Cebuano Cuisine

The love for food can bring you to a journey of endless possibilities. Delicious food is a matter of personal choice and preference. However, the adventurous kind often discovers more than the usual new tastes and flavours of food, but also learns to appreciate the new cultures and ways of life of where the food was lovingly prepared.

Travel and food go hand in hand in many ways. When you travel to new places, there is the same exploration for the locals’ delicacies and food staples. Discovering new food is indeed like finding a secret treasure you are bound to share because of its goodness. Travelling brings that wonderful excitement, as food adventures offer the same warm and exhilarating feel.

Food prepared in the islands are often embraced by many tourists especially those living in the mainland. The food preparation alone for island foods is an extraordinary treat and a unique experience. The flavourful and tingling aroma of unusual mixes of herbs and spices leave the tourist or any local wanting to devour any well-prepared dish cooked in the islands.

If there is one industry that best exemplifies the humour and the ingenuity of the Cebuanos, it is its music industry. The music scene of Cebu has seen many stars that have achieved national acclaim. Today, the industry is filled with various artists, from those with nationwide stardom to those indie bands who play gigs here and there. Various genres have dominated the Cebuano music culture. The ballads of earlier decades featured instrumentals and songs with very slow tempos and prolonged notes. Lively beats soon came along. Aside from the universal theme of courtship and love, folk stories and beliefs were also common themes in these songs. Some examples of these are the songs “Matud Nila,” “Usahay” and “Si Filemon.” The last song is a folk song that hits the hard reality of a fisherman’s meagre earnings, but it is sung in a happy tune, with a funny ending.

Novelty songs also became popular in Cebu, especially with the career of Max Surban, the “King of Visayan Music.” His comical, sometimes intentionally nonsensical, songs with catchy tunes captured the masses. Aside from their humorous and upbeat appeal, these songs put a whimsical spin on the everyday lives of the common, ordinary Cebuano.Today, another wave of Cebuano music has gained popularity: “Bisrock,” which is a combination of the words “Bisaya” and “rock.” It is a genre of rock songs that use the Cebuano language. The band “Missing Filemon” led the mass popularity of the songs. There are also Cebuano musicians who sing in English and in Filipino (the official Philippine language). Many of these have stepped into the nationwide limelight and have even produced music videos.

The Filipino jeepney is called “the king of the road.” One wonders if it is because of the jeepneys’ immense number, their loud colours, their catchy designs or the drivers’ penchant for ruling the lanes – and breaking road rules. To many citizens, it is one of the most affordable means of transportation. To jeepney owners, they are mobile canvases for creativity. For their manufacturers and operators, they are a source of livelihood. In Cebu, the minimum jeepney fare is 6.50 Philippine pesos (as of early August 2009). The rate increases for long distances until the jeepney reaches the end of its route. Jeepneys are coded with numbers and letters according to the routes that they traverse. Each jeep usually seats 16 to 30 persons, depending on how large it is.

The jeepney has become an iconic symbol for Philippine transportation not only for its extensive use. It is also depicted in many tourism brochures as a colourful and powerful vehicle. Indeed, no two jeepneys are exactly alike. Jeepneys come with graphics, illustrations, religious figures, favourite quotes and even the names of one’s wife and children. Such designs are applied either through airbrush painting or with graphic stickers. A jeepney’s hood features an assortment of items, too, including miniature horses and luxury car emblems. The body may be adorned with side drapes, flags and antennas. Although some jeepneys are pieces of art, it takes a brave and adventurous tourist to ride one. If you want to experience the common means of transportation of the majority of middle-class and low-class Filipinos, then be prepared to sit in a hot, jam-packed vehicle with a seeming stunt driver behind the wheel. Still, doing so will earn you the approval of locals. Plus, it will be a ride that you really will not forget.

If a foreigner wishes to do business in the Philippines, then he or she must understand the attitudes and dispositions of the locals. Perhaps two phrases can best guide you if you have a hope of establishing good business relations in the country: “small talk” and “loss of face. ”When you are at a business meeting with Filipinos, you should never delve into the subject right away unless your Filipino counterpart does so. Most of the time, Filipinos will begin with small talk – an inquiry about one’s travel, conversation about mutual friends or relatives, news stories and several jokes. This is because Filipinos like having a warm and cordial atmosphere. They like to establish rapport with a person before they consider him as a good potential business partner. Small talk usually lasts for several minutes, until the host or presiding party begins discussing the real business issues.

