Philippines / Metro Manila / Dining / Drinks

Tap water is generally safe for drinking, in most parts of Manila until recently. In an article of the Philippine Daily Inquirer (May 24, 1990) the Metropolitan Water-works and Sewage System (MMWSS) administrator Luis Sison advised consumers to boil water in the wake of an outbreak of typhoid fever in Quezon City. He said the water pipes had sunk 12 feet since some of the pipes were installed in 1882 with the beginning of a water system and are below sewer lines which clod and allow seepage into leaky water lines. Manila has the oldest water system is Asia. Water is still considered safe in provincial cities and even in The Country side if it is sufficiently chlorinated. In very rural areas and at native beach resorts, however, the water may come from a well, and then it should be boiled or chlorinated with products such as Puritabs, which are readily available in Philippine drug stores.

Uncarbonated bottled water, available in Bangkok, Singapore or Hong Kong, has been uncommon in the Philippines until recently. However, since 1988 locally produced bottled water of the brand Hidden Spring is increasingly distributed. It comes in disposable plas-tic bottles and is sold in most supermarkets in Metro Manila and in leading supermarkets in other big cities. It tastes fine but is expensive with a price surpassing the price of soft drinks. Imported French bottled water is only little more expensive than the locally produced Hidden Spring brand.

There is also bottled soda water but even locally produced brands have a higher price than soft drinks. Rustan's and a number of wine stores sell imported carbonated Vichy Water. Mineral water in Philippine terms, is not the same as soda water. It is water en-riched with healthy, but not always delicious minerals. It is also quite expensive.

There is no real national drink in the Philippines as tea in India, Mekong whiskey in Thailand, or Sake in Japan. Several decades ago, one might have considered tuba the national drink. Nowadays however, it is seldom found in Manila and has been mostly replaced by beer. Among the poor in The Country side however, it is still widely consumed.

Tuba, a fermented drink, comes from the coconut tree, not from the nuts. It is ob-tained by cutting the end from a frond and daily collecting the sap that runs out.

In rural areas, tuba is available everywhere at less than 10 pesos a gallon (about 4 liters). It is about as alcoholic as wine, and has its own incomparable taste. The effect on the consumer, almost ex-clusively male, is definitely bad. Instead of lulling one to sleep as beer does, it makes the imbiber aggressive. Often, tuba drinking men can be recognized by their red-colored faces. The foreigner is advised not to accept any invitations to participate in tuba rounds. Too often they end in a quarrel.

The habit of drinking beer should be regarded as progress over tuba drinking. The local brand, San Miguel Beer, is compara-tively cheap and available almost everywhere. The locally produced Carlsberg is available in Metro Manila and big provincial cities. Both, San Miguel and Carlsberg beer, are slightly sweeter and less bitter than European and American beers. Several German beers (Jever, Astra, Becks) are available in many better restaurants, mainly in the tourist belt of Manila. NAB or non-alcoholic beer has been recently introduced for those that like the flavor of beer without the kick.

Soft drinks are sold virtually everywhere in this country, even deep in the jungle. The price is very low, around 2.75 pesos if bought from a store, even cooled.

All international brands of soft drinks are available. They share the market with a few local creations as Sarsi (which tastes like root beer), Pop Cola, Royal, Tru Orange, Cheers.

Locally produced spirits are ridiculously cheap, too. They cost as low as 20 pesos per liter (about 1 quart). Of the spirits the locally distilled rum is of the best quality, and gin the worst. In Philippine classification spirits are commonly referred to as "wine". A native palm wine is Lambanog; it has the strength and kick of moonshine whiskey.

A most peculiar thing is the fact that the Philippines is probably the only Asian country where tea is not popular. As there is little demand for tea, tea bags, rather than loose tea leaves, are used in hotels and res-taurants, and supermarkets often only sell tea in bags.

Tea is widely consumed, however, by the Chinese populace. The Chinese also don't use tea bags. In real Chinese restaurants, tea comes with the meal without asking and without charge.

Coffee is available everywhere, but mainly instant brands are served. Brewed coffee is found only in better restaurants.

The Philippines also produces milk, marketed by Magnolia, now a division of Nestle. But the quantity produced does not fill the need, so the market includes imported powdered, condensed, or evaporated milk.

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