Filipino Food

[craftbeerlover]

Just curious what everybody eats and or avoids.   I have been eating Filipino food for about 34 years now I guess, and I have some favorites and a few that I avoid

Some of my favorite soups are

Sinigang, Tinola, Bulalo, arroz caldo (not sure that is really a soup), chicken macaroni sopas, Chicken Sotanghon, nilagang, Lomi

Lot of tasty filipino soups!!

meals, of course adobo, afritada, calderetta, bicol express, Ginataang tuna (actually anything with coconut milk), Kinilaw

breakfast is where I think filipino foods are really lacking, although I like tortang talong, fried galungoong with eggs and rice, Tinolang Halaan (clam soup with ginger, tomatoes, and sili leaves) eat that also with fried galunggoong.  

Most of all of the above I add patis with sili!!

I am sure there are a lot more.  Over the last many decades I find myself bashing filipino cuisine, because compared to the rest of Asia, I think it is really subpar, having said that, in all fairness, there are actually quite a few filipino foods I really really enjoy.

What I avoid

Most of the breakfast meats...most are sugar coated meat or meat coated sugar.  The non sugar breakfast meats are just biting into lumps of fat and gristle.    not a big fan if sisig as most of the sisig I have eaten was akin to eating that tub of lard your grandmother would keep on the stove for frying.     I am not a big fan of Lechon, I find it severely lacking seasoning.   I can eat dried fish but not a big fan.   I dont eat any of the street foods, for the most part I think the street food sucks, especially when compared to countries like Thailand, Malaysia, Korea and Indonesia.   and of course Filipino Spaghetti

Edited February 2 by craftbeerlover

[hk blues]

2 hours ago, craftbeerlover said:

Just curious what everybody eats and or avoids.   I have been eating Filipino food for about 34 years now I guess, and I have some favorites and a few that I avoid

Some of my favorite soups are

Sinigang, Tinola, Bulalo, arroz caldo (not sure that is really a soup), chicken macaroni sopas, Chicken Sotanghon, nilagang, Lomi

Lot of tasty filipino soups!!

meals, of course adobo, afritada, calderetta, bicol express, Ginataang tuna (actually anything with coconut milk), Kinilaw

breakfast is where I think filipino foods are really lacking, although I like tortang talong, fried galungoong with eggs and rice, Tinolang Halaan (clam soup with ginger, tomatoes, and sili leaves) eat that also with fried galunggoong.  

Most of all of the above I add patis with sili!!

I am sure there are a lot more.  Over the last many decades I find myself bashing filipino cuisine, because compared to the rest of Asia, I think it is really subpar, having said that, in all fairness, there are actually quite a few filipino foods I really really enjoy.

What I avoid

Most of the breakfast meats...most are sugar coated meat or meat coated sugar.  The non sugar breakfast meats are just biting into lumps of fat and gristle.    not a big fan if sisig as most of the sisig I have eaten was akin to eating that tub of lard your grandmother would keep on the stove for frying.     I am not a big fan of Lechon, I find it severely lacking seasoning.   I can eat dried fish but not a big fan.   I dont eat any of the street foods, for the most part I think the street food sucks, especially when compared to countries like Thailand, Malaysia, Korea and Indonesia.   and of course Filipino Spaghetti

Mostly I agree but not so much the lechon - whilst I agree in itself it's a bit lacking in taste but why eat it without a sauce of some kind, as most do here?  

Street food - yep, severely lacking here. 

[JJReyes]

Unfortunately, most Filipino food is processed, similar to the situation in the United States and other countries.  Meat is a deep red because of additives.  Mangos are harvested green and then exposed to chemical fumes to get them to ripen evenly.  Laguna de Bay is the main site for commercial bangus.  Look at the water pollution.  Thousands of fish pens hinder currents and the natural flow of water.  Those beautiful, perfect green vegetables require pesticides, herbicides and chemical fertilizers.  

