Category Archives: Philippines

Farewell Tea

Posted on 26 May 2013 by sheg4184

The bane of expat life is the constant ebb and flow of friends. Every year, about this time, I start deleting names from my cellphone, as a clutch of my old mates disperse to new postings, and the talk revolves … Continue reading →

Posted in Food & Wine, Lifestyle, Philippines | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Farewell Tea

Memories of Manila (1)

Posted on 19 May 2013 by sheg4184

Jennifer Gordon-Russell, a.k.a. Jenny Wallum, first arrived in the Philippines in the early 80s with her economist husband Peter Wallum and younger daughter. These were the years of martial law and the Marcos’s sovereignty; the days when traffic was light … Continue reading →

Posted in Local Culture, Philippines | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Memories of Manila (1)

La Cocina de Tita Moning: Stepping Back in Time

Posted on 11 May 2013 by sheg4184

In the San Miguel District of Manila, once Manila’s most elegant district,  and just around the corner from Malacanang Palace, Lory Vi Valdes had a childhood brimming with family, where aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents lived in a row of … Continue reading →

Posted in Food & Wine, Philippines | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on La Cocina de Tita Moning: Stepping Back in Time

The Inn at Cliffhouse: a romantic escape

Posted on 6 May 2013 by sheg4184

The Inn at Cliffhouse: a secret destination in Tagaytay – so secret we drove past it three times. That’s the way owner Jennifer Dee likes it: discreetly tucked away behind an unassuming entrance just off the General Emilio Aguinaldo Highway. … Continue reading →

Posted in Philippines, Travel | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on The Inn at Cliffhouse: a romantic escape

Home Help: a challenge and a joy

Posted on 30 April 2013 by sheg4184

As an Australian, the concept of household staff is a foreign one, and I constantly find myself bewildered by the presence in my life of a full-time driver and a part-time maid or ‘helper’ and all the unwritten rules and … Continue reading →

Posted in Lifestyle, Local Culture, Philippines | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Home Help: a challenge and a joy

Cooking with Frieda

Posted on 25 April 2013 by sheg4184

Since I arrived in the Philippines almost two and a half years ago, finding someone to teach me Filipino cooking has been like an endless game of hunt-the-thimble, but I have finally found the treasure: an everyday Filipino cooking class … Continue reading →

Posted in Cooking, Philippines | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Cooking with Frieda

“How’s the serenity?”

Posted on 20 April 2013 by sheg4184

‘I tune into the wind and to the sea and I begin to breathe more easily…’ The wind-ruffled water laps against the pylons, the thatch rustles, the coloured flags slaps the flag poles as I sit on the deck of … Continue reading →

Posted in Food & Wine, Philippines, Travel | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Grace Park: Just Around the Corner

Posted on 16 April 2013 by sheg4184

Margarita (Gaita) Forés has joined the organic craze, opening Grace Park just last month at One Rockwell, a tiny paddock-to-plate restaurant with an Italian flavour. It is named after her grandmother’s home in Caloocan, apparently the inspiration for her farmhouse … Continue reading →

Posted in Food & Wine, Philippines | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Ethical Entrepreneurs

Posted on 10 April 2013 by sheg4184

 ‘Eating is, or should be, one of life’s great pleasures,’ says food writer Angela Crocombe.  Filipinos agree. In the Philippines, eating is a communal, convivial pastime. In the provinces, regional cuisines have been influenced by hundreds of years of Chinese, … Continue reading →

Posted in Food & Wine, Philippines | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Ethical Entrepreneurs

A Heated Moment

Posted on 5 April 2013 by sheg4184

Have you ever seen one of these? They come in a variety of colours, the most common of which are orange and red, but yellow and purple, pink, white and brown [chocolate!] are also available.  Sitting innocently on the supermarket … Continue reading →

Posted in Food & Wine, Philippines | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on A Heated Moment