Excuse me for taking so long to post Part 2 of the Expat Guide to Living in Iloilo City. My excuse is… I have no excuse other than the fact that there are people to meet, things to see, and obligations to fulfill. After all, Iloilo City is a vibrant city with many great eye candies. What can I say, I love Iloilo.

Before I tell you about the many great distractions here in Iloilo City, allow me to introduce you to Ebon L. Thea, Sheryl (more on Sheryl and her husband Patrick in my future blog) and I met him last week. Ebon L. is a professional poker player from Kansas. He moved (yes, moved) to Iloilo City because he can earn more here than in Kansas. I wish I could reveal his poker secrets, but I took a vow of secrecy. But, trust me, they are great secrets. Let’s just say that I would hate to be the ones playing poker against Ebon.

Now, on to the many great distractions in Iloilo City. I’m going to focus on food, drinks and entertainment this time.
Read more »

I’ve been living in Iloilo City, Philippines with my wife, who was born and raised in Iloilo City (an Ilongga from Mandurriao), and son, who was born in Manila, since April of this year.

My first trip to Iloilo City was in February of 2007. We decided to move to Iloilo City to spend more time with our family members prior to us going to California later this year. Prior to moving to Iloilo City, we spent a year living in Makati, Manila. Prior to that I was living in California, New York and Virginia. Before immigrating to the United States, I was living in Cambodia — actually, I was born and raised in Cambodia. So, geographically, I’ve come full circle — Southeast Asia to North America back to Southeast Asia.

Having lived most of my life in the United States, I took convenience for granted. When I wanted cheap clothes I would head to Wal-Mart or Target or Kohl’s. For groceries, I would go to Safeway or Ralph’s (there’s also a Ralph’s here in Iloilo but it’s actually a liquor store and not a grocery store). For a quick bite to eat, I had my choices of McDonald’s, KFC, Burger King, etc. And, for a whole lot of everything, I always ended up at Costco. Read more »

Have you ever tried a Mojito? A few days ago, Thea found the recipe for a Mojito. So, off we went to SM Supermarket. All the ingredients were readily available. In all, we did not spend more than 200 pesos or about $5 US. When we got home, I was charged with making it. Here’s the recipe:

* juice from 1/2 lemon
* 1-2 slices of lime
* 2 tbs of brown sugar
* 1 jigger (what’s a jigger?) of Rum (Tanduay White Rum will do)
* some mint leaves
* generous amount of ice

Shake, pour, drink. My first concoction of Mojito was way too strong. I think the mistake was in my interpretation of “a jigger of Rum.” What’s a jigger, anyway? I just assumed that the word “jigger” meant “a lot.” So, without a care in the world, I just pour a lot of Rum into my first batch of Mojito. Though super strong, we both drank it! The second and the third and the… batches were delicious. Mojito is now at the top of our list of mixed drinks. Don’t believe us? Give it a try and let us know how you like it. Excuse me while I go make some Mojito. Chao.

Recipe of the day:

2 cups unsalted chicken broth — defatted
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons pickling spice
1/2 Red bell pepper — sliced
1 pound Boneless chicken breast — halves
1/2 Yellow bell pepper — sliced
2 tablespoons Minced jalapeno chili with — seeds
1 Onion, halved — thinly sliced
1/3 cup Rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup Fresh cilantro leaves
3 large Garlic cloves — minced
baked (no oil) tortilla chips

Boil broth and pickling spice in heavy large saucepan ten minutes. Strain and return liquid to saucepan. Add chicken, onion, vinegar, garlic, oil and cumin to pan. Simmer over very low heat until chicken is just cooked through, about ten minutes. Transfer chicken and onions to shallow dish. Top with bell peppers and minced chilli. Boil cooking liquid until reduced to 2/3 c, about ten minutes. Pour liquid over chicken and let cool 30 minutes. Add cilantro to chicken mixture. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, turning chicken occasionally, about 4 hours (can be prepared one day ahead). Slice chicken and
transfer to plates. Top with marinated vegetables and some of the juices. Pass tortilla chips to use as “pushers.” .

Makes 6 servings

Bon appetit!