My favorite Filipino dish is Lugaw which I have for breakfast everyday.  It is also known as Arroz Caldo or Congee in Chinese. 

[scott h]

21 hours ago, craftbeerlover said:

Over the last many decades I find myself bashing filipino cuisine,

There must be a reason that as you travel the world you do not find (many) Filipino restaurants in tourist areas like you do, with Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, Korean, French, Italian, Persian/Mediterranean. Heck, I come from San Diego which has a HUGE Filipino population, they had a Max chicken that went out of business, other than that there was a Jollibees and a couple of mom/pop point point joints, but no restaurants. 

Overall it might be a good thing, I dont overeat here 

21 hours ago, craftbeerlover said:

not a big fan if sisig

Now here I will disagree, I absolutely love SIZZILING Sisig, even though 3 out of ten times I eat it I get the galloping trots. It must be eaten in moderation, there is a reason that the locals call it "heart attack food". 

[Possum]

10 hours ago, scott h said:

Now here I will disagree, I absolutely love SIZZILING Sisig, even though 3 out of ten times I eat it I get the galloping trots. It must be eaten in moderation, there is a reason that the locals call it "heart attack food". 

Agree, I love sisig but only if made the leaner cuts, eliminates the bowel cleaning. My favorite is crispy pata. I have an appetizer blood pressure tablet and then dig in

[MotorSarge]

On 2/2/2024 at 1:14 AM, JJReyes said:

My favorite Filipino dish is Lugaw which I have for breakfast everyday

Me Asawa cooks this when one has an upset stomach.

[Mike J]

I would say my favorite Philippine foods include lechon kawali, but I leave most of the fat on the plate, lumpia, and BBQ skewers.  Also enjoy various deserts including biko and leche flan.   I like ampaw as a snack item.

[JJReyes]

6 hours ago, MotorSarge said:

Me Asawa cooks this when one has an upset stomach.

Lugaw a.k.a. Congee is considered medicinal in Chinese cuisine, possibly because of the large amount of ginger in their version.  In addition to breakfast, it is served to sick children, the elderly and for those with an upset stomach.  Supposedly Lugaw is easy to digest.  

[Old55]

The past 25+ years there has only been one Filipino restaurant in continuous operation in the greater Seattle area. Many open but don't last. Combination of poor service and lack of customers. Without bashing, IMO Filipino food is substandard compared to most other cuisines. 

Many Filipino or Filipino-Spanish dishes are to my liking especially if well prepared with quality ingredients.

Yep, Sisig is great but I also have a reaction to it sometimes. 

[Mike J]

2 hours ago, Old55 said:

The past 25+ years there has only been one Filipino restaurant in continuous operation in the greater Seattle area. Many open but don't last. Combination of poor service and lack of customers. Without bashing, IMO Filipino food is substandard compared to most other cuisines. 

When we lived in Yakima, they would have a 'farmer's market" each Saturday in the downtown area.  There was a family from Wapato that would have a booth serving Filipino food that was quite popular.  If I recall it was a very limited menu, BBQ pork skewers, rice, pancit, maybe adobo?   Wapato has a large Filipino community.  If interested you can read more about the history of how any why the Philippine people came to live in Wapato.  The wife and I were members of the Filipino Community Hall where members would meet each month for food, fellowship, and traditional dances by Filipino youth.  It was an effort to help keep Filipino culture alive for the second and third generation of Filipino youth born and raised in the US. 

URL below with a brief intro from the site if members want to know a bit more.

<snip>Filipino families began farming in the Yakima Valley in 1918. These early immigrants from the Philippines to the United States faced formidable challenges. They were, by law, ineligible for citizenship. The Alien Land Act forbade them owning land and miscegenation laws restricted their right to marry.  The passage of the 1937 Amended Alien Land Act of Washington created  added hardship by portraying naturalized Filipinos as illegal aliens.  At one point, 18 Filipino farmers were arrested for violating the new law.<end snip>

source https://yakimalocalhistory.omeka.net/exhibits/show/filipino/community