In all your dealings with Filipino partners, clients and employees — always avoid saying or doing something that will cause them to suffer a loss of face. Filipinos value their self-esteem and would usually give a polite smile instead of turning down a suggestion or criticising someone to his face. If you find that you need to reprimand an employee, be sure to do it privately and end with words of encouragement and support. Always end business talks cordially, even if something unpleasant transpired during the meeting. You will soon find, too, that bureaucracy at government agencies is highly frustrating. Do not attempt to fight this on your own. Filipinos usually leave tasks like government clearance and registration to people who are good at pleasantries, flattery and gift-giving. Many also rely on connections like relatives and “friends in high places.”

If there is a place in the Philippines that has been attracting such a diverse mix of property investors, it is Cebu. Real estate buyers have various reasons for turning their attention to the province. They invest for commercial and for residential reasons. Some desire to own homes here, either for holiday stay or for retirement purposes. There are various reasons for this attraction to Cebu. Cebu can be seen, in the property investor’s eye, as a place teeming with opportunity. Yet, while the cities are showing evidence of commercial progressiveness and infrastructure development, they still retain the light disposition and laid-back pace that are so inherent among Cebuanos. These seemingly contradicting factors actually improve Cebuanos’ quality of life.

In Cebu, urbanisation exists along with cultural beauty and heritage. The major cities are surrounded by provincial towns – some sleepy, others lively. Beyond the tall condominiums, hotels and offices, one can see a backdrop of mountains. Just thirty minutes away from the urban jungle lies the sea. This means that a holiday getaway is no problem for anyone living in Cebu. A few hours’ drive from the city will get you to the tip of the island. So, buying a home in Cebu’s major cities means getting the best of commerce and leisure. One can be near schools, malls and hospitals and still find a good vacation spot within an hour. Commercial investors also find Cebu to be a hotspot for job opportunities, as many fresh graduates from the surrounding islands come here to find employment. Those who put up hotels or flats for rent also find much revenue from tourists, from foreigners who come here to study and from foreigners who eventually decide to settle down and spend the rest of their lives here.

The “hilot” (massage), an ancient Filipino art of healing used today to relax stressed muscles, is the Filipinos’ answer to the globally booming spa and wellness industry. Traditionally steeped in mysticism and folklore, “hilot” has, for centuries, been known as a healing massage that Filipino households turn to in times of sickness. Today, practitioners of this healing art also emphasise its scientific basis to explain why this type of massage has always been so effective. “Hilot” involves not only massaging, but also the use of herbal therapy. So, “hilot” practitioners are both masseurs and herbalists. They may be called “healers.” A good healer is expected to recognise a person’s illness and its causes by studying the patient and sensing his or her energy. The healer then gives the patient a massage that stimulates the body’s electrical impulses in order to produce the necessary biochemical reactions.

This act will trigger the body’s natural ability to heal itself, which is a reaction that is similar to immunotherapy. A healer may also apply the necessary herbs on a person’s body during a massage. There are several types of “hilot.” The “hilot albularyo” combines long, slow massage strokes with an herbal mixture treatment, which may be applied externally or taken internally. “Hilot buga” uses a hot herbal compress made with various herbs, vegetables, fruits, water, vinegar and oil. This compress is applied externally and is especially used to treat illnesses. The “hilot bintusa” uses cupping or acupressure with materials like glass, with the purpose of removing impurities from one’s body. “Hilot babad” is a massage treatment that is given while the patient is immersed in water. It is used to heal tendon, ligament, joints and muscle injuries. It is advisable not to take a bath within 24 hours after a “hilot” so that the oils can be sufficiently absorbed by the skin.

Internet cafés are places where one can use a computer that is connected to the Web for a fee per hour or per minute of usage. These cafés can be found everywhere in Cebu. You can find them in malls, in street corners, near schools and even in narrow street mazes. You can find them in remote towns and in areas near the beach, too. These cafés are the perfect solution for those who do not have their own computers. They are also places of refuge for students who need to print their homework or do some research at the last minute. This is why Internet cafés are seen as profitable businesses. Various cafés may have different purposes and target audiences. There are many cafés made for gaming. In these places, you will see many teens – usually boys – shouting passionately to one another, either in triumph or in frustration, while playing popular games. Such scenes usually occur after 5PM, when the school day has ended. The more avid virtual warriors even sneak in an hour of playtime during their lunch breaks.

If you happen to step inside a dark and noisy Internet café filled with sweaty schoolchildren, then do not fret. There are also cafés that are peaceful enough for you to do serious work or communicate online. They come equipped with sufficient equipment, like printers, photocopiers, fax machines, headsets and web cameras. Another alternative would be to find a coffee shop that has Wi-Fi connection. Depending on the shop, this can come with a fixed fee or an hourly fee. Several coffee shops also allow you to connect to their Wi-Fi for free as long as you do order food or drinks. There may or may not be an electricity charge for plugging in your laptop.