just a quick jaunt to the philippines - what with it being the only christian nation in asia, and with christmas around the corner - it seemed like a good idea. and the kids found the pictures of the jeepneys quite cute....
... but...
the juxtaposition of Asia the Beautiful Cookbook (with it's numerous recipes for chicken, beef & sweets among the descriptions of the 'fun-loving filipino' enjoying a good time, and good wine) with the hard truths of Families of the World (living hand to mouth - having to purchase water in order to bathe or cook, going in to debt just to plant crops... 70% of the people in Manila live below the poverty line, in filthy slums) meant that we had a hard time reading the 'cheerful' descriptions of filipino culture.
although we had originally considered making a filipino meal, knowing that the ingredients would be beyond most filipino families' budget - they are lucky if they get to eat duck eggs and rice - we decided to give it a pass.
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