Food
Unfortunately the Philippine cuisine does not have the same standard as the rest of the Asian kitchen. Where you can find amazing street food in Thailand or cheap and very delicious restaurants in Malaysia, the Philippines have lots of fried, unhealthy food to offer. You can really see the American influence on the Philippine cuisine. Fried chicken, lots of meat and hardly vegetables can be found.
"Balut" is a specialty of the Philippines and locals love it. It is a fertilized duck or chicken embryo boiled alive and eaten in the shell with salt and a chili, garlic and vinegar mixture. It's believed to be an aphrodisiac and considered as a high protein and hearty snack and it's mostly sold as street food.
Halayang ube - The ube or purple yam is a popular ingredient used for desserts and here it's made into a sweet and smooth jam.
Lumpiang ubod - A delicate egg wrapper contains a savory filling of ubod (the pith of the coconot tree), shrimps, pork, onions and a garlicky sweet sauce.
Chicken inasal - this marinated grilled chicken goes with a generous serving of garlic rice.