Good Food & "Out of Stock"

You would think that a McDonalds hamburger would taste the same anyplace in the world, but that isn't the case in the Philippines.  A Mac Burger of any variety tastes just like a JolliBee burger, and although they both claim to be 100% beef, it tastes like it is mostly soy to me.  We ate at TGI Friday's, and they had a real 100% beef hamburger that tasted just like the one in any Friday's in the USA.  To make things even better, they had REAL, rich, yellow cheddar cheese to top off the burger.  It is not wise to tempt fate here, so I bowed to Grace's preference and we ordered the burger "well done," but it wasn't burnt and was still delicious.  One burger was enough food for both of us.  Sbarro also has real cheeses of the correct varieties to make gooey, cheesy, Italian food that tastes delicious.  The spaghetti sauce doesn't taste like it has 2 cups of sugar per serving like "Filipino Style" spaghetti, and doesn't depend on cheapo hot dogs for meat content.  It is difficult to find good herbs and spices in the grocery stores here.  I bought oregano at the market in a nice glass jar, only to find it looked like some roadside weed that had been sprayed with herbicide.  Sbarro has the proper herbs to make Italian sauces the way they should be made.  There are 12 locations in the major malls in Metro Manila, so it is usually possible to get a good cheese fix.  There a couple of franchise meat shops that have better quality beef than the supermarkets, but you pay for the quality.  Many items you think are essential are just not available.  I like to blend onion soup mix into the ground beef for home made hamburgers, but Knorr is the only soup mix available, and the stores don't stock onion or "French Onion" soup mix.

Grace hadn't been to the dentist in 5 years, so she 19 cavities that needed to be filled.  After the dentist got done with the drilling and filling, she got braces put on, and now she is wishing she hadn't asked the dentist about them.   I made potato soup the other day because her mouth was so sore.  I cut the potatoes in really small pieces and boiled the heck out of them before I mixed in the milk and butter.  If I'd stopped there, she would have enjoyed it.  Of course I am not one to skimp on flavor, so I fried some bacon extra crispy, and after I drained off the fat, I crumbled the bacon into the soup.  Even tiny pieces of bacon were hard for her to eat because the wires in back haven't been connected yet and rub the lining of her cheeks raw.  The dentist had to order the size bands she needs, and (of course) they haven't come in yet.  I thought the soup was one of the better things I've cooked, and I ate entirely too much.

One of the most frustrating things about living in Manila is that the inventory and distribution systems don't seem to work very well.  One store here is similar to Radio Shack, and has all the parts to build a computer from the case up, but inevitably, the part I need is "sold out."  Even spending 500 to 1000 pesos in taxi fares and visiting multiple locations will not help most of the time.  This means that if you have a shopping list, you better buy an item if it is available and not wait, because you won't be able to get it all at once.  Fast food places also run out of things routinely.  Sometimes there is only one drink choice because they ran out of the ingredients to make the other drinks.  It is not unusual for the restaurant to have a "new menu item" promotion, but not have one of the ingredients to make the dish.  The bank doesn't want to pay over time to tellers, so usually all but one teller is auditing and reconciling for the day up to 2 hours before closing time and there is a long, long, long line waiting for the one teller still taking care of customers.

Grace told me that the Philippine labor laws call for an 8 hours of work with a one hour lunch break, and that she only worked 5 days a week.  Her days off would rotate with her shift.  Because she was a top sales producer, she could pick her shift, and she usually opted for the graveyard shift so Americans would be awake and on the phone to book hotel reservations.  She had the option to work 4 longer days to get 3 days in a row off.  I think that many businesses, especially small ones, have exemptions from these rules or ways to get around them, because it seems like many people are working more than 8 hour days and more than 5 day weeks.

Grace picked out white gold rings for us.  They are made so that the surface acts like a prism and it appears there are diamonds or CZs around the bands.  The final form we needed to get a marriage license came today, and we will go to Paranaque City Hall on Monday.  There is a 10 day waiting period after the license is issued.  Philippine marriage law seems to be aimed at helping people make thoughtful marriage decisions.  18 is the minimum age for marriage with parental consent, which is required for marriage from 18 to 20.  From 21 to 25, you don't have to get permission, but you do have to provide a form that shows you got your parent's advice.  If the parent advises against marriage, there is a 6 month waiting period before a license can be issued without parental consent.   Pre-marital counseling is required for ages 18-25.  Grace and I are both "grown-ups" so we just have to wait 10 days after the license is issued to have a judge perform the ceremony.