“The Magic of the Chocolate Tablet”

The most favorite and well-loved food of the sweet-toothed is of course the chocolate. It comes in various flavors, forms and sizes. The very source of this sweet delight comes from the humble makings of cacao or cacao bean.

The cacao bean, when fully dried and fermented can be made into one of the Filipino favorite ingredients: the tableya. First, a kilo of cacao beans is roasted, carefully making it a point not to under cook nor overcook it. A sign that the beans are ready is when the pulp of its beans are starting to wear off.
 
 

After the roasting process, manually remove all the pulp of exposing its reddish-brown color.
 
 
 
 
 

These beans are now ready for grinding machine which end product is a rich and thick chocolate paste.
 
 
 
 
 

This paste can then be molded into desired shapes and sizes, after which, it will be refrigerated for 30 minutes. Refrigeration totally solidifies the molded paste and then it can be placed it into colorful and creative packaging, ready for sale or giveaways.
 
 
 

The tableya can be made into hot and yummy chocolates drinks perfect for a dose of morning energy. It can also be made into a chocolate porridge (champorado) which is perfect with fried dilis.

One’s imagination and cooking prowess can be the limit to using this ingredient. Use it and explore your chocolate-loving palate.

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1. Tableya – Pure Cacao Tablets
2. Bankerohan Public Market Davao City
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Okay, maybe not everyone owns a piggery, but it sure seems that way sometimes. If you don’t, your relatives probably do. There’s a good chance if you’re a foreigner, and have met a girl from the province, that you’ll be asked if you want to buy one, or build one.

I suppose everyone knows what a piggery is but just in case, Merriam-Webster defines a piggery as: a place where swine are kept. So a housed pig farm. Usually with concrete stalls in the Philippines, but configurations may vary. Size depends upon number of pigs, funds to build more stalls, and land to house it all.

From what I’ve read there are two basic ways to run a piggery: buying starter pigs and feeding them to market weight (grow out) & breeding your own (farrow-finish). There are pluses and minuses to both, but if I’m understanding it correctly, more money could be made with breeding your own, eventually. There is a good article on “Starting a Business in Hog/Swine Raising” if you are interested in the nitty gritty.

I have personally funded one piggery so far. I can not tell you if it is still in existence anymore. That would have been over three years ago, and I’m guessing it went the way of many piggeries, the funds from the sell of the pigs or piglets went to something other than the feed that was needed to keep it going.

As with many small family businesses in the Philippines, whether there is a profit depends upon the supervision and accountability implemented. I don’t see owning a small piggery as any real means of personal income, but more as a potential help to friends and family. It doesn’t hurt to have the baboy available for lechon at the next big party either. While I won’t be eating any of that, I know it is a MUST at any important event.

I’m no expert on the running of a piggery, and I doubt that I’ll ever be one. I do suppose that I’ll be involved with one, one way or another, as everyone owns a piggery, right?

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The first time I heard this term was in the inlaws’ balay. I couldn’t understand why there was so much pride in the statement, “we have a dirty kitchen.” I looked around at the the kitchen, and while it was a little messy, I couldn’t use the term “dirty’ to describe it and said as much. That got quite a few laughs. Another misinterpretation by the silly kano.

The dirty kitchen of the Philippines can best be described as an outdoor kitchen, or similar to a built in barbecue. It dates way back (Spanish influence?), and in the provinces it may be the only kitchen they have. At least it is more likely to have the outdoor “dirty kitchen” then the indoor kitchen, if there is just one.

It is difficult to give a specific description of the dirty kitchen, as they come in all shapes, sizes and configurations. Most of the them are wood or coal heated, but that is not true for all. Higher end, more expensive ones, can rival anything you may see in the house. Traditional dirty kitchens were constructed of soil and/or wood. Concrete is common now on the basics ones. Tile is also used, in conjunction with other materials.

Unless you do not have the room, or the funds, I can not see why I wouldn’t want to have a dirty kitchen at my future residence in the Philippines. There are a number of reasons to posess one, but these are my main reasons:

Extra space

The addition of the outside dirty kitchen not only provides additional cooking space, it opens up more room within the house. The additional cooking area is especially useful for large get togethers, and parties. We all know that there will be many relatives and many occasions to celebrate, so this extra space allows for more to get done concurrently, and at the same provides another social area.

Keeping the heat out

It gets hot in the Philippines Okay, you were aware of that. So obviously the less heat that you are adding to the interior of the house, the less you need to try to remove. Most cooked items can be done with the dirty kitchen, alleviating the need to fire up the stove in the house. As electricity is very expensive, this can really help with those bills. Of course you will have to buy the fuel for the dirty kitchen (probably wood for me), but that is an easy trade off in my opinion.

