Comments on: A Fabulously Hearty Soup in an Alleyway…

By: manny

manny — Tue, 14 Jun 2016 02:52:25 +0000

One of those unforgettable meals where chinese love to burp out loud after a hearty meal and clear their throats from deep within only to spit after a gulp of tea. Ahhh memories . . . Haha. . . Yes and the projectiles. . .

I have somehow forgotten those meals until you mentioned it in this article. As the british tourists with me then would say, ”Lovely’. Haha.

By: Marketman

Marketman — Fri, 10 Jun 2016 11:00:59 +0000

Tracy, I think you are absolutely correct. It’s the same for Thailand, where the royal family absolutely positively focused on agriculture for the past 40 years. The Philippines doesn’t grow very much, and the intermediation costs (transport, middlemen, storage facilities, retail) add way too much on. With Asean free-trade, we should technically be able to bring in fruit from Thailand, vegetables from Vietnam, etc. and it’s just the transport cost, but it will kill local agriculture further. But the incredible cost to our overall population of high prices is appalling…

By: Tracy

Tracy — Fri, 10 Jun 2016 07:39:34 +0000

I’ve always ascribed the cheap food prices in Vietnam and China to their communist past. You know, champion the agricultural laborers, food for the masses, etc. Any takers?

By: Marketman

Marketman — Fri, 10 Jun 2016 00:28:17 +0000

bearhug0127, the sunlight reflecting off of the soup or the ring of our guide? :)

By: bearhug0127

bearhug0127 — Thu, 09 Jun 2016 23:22:23 +0000

Can’t help but notice the sparkle on the last photo!

By: Natie

Natie — Thu, 09 Jun 2016 11:35:58 +0000

Hearty soups make gratifying meals. It’s just hard to control the salt, when ordering in restaurants.

By: Kasseopeia

Kasseopeia — Wed, 08 Jun 2016 22:51:09 +0000

It is usually on the streets and in little alleys like this that some of the best food awaits. I remember sitting on a low stool over a gutter in a tiny alley just to enjoy some fantastic slightly-fermented rice noodles in boiling hot pork-based broth. Better than some restaurants!

Is it just me or has produce in Manila gotten a tad more expensive lately? :(

By: ConnieC

ConnieC — Wed, 08 Jun 2016 20:53:39 +0000

My best bowl of soup was from a sidewalk hotpot in Hanoi while almost squat on a low stool. The rest of my family who I did not join for lunch walked out of the nearby restaurant with a so so expression on their faces. I was grinning ear to ear, happy with my food adventure.

By: emsy

emsy — Wed, 08 Jun 2016 15:39:27 +0000

Produce is pretty cheap in China. I guess that’s why cooked food ends up cheap as well. Cabbage, for example, is 1.99 RMB/kilo and often goes down to 0.99 RMB when it’s on sale. This is supermarket price, mind you. The corner veggie stands (they are everywhere) will be a bit cheaper. Carrots, corn, lettuce, potato, broccoli, and cauliflower are other vegetables that VERY rarely cost more than maybe 7 RMB/kilo. How they are farmed, however, is another story. LOL I’m not complaining, though!

By: Monty

Monty — Wed, 08 Jun 2016 09:59:28 +0000

The price of a meal in BPO offices here in Manila normally range from P55 to P70, rice included. Of course the vendors don’t pay rent but those are the price points that seem to be the most acceptable to the employees.