Shaggers remark caused yet another round of guffaws from the guys but at the same time it got me thinking about some of the dishes that are symbolic of Philippine cuisine and an integral part of Filipino culture. When spending time with the Filipina it is almost inevitable that you will be exposed to Filipino cuisine and if your anything like me you will have probably been curious about certain dishes and wonder what the heck they are composed of and why are the girls so fanatical about them.

At first glance Filipino cuisine seems basic and bland but it is in fact quite the opposite. There are numerous dishes and even more variations in their preparation and cooking so much so that a simple dish such as Chicken Adobo will vary from region to region throughout the Philippines. There have been numerous influences on Filipino cuisine including Chinese, Spanish, English and American. These influences have all in some way been fused together along with local produce to create the unique cuisine of the Philippines.

Perhaps the signature dish of Filipino cuisine is Chicken Adobo. What curry is to Indian cooking adobo is to Filipinos. Pinoys and pinays have been known to wax lyrical about their chicken adobo to the point where it has become an iconic symbol of Filipino culture. Bands such as the Black eyed peas have paid homage to adobo in their songs and there are numerous websites and cook books dedicated to the different recipes’. Chicken adobo is nearly always associated with fond memories of childhood or happy times and Filipinos all seem to have a personal experience with this dish.

Although there are numerous variations in the adobo recipe’ they basically all include vinegar, soy sauce and pepper corns. These are the three ingredients that can be found in all adobo recipe’s and combine together to create the unique adobo flavor. Adobo is often referred to as the Filipino national dish and all Filipinos seem to know how to cook it.

Adobo

Like most dishes in Philippine cuisine Adobo is always served with rice.

Adobo

Sinigang na Hipon

Sinigang na bangus

Pork sinigang or sinigang na baboy

Beef sinigang or Sinigang na baka

Beef Kaldereta as the name implies is basically a beef stew and is a result of the Spanish influence on Filipino cuisine. The main flavor is created through stewing the beef and extensive use of tomato paste. Just as in adobo Filipinos will sometimes use vinegar which acts as a meat tenderizer and also gives the stew a slightly sour tang. Other common ingredients in the Kaldereta are carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, bell peppers, onions and garlic.

Kaldereta

Kare Kare

Pancit Canton

Pancit Bihon

Tinapa or smoked fish is sometimes referred to as food for the masses or poor peoples food. Tinapa are small salt water fish which are smoked. The Filipinos buy them and them fry them in oil creating the fried fish smell that permeates throughout so many of their houses. Another way of cooking them is on the grill and many of the poorer Filipinos will purchase the Tinapa in bulk, grill them then resell them right of the grill in a kind of street side operation. Tinapa is often eaten with rice using tomatoes and lettuce leaves as the vegetables accompanying it.

Tinapa

Tinapa

Bicol express

Pork sisig

To make sisig the ingredients are chopped up into small pieces then marinated in water together with pineapple juice, salt and black pepper corns. This mixture is then simmered for about one hour. This mixture is then put onto a hot grill and combined with chopped up ginger, garlic onions, calamansi, salt, pepper and of course some chopped up chili to add that extra bit of zing.

Sisig is not restricted to pork and for those who are watching their diet sisig can be made from chicken, fish and even tofu. When you know what goes into sisig it can be a bit off putting but the end result is truly delicious and the crispy pork really does make the perfect accompaniment to a cold beer.

For lechon kawali pork is once again the meat used. To make this dish the Filipinos use pork belly (liempo) which is broiled in water with salt, pepper, garlic and laurel leaves. This is done for 35 minutes then it is deep fried in oil until crispy brown and served with a sauce composed of vinegar soy sauce onions and garlic. This is not exactly a healthy dish but it is truly delicious and like sisig can be enjoyed while enjoying a cold beer or two.

Lechon Kawali

Kilawin Tanigue

Kilawin Tuna

Shanghai Lumpia

Beef tapa or tapsilog are basically the same thing. The word tapa refers to salt cured meat which is normally beef although they use pork as well and the tapsilog is the name for a particular dish incorporating the beef tapa. Tap refers to the salt cured meat, si refers to the sinangag or garlic flavored rice and log which refers to the egg or as the Filipinos pronounce it Itlog. Tap-si-log. Tapsilog is primarily recognized as a Filipino breakfast dish although to be honest they seem to eat it at all times of the day especially when traveling. Tapsilog is also convenient and a number of fast food restaurants exist whose primary dish is tapsilog or other dishes utilizing beef tapa the classic one of these that springs to mind is Tapa King which has branches all over the Philippines. The Tapa especially when it is beef is usually tenderized but for me this is a bland dish and I am yet to find any what I call decent beef in the Philippines.

