FOOD of the PHILIPPINES

 Food is an important part of human life. Everyone has different tastes in food. This is why there are many kinds of food and processed food in the world.

So, in this section I will share my story about the food in the Philippines while staying here as Exchange Student.

The Philippines has a variety of foods from processed vegetables, chicken, meat, fruits, and so on. Most Filipino foods have sour and salty flavour. When compared to Indonesia, they have food that tends to be spicy, sweet, and savory.

I find it very difficult to adapt to Filipino food. But, I have a favourite food in the Philippines which is ''broccoli beef'' I love broccoli beef because it has a taste that is almost similar to Indonesian food which is sweet and savoury. During my time in the Philippines, I rarely found spicy and sweet food.

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The Philippines is a predominantly Catholic country, so for Muslims who want to come to the Philippines, you have to be careful about what you want to eat because Filipino food tends to use processed pork. Luckily, my teacher at NEUST always gave me food with non-pork preparations such as chicken, beef or mutton, vegetables and others.

The first food that was given to me while in the Philippines was Tinola, Tinola is a chicken-based soup usually served as a main dish with white rice. The ingredients of Tinola includes: chicken, young papaya, chilli leaves, siling labuyo in a broth flavoured with ginger, onions, and fish sauce. Tinola has a sour and salty flavour.

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Next up is Chiken Adobo or Beef Adobo. It is a favourite of Filipinos as many people have advised me to eat it because they think it is one of the most delicious foods. Upong researching, it stated that Adobo is a type of cooking method in Filipino cuisine produced by marinating meat, seafood or vegetables in a liquid made from a mixture of vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic, then sautéed in oil and cooked in the liquid sauce. It tends to have a salty flavour. Therefore, when the first time I ate this food I was a little shocked because I thought it was too salty hahaha but with time I got used eating this famous and delicious food.

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And, in terms of dessert the teachers gave us MAJA BLANCA. Maja is a dessert that originated in the Philippines. Maja has a pudding-like texture but it has a sweet and savoury taste. The main ingredient of maja is corn.

Besides Maja Blanca, I tried Halo-halo, it is a mixed ice from the Philippines. After shaving, the ice is served in a bowl or tall glass with a variety of fillings, including: kolang-kaling, banana, nata de coco, kopyor coconut, Chinese henna, and sweet cooked nuts and tubers. When already mixed the ingredients with ice in a bowl or tall grass, it is ready to serve, eat, and feel the cold of this dessert.

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To sum it up, the food experienced in the Philippines is good and I would recommend this not only for my fellow Indonesians, but to the whole citizen of the world. It is indeed true that when you love the country, you will be able to used on their taste, cuisines, and specifically with their foods. Philippines is not only rich with a breathe taking sceneries, aside from that Filipinos are also rich with their delicacies.