Keep the stink out

There are a lot of strong smelling odors emitted from the various traditional pilipino meals. Fish in particular, the dried variety especially, can be somewhat overwhelming. Given that many of the homes are quite small, and the aircon is often only run in bedrooms, you might be living with those odors for awhile. Being that I don’t eat meat, I’d prefer not to smell that all the time. Don’t get me wrong, I can and will live with it, but if there is an alternative, why not use it?

If I end up having a home built, it will certainly contain plans for a dirty kitchen. If I end up in previously constructed home, I’ll be making plans to add one, if for some reason there isn’t one already. The cost to do so can be as little or as much as you wish to make it.

Photo credit: philippinesorbust.com

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I’ve written previously about the many uses for the amazing coconut. It seems like I learn about another one every couple of months or so. My previous discovery, which was really just news to me and not anyone living in the Philippines, was the benefits of coconut water for replenishment. I’ll tell you, that industry has really taken off here, but that’s another story.

No, this time I come across Coconut Nectar, which is being touted as a low glycemic alternative to Agave Nectar. Agave nectar has gained quite a following lately, also, because of it’s nice combination of sweetness and low glycemic hit. Little did I know of the possible negative aspects of it, as always seems to be the case with anything sounding too good to be true. Honestly I don’t know what people should eat sometimes, as it seems everything has it’s objectors and nay sayers.

I really just started out to see if agave nectar was available in the Philippines. I figured it might be, but hard to find and expensive. That’s when I stumbled upon the coconut nectar, and it’s comparison to agave nectar. Coconut nectar has an even lower glycemic index rating, and according to the information provided is much healthier than agave nectar as it does not result in a high fructose based product.

Health Secrets of Coconut Nectar:
When the coconut tree is tapped, it produces a naturally sweet, nutrient-rich “sap” that exudes from the coconut blossoms. This sap is very low glycemic and contains 17 amino acids, minerals, Vitamin C, broad-spectrum B vitamins, and has a nearly neutral pH.

Small batches ensure that this pure, low glycemic nectar, made from this natural sap, is a raw, enzymatically alive product, minimally evaporated at low temperatures (only to remove excess moisture and allow sap to thicken), never exceeding an average summer day in the tropics.

I found some locally at the nearby health food store. That in itself was amazing to me. I have not tried it yet. It appears that it should be able to be used for the same applications as agave nectar. That’s my plan at least. The upside of all of this, in addition to the possible health benefits, is that I should be able to find this in the Philippines. I know that coconut sugar is available there and this is basically what is used to make that sugar.

The brand I found locally was Raw Coconut Nectar by Coconut Secret. It’s one of the few products I’ve seen here that said, “Product of the Philippines”. It’s 100% pure coconut tree sap, or nectar. It was approximately the same cost as the agave nectar, maybe a bit more. Not really cheap, either one of them.

I may need to search a little but I’m hopeful that I’ll find a source in the Philippines for the coconut nectar, amusing of course that I like. I can’t see why I wouldn’t though.

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1. Coconut Water Natural Electrolytes
2. The Amazing Coconut
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I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore. I could be referring to the economy, politics, life in general, any number of things (that clip from Network is as relevant today as when the movie came out), but in this instance I’m referring to
what seems to be the nonsense that I keep reading over and over again on posts/articles, mainly from expats living in the Philippines. For some reason many seem to enjoy spreading the word that things are not cheaper in the Philippines. I don’t live there, yet, but let me tell you this, in case you are confused – IT IS CHEAPER TO LIVE IN THE PHILIPPINES.

I will give them this, there are some things that can cost more there, but even then, what is their reference? As an example, lots of things in Seattle cost me more than in Spokane, and vice versa for that matter. Overall, Seattle is more expensive to live in than Spokane though, and that is one of the reasons I moved here 20 years. Not the only one, though.

Anyway, back to the Philippines…the idea that I can not seem to get my head around is that if you want to move to the Philippines and live a foreign lifetstyle, you could easily spend as much or more in the Philippines. This includes, I suppose, buying many imported goods and foods, eating out often, probably nicer foreign foods, and generally living beyond your means. Why would anyone move to the Philippines if they want to maintain the exact lifestyle they are currently living? I’m under the impression that you would move there, or anywhere for that matter, because there is something about the place that appeals to you and you want to embrace.

I hear the term, “Live Like a King”, and honestly, I don’t know what that means. That is often the idea that is debunked in these articles. You will not live like a king, and you are not moving to paradise. I feel that is probably good warning for anyone without any prior knowledge of the area, and probably true for any place. If you are planning to move to the Philippines, and never been there, then you are undoubtably in for rude awakening as to what you will encounter. I’m just assuming most people are smart enough to have visited, and at the very least done some research on a place the are expecting to live.