Tapsilog

Tapa King advert

Longanisa

Some have claimed double ladies drinks represent the changing face of the new Angeles and to some extent they are right. The double ladies drinks are indicative of a more commercialistic attitude from the bar owners, a more businesslike attitude from the girls and the fact that they are being purchased with such frequency clearly shows there is a wealthier breed of customers visiting AC who are less conscious of the amount they are spending or how they spend it.

For me the double ladies drink has always been paradoxical as I see both disadvantages and advantages to them depending on which hat I am wearing be it the bar managers hat or the bar customer hat. As a bar manager I see definite advantages for the bar and its personnel and when considering them I always find myself thinking back to a conversation I had with the then manager of Blue Nile Executive bar when he said “ the one customer who complains about double ladies drinks is more than made up for by the 20 customers who buy them all night long without so much as a single negative comment”. Viewing them from the customer stand point I dislike them and see them at best as a waste of money and at worst a blatant rip off.

In this article I will look at the development of the double ladies drink and examine how it started and how it became so common place. I will also outline some of the advantages that are normally overlooked as well as reiterating the commonly discussed bad points. At the end of the day I hope to give readers both sides of the double ladies drinks debate as well as giving them some new points to consider together with some light hearted entertainment as well.

The double ladies drink first came to prominence in approximately 2003 under the well known mamasan of Neros Mummy Perla. They had been in existence before her but she was the first to introduce them and bring them to prominence in a mainstream Fields Avenue bar. At the time Perla had strong customer base of Korean and Taiwanese clientele all of whom would buy Perla a drink in return for her introducing them to a girl. Invariably these drinks were non alcoholic and were charged at double the price of normal ladies drink. It wasn’t long before the girls working in Neros realized the benefits of double ladies drinks this being a double commission and very soon the practice was established throughout the Blue Nile group of bars especially the Executive which was a high end bar and supposedly attracting a more affluent clientele. In fairness to Perla her rational for the double price tag was based on the quantity of the drink. When she would order a coke they would use a can of coke which holds enough liquid to fill two of the ladies drink glasses therefore her logic was the customer is in effect buying me two ladies drinks in one. For the customer this logic is clearly flawed since he only ordered one drink and is expecting to be charged for only one, however, I can also see the Filipino mind set this being that the amount of liquid contained in the can or bottle is enough to make two drinks so why not charge accordingly.

Perlas habit of getting double priced ladies drinks was a genuine double edged sword. On the upside it would gain increased sales for the bar in the short term and it would enable her and the girls to earn more money in the form of commission. On the downside it would also cost the bar money because it would cause disgruntled customers who would vote with their feet and take their business elsewhere. Also Perla would have various little scams going such as when she ordered a drink, lets say a coke, the customer would be charged for a double and yet she would only have one glass of coke saving the other half of the can for the next customer who bought her a drink. In effect this meant one can of coke was the equivalent of purchasing 4 ladies drinks. And here’s the twist. Every time a customer would order her a drink this meant a new can of coke even though her drink was poured from the already open can. At the end of the night Perla would often have cans of coke that had been put aside for her and she would then take them home no doubt to resell them at a reduced price. Some may see this as stealing however technically speaking the drinks had already been paid for by the customers so therefore in her mind she was entitled to take them home and do with them as she wished.

The amount of liquid in the can or bottle justifying the double price tag was soon applied to the dancers as well. Somewhere along the line someone figured out a bottle of San Miguel light if used together with ice could fill two ladies drink glasses so as a result they could charge for two drinks rather than one. A dedicated beer drinker would cringe at the thought of putting ice with the beer but for Filipinos this is common practice and totally natural. Generally speaking they do not drink beer for the taste but rather as a refreshment or simply for the effect of the alcohol contained within it. As such it was simply an extension of this logic to drink beer in the bar utilizing ice and therefore being able to make two glasses full out of one bottle which in turn led to the double price tag.

The alcohol content of beer also acted as a sort of justification for charging double. On many occasions I have heard the waitress or bar staff claim “ she ordered San Miguel Light sir” as if this automatically justifies the double charge. The logic here is that by drinking San Miguel Light the girl is going to get drunk and will therefore be unproductive for herself and the bar so as a result the bar is somehow justified in charging double which acts as a sort of compensation for the loss of her productivity. This is what I loosely refer to as the quick kill mentality and it is very common in Filipino culture. As a customer I expect to pay more for the privilege of getting a girl drunk however the alcohol content does not justify charging double. If I am being charged for alcohol then the price of Gin and Tonic or Rum and Coke should also be significantly higher when they are purchased as ladies drinks and yet in all bars they are only charged as singles.

