Category Archives: Philippines

Imelda:The People’s Princess

“Filipinos want beauty. I have to look beautiful so that the poor Filipinos will have a star to look at from their slums.”  ~Imelda Marcos Imelda Marcos, the iconic First Lady of the Philippines for twenty years, with her infamous … Continue reading

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Stream of Consciousness

Earlier this year, back home in Manila, the Metropolitan Museum held a fascinating and unusual exhibition. “Tapas: Spanish Design for Food,” presented by Accion Cultural Espanola, the Instituto Cervantes Manila and the Spanish Embassy, was a display of food, kitchen … Continue reading

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A Tale of Steak and Ceviche

The Smith Butcher & Grill Room has been getting very good reviews by word-of-mouth and on the internet. So, as this month it celebrated its first birthday, we decided we were well overdue for a visit. Smith B&G is an unexpectedly  cavernous … Continue reading

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“Fashion Fantasy”

“Every day is a fashion show and the world is your runway” ~ Chanel Last night I was a super model. OK, well maybe not quite a “super” model, but I didn’t fall off the catwalk, which I consider a … Continue reading

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The Dinner Party

“Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all.”  – Harriet Van Horne,  journalist Since the genesis of shows like Master Chef and the rise of Jamie, Nigella, Gordon and Curtis, who amongst you has … Continue reading

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Highlights of Cebu City

A weekend in Cebu City. A friend’s birthday. A room at The Henry. A table  at Anzani . A Sunday recovery barbecue by the pool in the friend’s garden. A recipe for a super weekend. Our hotel may be a good place to … Continue reading

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Dancing with Dolphins

  Another March, another birthday, and finding I had no great inclination to party, we headed north to Subic instead, where rumour had it there were dolphins to be met. It’s a three-hour drive from Makati – about 120 km north-west … Continue reading

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“My Precious”

Hiding in the shadows of dense Filipino forest – the Aeta of the animal kingdom – a petite, palm-sized primate clings to a branch with padded fingers. The platypus of the Philippines, – shy, elusive, unassuming – with a halo … Continue reading

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Down on the Farm

The sky was clear, with no hint of rain, and a beautiful breeze across the paddocks all day – perfect weather for a picnic… Last weekend, a small group from the Social Welfare Committee of the Asian Development Bank Spouses Association … Continue reading

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A World of Fruit

‘It is not only the taste, or the freshness, but especially the memories, the beliefs, the associations – the whole cultural package – that makes the fruit more than food.”   So says the late, great Doreen Fernandez,  food writer and … Continue reading

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