The fabulous CLO (Community Liaison Officer) organized a Wokking tour of Manila's Chinatown - the neighborhood of Binondo. Actually, it was more of a walking and eating tour - so right up our alley!
We learned that the Chinese community developed on the other side of the river from the old city - Intramuros (within the walls). The Chinese people there traded with the native peoples (Filipinos) as well as the Spanish - who controlled the area. Many Chinese people came and settled there and incorporated the food they knew, with what was available.
The first stop we made was to a Chinese lumpia place - very different from the Filipino lumpia I've had. It's more like a burrito, with lots of vegetables.
We went down a hallway that opened up into a lovely interior courtyard.
There we were introduced to Chinese lumpia. There was sweetened chopped peanuts and toasted rice with seaweed as toppings.
Here's half a lumpia before you put the toppings on.
And here it is with the toppings. You also add hot sauce, chopped garlic in vinegar, and a sweet syrup. Put it all together and it's super yummy!
From there we walked through some narrow alleys.
Notice all the electrical wire grouped together overhead.
There is a cute bridge over the river. But the river itself is not particularly clean.
We went down the famous main street - Ongpin Street.
People get around on tricycles - with sidecars.
There's great fruit sold on the street - mangosteens are wonderful.
Great street ambience
and interesting shops.
Our tour guide explaining about dumplings and donuts.
These dumplings reminded me of char siu bao - but they were filled with ground meat - not bbq pork.
And here are the donuts - sort of. Traditional Chinese fried dough - but here they often toss them with sugar - then they resemble a churro.
The yams here are purple on the inside and called ube - with a different flavor. Then the sweet potatoes are red on the inside - and taste more like yams.
We eventually came to a very small dumpling shop. Just 20 seats and they make everything by hand right there in the window. Wonderful!
Our last stop was at a pastry shop that sold hopia. Small cakes with various fillings. Traditionally filled with mung bean paste.
Purple is ube - the purple yam.
But they also had ones filled with flan - my favorite.
The last thing I tried, were these peanut cakes - they tasted a lot like a really great Butterfinger.
A very fun and interesting day.
There is a huge amount of preparation that goes in to a presidential visit and the small glimpse that I got to see was incredibly impressive. There are people from the White House and people from the Embassy organizing every possible detail. They investigate and prepare and practice so that it all goes smoothly. I am in awe of all those moving parts coming together so seamlessly.