Seems like all the hot ones go for the SML option these days.

In terms of the bars operational aspects the double ladies drink helps it operate more productively. On many occasions I have seen girls “milk” ladies drinks simply because they do not want to dance but when they do this with a double ladies drink they are at least still making money for themselves and the bar whereas when they do this with a single ladies drink they are making less money for themselves and the bar. The double ladies drink increases the profitability of the bar and at the same time allows the girl to get a larger commission. This is important because at the end of a day the bars are a business and if we as customers are to enjoy their continued existence they need to make a profit. It is also important that the girls make money because this in turn will encourage more girls to come and work in the bars which of course is beneficial for us as customers. Lastly the more money the girls make the more they will spend which in turn supports the local economy and infrastructure that surrounds the bars.

The single LD is ideal when initially interviewing prospective dates.

A lot of customers like to get the girls intoxicated thinking that this will lessen the social barriers between them and the girls and here again the double ladies drink comes in handy. The girls knowing they will get a double commission from the drink will play along with the game as well because of the double commission. If your aim is to get the girl a little drunk and lessen her inhibitions then I would recommend the vodka cruiser. This is charged as a double ladies drink and it is sweet and easily consumable even though it is 5% alcohol which is stronger than most beers. As a result the girls can drink it quickly without realizing its strength. Many guys view the Vodka Cruiser as a rip off because in terms of volume it does not equal two glasses full of drink however for a customer such as myself who likes the girls to get slightly drunk and looser the Vodka Cruiser is an excellent means to an end and I have no problem purchasing them providing they drink them in their entirety.

The bottom line for the both the customers and the girls is more often than not money and by purchasing a double ladies drink you are demonstrating that not only do you have money but also that you are not afraid to spend it. A girl working the bar soon learns the importance of money and she soon learns how to read the signs telling her whether the customer has money and is prepared to spend it. By buying a double ladies drink the girl will often interpret this as a signal you have money and are willing to spend it.

There are a number of negative aspects to the double ladies drink but the one that is most vigorously voiced is that it is a scam or a rip off. Customers call it a scam for a number of reasons not the least of which is that the cost of a ladies drink is advertised as that of a single drink and not a double. This argument states that if the customer is charged for a double then he should be made aware of its existence either by some sort of signage or at least by the waitress telling him. Many guys have said they don’t mind the double ladies drink as long as they are informed prior to purchasing it. A second argument against the double ladies drinks states that if they are going to pay the prices of two drinks for the girl then the girl should receive two drinks not just one. In my opinion this is a valid argument unless of course the customer has been informed of the double ladies drink price and has been given the chance to order a single ladies drink only. And this is where a third problem occurs because due to limited English and a lack of training the waitresses are often vague as to the exact cost of the double. They will tell customers “ she ordered San Miguel Light sir is that ok or sir that is a double is that ok with you”. Vague lines such as this are not fully informing the customer what is happening prior to purchasing. When it comes to this situation it is verging on deception.

One of the biggest problems regarding the double ladies drinks is that it represents an easy way for the girl to make money and therefore can act as a disincentive for her to go out with the customer. An attractive girl working the bar these days can make a good nights earnings just by getting the commission from double ladies drinks and as such has no incentive to go out with the customer. The term “drink sluts” has been coined to describe this situation. When it comes to the drink slut scenario the double ladies drinks is in fact empowering the girls which for the customers can be either a good thing or a bad thing depending upon your perspective.

One costumer being overwhelmed by drink sluts..

On a personal level one objection I have to the double ladies drink is that as it becomes more and more widespread it will become the norm which in effect is merely raising the prices making the mongering experience more and more expensive. I can see in the near future a situation in the major Fields Avenue bars where the single priced ladies drink will become a thing of the past and all ladies drinks will be doubles. So far competition has kept this from becoming the case but every year as operating costs rise it gets harder and harder for the owners to keep the prices down and the double ladies drink is a tempting partial solution to maintaining the bars profitability.

As I hope this article has demonstrated there are several sides to the double ladies drink debate but one thing is for sure, like them or hate them it would seem they are proliferating and it would seem are here to stay. It would also seem they are destined to become a standard in the Fields Avenue bars which will possibly replace the single ladies drink. Currently the majority of Perimeter Road bars do not have double LD’s but as the economic pressures come to bear it is my prediction they will be forced to slowly adopt them.