The major expenses, at least for me, are housing, food and possibly healthcare in the future. If you can not find housing, food and healthcare cheaper in the Philippines, you are not trying. If you are living on a fixed income, and can not make it go further in the Philippines, you are not trying. Given most of us will spend what we have, but that can and will go further there, and it doesn’t take a lot of effort to have it do so. I’m sure there are those that can not figure it out, but for most sensible people, it is not difficult at all.

It is possible to live VERY cheaply in the Philippines, if one wants or needs to. Granted most foreigners would have a difficult time living that basic of a lifestyle, but it is possible, whereas here you would be on the street at that level of income. There is plenty of good, cheap food available everywhere, as well as living quarters.

I’ve learned a lot from all the different writers I’ve read. I realize that I have a lot more to learn about living in the Philippines, too. I’ll keep visiting and reading until I can gain the real life experience, and I’m sure that will be much different than I actually imagined, but I DO know that I WILL live cheaper in the Philippines.

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In case you haven’t heard, dark chocolate, or pure cacao, is one of the latest health kicks here in the US. I had began to hear about pure cacao beans and/or nibs prior to my trip to the Philippines late last year. I even purchased some, and have begun adding them to my green smoothies and my hot cereal in the morning. They aren’t sweet, but I like them a lot.

While visiting Davao and Samal Island last year I got to take a trip to Bankerohan Market where we enjoyed the local favorite of sikwate. Sikwate (or sekwate) is a hot drink made from the pure cacao beans. I also picked up some of the cacao tablets for my trip back home. That was my first time to try the hot chocolate drink made of this pure cacao, and it was quite a treat for me.

When I returned home I decided to research the tablets a little further. I even got to the point of trying to import some for resale, but unfortunately I could not find a way to make that work because of the shipping costs, in addition to some other issues I had to deal with.

The tablets I found out are called tabilya, tablea, tabelya, or any variety of spellings. They are all basically the same thing, which is the pure cacao bean that is roasted and then ground into tablets. The tablets can vary in size, and are produced from many different companies. The one that I was looking to import was Dalareich Tableya which is made in Bohol. I look forward to trying it, and bringing some home with me on my trip this year. Dal has been great to deal with, and very helpful in my attempts to figure out whether I could import their tableya.

As I continue to enjoy cacao nibs, I have seen that the countries of origin vary from Venezuela to Ecuador to Peru. I don’t see Philippine cacao beans or nibs as readily available here. As like many things there, I wonder why. It seems that cacao has been grown and used for centuries there, and they are using it throughout the country already. With the current health kick being what it is, it would seem that there would be an opportunity for one of the companies there to enter the market here with that product.

None the less, I find it encouraging that I’ll be able to continue enjoying pure cacao, and probably a lot less expensively, when I visit and then eventually retire there.

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1. Homemade Tableya
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Starbuck’s is coming to Davao, like it or not. So the rumors say. They are planning four locations there, the first being in the new Alaya operated Abreeza Mall, which is due to open early this year. Depending upon your perspective, this could be a good or bad thing.

The are many local Davao coffee shops currently. A surprising amount really. I’ve been to at least four different companies, and to various locations for those companies. They all did an adequate job, and I can’t even tell you what my favorite would be. These are are few that I’ve visited and been happy with:

1. Basti’s Brew
2. Bo’s Coffee Club
3. BluGre Café
4. Figaro

One thing that Starbucks offers that I’ve not found at the shops in Davao is soy milk. I’m not saying none of the shops in Davao offer soy milk as an alternative, but none of the ones I’ve gone to do, nor has anyone I asked been able to tell of a shop that did. Not very popular there, I suppose. There is also the matter of the extra cost, and as espresso drinks are very expensive to the average filipino anyway (to me too, for that matter), that might be another factor.

I think part of the appeal of Starbucks is the known entity that one will encounter. If I’m new to a place, it is a pretty safe bet to stop at a Starbucks and find basically the same items, and receive the level of service. That includes Wi-Fi, which is free at all Starbucks, at least it is in the US now.

Starbucks isn’t the cheapest, but I’ve noticed, when in Manila, that their prices are a little bit better than over here in the US. I don’t recall any of the local Davao establishments being particularly inexpensive either, so I doubt that will be a real factor in ones choice of where to go.

It will be interesting to see how many Starbucks are open, and how they have been received by the time I make my next visit to the area. I suspect that they will be doing very well, and so will all or most of the local companies. Coffee shops seem to be unexpectedly popular in Davao, with no sign of that trend diminishing soon. At least that’s the impression I get when in town.

