An entertaining article (well…I find it entertaining, I know momma-dearest most certainly will not) has been passed around what I’ve dubbed as the ‘Philippines crowd’ on facebook. There’s a serial killer in the Philippines that seems to be killin foreigners to steal their ‘gadgets’. Click here to read the whole article. The opening to this article sounds like what would be reported if James Bond’s shenanigans were in the newspaper: “Police in Philippines are on the hunt for a “gadget-obsessed” man suspected of murdering three foreigners in separate attacks in the northern city of Angeles.” Can’t ya see that bein James Bond gone mad on a rampage? The only thing missin is the Walther PPK, killer one liners, a car chase, and vodka martinis - shaken not stirred. Anyways the article outlines how this man, Mark Dizon, has broken in and killed an American couple, a Brit and a Canadian and then stole all of their electronic gadgets and gizmos. Police are huntin him down, an American ex-pat has offered 100,00 pesos for information leading to an arrest, etc etc. On a serious note, I guess it is a reminder for me (and other PCVs) to be aware and careful about people I meet and not go flauntin any expensive possessions…although you’d have to be crazy to kill and rob a Peace Corps volunteer and expect to get a big payoff for goods and items. More like cotton slacks, a swiss army knife, one desperately treasured box of easy-mac and a poncho.
Speakin of crazy, how about the power of social networking on the internet? What I called the ‘Philippines crowd’ is actually damn impressive in that it even exists. Thanks to facebook I’ve been in touch with a high school friend livin in Manila, a fellow UF grad PCV already in the Philippines, a friend of a friend who’s workin in the Philippines, two acquaintances who will be visitin the Philippines within the next 13 months, and then of course all of my fellow future PCV’s and an assortment of current PCV’s, who are bein extraordinarily helpful to us, through a facebook group for our PC training batch. It’s awing to think that complete strangers who have never met much less exchanged a few words over a beer can make plans for meetin up and splittin cab fares in a city hundreds of miles away from where they live…all a month in advance (I’m referring to when all of us descend on Philadelphia for training). I don’t think this was possible even as recent as six to seven years ago. Not to mention this entire blog. I could do another whole post on the amazin impact that the internet/social networks have had on the English language too, but I’ll spare you my linguistic nerdiness for another rain-soaked time. I’m grateful for how much I know and how many people I know before goin to the Philippines, all made possible by the likes of facebook.
Finally, here’s a little segment I like to call “Filipino Cuisine-O of the day”. Take a little gander at this lovely piece of a tongue-teasing gourmet dish known as Dinuguan. Sure it looks inconspicuous enough. It could be some kind of black-bean stew or just heavily seasoned chili perhaps. Take a moment and ask yourself what you think could be in this asparagus-garnished bowl? But I warn you my friends there’s a metaphorical snake in the weeds - this dish is not all it seems…or rather there’s way, Way, WAY more to it than what meets the eye. Now click here and read the short wiki about Dinuguan. Yikes. The stomach, and the intestines, and the heart, and the ears, and the snout of a pig simmered in its own blood. Yummy yummy guts, heart, nose, and ears in my tummy? It sounds like this poor piggy fought Westley from the Princess Bride ‘to the pain’ and lost…and was made into stew for its efforts. It sounds like the Steven King version of the three little pigs. It’s Babe’s worst nightmare. I could probably keep makin jokes but I’ll just leave it at this: I had best not be told what is being served to me until after I try it because the word ‘Dinuguan’ is now imprinted in my brain which, interestingly enough, happens to be just north of my mouth, which is where my tongue cowers at the mere thought of Dinuguan. My palate has never found adventure to its taste.
