHT next door to dumping grounds. - Haha! This is strange

-Power lines are a tangled mess... even in urban areas. - this is not so strange since there are more far worst country

I'm talking about Manila and my hometown province in Visayas. So not sure what part of the Philippines that OP talked about.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

I'm talking about Manila and my hometown province in Visayas. So not sure what part of the Philippines that OP talked about.

I did see one pay toilet in Manila -- It was down along the bay where you take the hydroplane out to Corregidor. They charged you so many PP to use the restroom; TP, soap, and paper towels were all extra. You bought those from a concession outside the restroom.

[southcalhog 43]

I'm talking about Manila and my hometown province in Visayas. So not sure what part of the Philippines that OP talked about.

I had to pay also at some places in Manila to go to CR, one place outside SM Mega mall. In Borocay, which i guess is expected cause they thrive on tourists Visiting the area, in Baguiao City and Cebu. it was common to me to ask to pay.at first it was shock but after awhile got used to it!

Edited January 22, 2012 by southcalhog

[adiiann 163]

I did see one pay toilet in Manila -- It was down along the bay where you take the hydroplane out to Corregidor. They charged you so many PP to use the restroom; TP, soap, and paper towels were all extra. You bought those from a concession outside the restroom.

There are paid restrooms in Manila, one example I know is in Gateway Mall (Cubao, QC) but no extra charge for using toilet papers, hand soap, hand lotion and powder.

But base on the place you described, not a common public area in Manila, so it makes that they charged everything since they know that most people going there are tourist.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

There are paid restrooms in Manila, one example I know is in Gateway Mall (Cubao, QC) but no extra charge for using toilet papers, hand soap, hand lotion and powder.

But base on the place you described, not a common public area in Manila, so it makes that they charged everything since they know that most people going there are tourist.

Yeah, the facilities were out in the parking area, away from the buildings and shoreline businesses. It was the public restroom. It was clean, though. That is saying something for a public area in the Philippines, well, at least Manila. One of the first things the wife noticed about the US, especially the area that I live in, is how clean the place is, and well maintained.