The Indianapolis journal., 1898-10-24
WHAT TO EAT AT MANILA.
Living Is Cheap, but Not Very Tempt
ing, i'm the Philippines.
Medical News,

Cattle don't thrive in the Philippines.
Sheep are not found there. Potatoes don
grow Ill the archipelago. Vegetables are
everywhere scarce, so it seems, and the
peas and asparagus one gets come mostly
tF0m ti1 epance n or Germany M In dpeacefui
Chinaman in his little garden raised deli
cacies for the table of foreigners, but, now
that most of these almond-eyed Celestials
have retired. with their dollars, to China,
tomatoes, lettuce, beans and corn are prob
ably scarcer. Chickens and eggs are two
great stand-bys, and always seem to form
groundwork for every meal. Beef from
poor worn-out bullocks, shipped up from
Australia, likewise has its usual bright place
to fill but mutton and potatoes have to
come over from China. Fruits Manila has
in plenty, and what with manages, man
the market is well supplied.
All meat in Manila and other parts of the
islands is eaten fresh killed, since ice fails
and fowl are always sold at the market is
alive. 1t is not to be denied that the tough,
stringy taste to this portion of the menu is
far from desirable, but necessity seems to
know no law, and one must accustom hirn-
self almost to seeing the chickens for fourth
course wandering around in the kitchen
half plucked as he begins his feast
Living was very cheap in Manila during
my stay, and our cook got but 40 cents with
which to provide the dinner for four peo-
pie. And we would have such dishes as
soup, fish, chops and peas, roast chicken,
with potatoes beans and corn, salad, des-
SSAl anu 1iult-4uAtO' a. iNPoSN AOA ~ HiAASAi
a
The milk available in the Philippines rare
ly comes from the Jersey COW, but is a
product of the ''carabao,'' or water buffalo.
and tastes somewhat oily. Oatmeal and
cream are things unknown, and the former
is now said to be too heating for a hot cli-
mate diet. Chocolate seems to come under
the same category, and even mangoes-the
fruit with the smooth, turpentine taste
have to be ecchewed by him who suffers
from prickly heat. Bread, too, is not eaten
so much as toast and the foreigner almost
always insists getting his pan tostada"
in order that any lurking microbes which
the bread may have absorbed during the
process of manufacture in the little Chinese
bakery may be destroyed.
AS the Manila water supply was good |
had hesitation in drinking plenty of
Adams ale and never found it disagreed
with me- In fact some of the old stagers
say a long glass of water just after one gets
up in the morning doeth good like medi-
cine and suffice it to say, it seemed to
work like charm in my case.
In conclusion as to food it must be said
that in peaceful times Manila fare is not
bad, though 1t lacks variety, and such arti-
cles as one gets in the ordinary menu al the
club or in the restaurants seem ample to
supply the demands made on the new arri-
val by the climate. Heavy or heating foods,
such as oatmeal, baked beans, plum pud-
dings, chocolate and the like are best left
alone and in my mind the less alcohol one
takes the better. Claret and seltZer make
one of the cleanest drinks to be imagined
and one better than a brandy and soda or
something of the same strong makeup.