Modern societies have been designed around harnessing the power of the male sex drive (in the same sense that nuclear power is referred to as ‘harnessing the power of the atom’) for the betterment of women and children. Why? Because it works.

That subjugation process is cloaked in ritual and mystery, of course, since otherwise too many men would rebel and cast off the yoke. For us to be easily controllable, it’s necessary that we NOT be sexually satisfied most of the time. Otherwise, we won’t be likely to ask “How high?” when women dangle the possibility of sex in front of us and then tell us to “Jump!”

If you’re a Western male living in a developed Western country, you know how the algebra works: “Do a lot but only get a little back in return – if you’re lucky”. You’re a productive asset for the women in your life, a job that doesn’t pay you well.

But then travel was invented. It’s actually nothing new; but the availability of fast, comfortable, inexpensive travel options to the average guy IS a recent phenomenon. And with the rise of the internet, it has become easier to learn about what’s out there in other parts of the world.

What’s “out there” is women who are a lot more enjoyable to be with than what we have back home in the Western countries we grew up in. And not surprisingly, more and more Western guys are enjoying that pleasant alternative.

You can too.

I know what you’re thinking: you’re just an average guy making an average income. You weren’t blessed with the good looks of a Greek god. You’re on the shy side and maybe the girls back home consider you to be short. And maybe you’re too old to get women back home who are still in their prime? Therefore, you can’t imagine having different luck with women somewhere else?

You would be astounded to discover how much better you can do overseas. If you do know where to go and how to go about it, it’s almost like dying and going to Heaven …. but without the ‘dying’ part.

Thailand is becoming quite well-known by now, especially Bangkok and Pattaya .

If you prefer the big city experience, Bangkok holds endless delights. Some of the better-known venues in Bangkok include Patpong, Nana Plaza , Soi Cowboy and Soi Zero (these are mainly go-go bars ), beer bars , blow job bars , escort services , many massage options and every other delight you can imagine (with a few more delights that you can’t imagine, including the legendary Eden Club ) .

If you prefer something more focused and targeted, Pattaya has a similarly broad menu of enticing delights and a beach as well. Pattaya has a full assortment of go-go bars and massage options and is well-populated with many hundreds of beer bars (which are outdoor bars each of which will have ten or twenty or thirty lovely young Thai ladies who are hoping to become your new best friend).

Girl Friend Experience

The Philippines is also a major attraction, especially Manila and Angeles City , with more of the same available in Olongapo . Most Filipina bar girls speak much better English than does the average bar girl in Thailand and tend to also be more romantic, so guys who are looking for more of a “girl friend experience” tend to gravitate to the Philippines .

If you’re a big-city buff, Manila has quite a few clubs and go-go bars , and it tends to be a bit more on the upscale side (not uncommon in bigger cities). It also tends to get the prettiest girls, although you’ll find many filipina bargirls in almost any venue anywhere in the country who look better than anyone you’ve dated back home.

If huge cities don’t appeal to you, Angeles City is a gem of a place only two hours by road from Manila that has an unusually good blend of size and opportunities for fun. It has several dozen clubs ( go-go bars ) with each having dozens of Filipinas who are also eager to be your new best friend. The nightlife section is fairly compact (and therefore easy to get around) and prices in the Philippines are low.

If you want to put in some beach time, Olongapo is only an hour or so down the road, with several more go-go bars to help you pass the evening with frosty beverages and many delightful Filipinas who are anything but frosty.

What’s the downside? Aside from really irritating Western women (who intensely dislike the idea of you having much better alternatives to their pussy cartel), the main risk to you would come from lack of information.

Where to go? Where to stay? How to get around? What are the best values? Best bars? Which places are clip joints to be avoided? What are the going rates for different services? What’s new? What’s different? How do the many different options compare? How can I get discounts? And so on.

If you bought an airline ticket recently, you will know that prices vary all over the place (as airlines try to gouge each passenger for the maximum amount they think that category of passenger will part with). The airline wants to maximize its profits, at your expense.

Human nature being what it is, the same game is often tried in less developed parts of the world in all sorts of transactions . especially when, to them, you’re rich. And in many parts of the world, if you can afford to fly there, then you ARE rich.

In other words, there are scammers in every country on earth (including your own). And the laws that protect consumers in rich countries often don’t apply to in another country.

You’re on your own. But you can be a smart shopper. For the price of a single date in a Western country (after which you most likely will not get laid), you can learn how and where to actually start while avoiding the many pitfalls that trick and trap so many newbies overseas.

To discover more about LBFM, bargirls, bar hopping Angeles City, Phillipines, ……
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