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One of the surprises I encountered during my visit to Samal Island recently was the Precious Garden of Samal. I had planned to drop by there to try their pizza and coffee, and if schedules were to work out, meet the owner. I’ve had a few online communications with Uli Kronberg prior to this trip to the Philippines, and I knew he was a busy guy. The Samal Island Guidebook is one of his many projects. I was thankful that we were able to catch up with each other and I enjoyed learning more about his many ventures, including this resort that he has been building for his wife.

As I said, I was surprised because I was expecting perhaps a decent pizza or meal, but I wasn’t aware of all that Precious Garden entailed. Not only was the pizza more than decent, it was excellent by any standards, the coffee was also top notch. The pizza is made in a wood fired brick oven and well worth the effort to get there to try it.

What really caught me off guard though was the extent to which the restaurant/coffee house is being transformed into a full resort. They are building a 12 room inn that is mostly completed. I was given a tour of the rooms and I was very impressed by them. They were very new, modern and comfortable. Had I not had arrangements elsewhere, I would have surely been glad to stay there. The rates were very fair, too.

There is also a beach area, that seemed to be under construction to some degree yet. I would not compare to some of the nicer beach areas, but it was more than adequate for a large outing, or a private affair. It will be interesting to see how this develops more in the future, and I understand that is the intent.

I think Precious Garden is a great place for a romantic get-away. With the exclusiveness of the location and the beautiful rooms, not to mention the fantastic food, it is the perfect environment to spend some precious time with the one you love.

They are located at:

Sito Libudan, Brgy. Miranda
Babak District
Island Garden City of Samal
Phone No. 082 303 2818
email:info@samal_island.com

They advertise themselves as such:

• Pizza & Pasta House
• Pinoy Favourites
• European Dishes
• Seminar House
• 12 Room Inn

Give them a try, if just for the food. I think you’ll be impressed. At least I was.

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The FAAIE (Filipino-American Association of the Inland Empire) had their annual Christmas party last night. I attended for the first time in a couple of years, and observed some expected and some unexpected results.

The first observation was that the function started on time. I was late, but I expected that this was at least a mostly Filipino function, so I assumed many late arrivals. Guess I was wrong on that one. It seems it doesn’t take long to pick up some of the US customs, though I know many Americans that have trouble with the time thing, too.

Second observation was the food, and there was no surprise there. It was heavy Filipino fare and typical of every party, and gathering, that I have attended. Only difference here was that it was a potluck, so all the food was prepared ahead of time and brought to the hall.

Entertainment was a mixed bag, but plenty of karaoke style talent show exhibitions, especially from the children. Some of those young kids were fearless. Lots of dance acts, with both Americans and Filipinos taking part. The music was loud, no surprise there.

Conversation consisted of the usual mixture of English, Tagalog and Bisaya. Not much luck for me trying to understand, as it was quick and never pure. I could pick up a word or two of Bisaya here and there, but not as much as I had hoped. This was really very similar to what I experienced recently in Davao, so I guess it’s not much different here. Filipinos still like to speak natively when they get together here.

Lot’s of stories about recent visits to the Philippines, retirement there, and where people were from. A sad story from a lady who’s older husband left her for a 19 year old girl there in the Philippines. Kicker there was he had built a real nice house on the beach, and of course he no longer has any rights to that since they have divorced. Better think twice on that, huh.

It’s surprising how many Filipinos we have in this small community. What’s not surprising is their sense of community. It’s also heartwarming to see the acceptance of both cultures, but I suppose you would expect that at such a gathering. It feels similar to what I experience when in the Philippines, too.

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The largest store on Samal Island has to be the Central Warehouse Club in Penaplata. If you are familiar with the Central Warehouse stores, then you know they are a one stop shopping experience.

They have the department style store, a complete grocery, and an area with the full compliment of household appliances. This particular outlet also had an interesting selection of motorcycles, new and used, in the common area of the warehouse. The whole warehouse is pretty large, and it didn’t seem like a large portion of the space was being utilized.

There is also a smaller Central Warehouse in Babak that is a convenience store. I didn’t visit this particular location, but from the street it looked like your standard fare for that kind of thing. There is also a small convenience store locate in the Phoenix Gas Station, directly off the ferry in Kinawitnon. Those are probably the biggest stores of their kind on the island, with lots of other bakeries, sari-sari store, etc. thrown in for good measure. There are also a lot of specialty stores, such as hardware stores, of which I saw at least three.

Of course you could always head to Davao to find just about anything you would possibly desire. With the numerous malls, and markets, such as the Bankerohan Public Market, you would be hard pressed not to find what you are looking for there. But if you are living on Samal Island, you may not wish to make that trip too often, especially if you are living in one of the more remote areas. That’s why it’s nice to have a Central Warehouse Club on the island.

I wouldn’t have classified the warehouse as busy when I was there. There was no way for me to determine whether that was normal, or just a function of the time of day and week that I visited. None the less, it’s nice to have this option available on the island at this point in time.

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