Food, Glorious Food!

God said, “See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth, every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” Genesis 1: 29-30

My master plan for vegan living in Manila

Before arriving in Manila, my biggest concern was whether or not I would be able to find vegan food. There were more seemingly important issues- housing, finances, natural disasters, terrorism- all of which I felt would work themselves out, but I couldn’t stop worrying about what I would eat.  Having heard many times about the Filipino love of lechon (roasted pig) and their fondness of flavoring dishes with bagoong (shrimp paste) and patis (fish sauce), I knew that eating in Manila wouldn’t be as easy as it was in San Francisco, arguably the best cities in the world for veggie lovers.  I reassured myself with the facts that at least there would be rice and mango, and by stocking up on multi-vitamins and iron supplements.

After a little more than a month, I can now confidently report that I am the Luckiest Vegan in Manila.

Likha Diwa with Kat, Alay and Nika!

On the day we moved in to our new apartment in Quezon City, Nathan and I walked five minutes down the street to an incredible and entirely vegan restaurant called Pipino, which means cucumber in Tagalog. They have Filipino classics, decadent Western dishes like lasagna and mac n’ cheese, and a huge variety of vegan ice cream and cupcakes all made in-house.  I mentioned that SF is one of the most veg friendly cities, but I will add that it’s one of the most expensive as well, and this restaurant provided an awesome selection of plant based dishes for the price of a fast food combo meal at home. Plus they sell vegan bagoong, pesto and mayo in adorable jars to take home. This place was like a deep breath of fresh air and I decided that even if that was the only place I ate at for the rest of the year, I would be happy! As it turns out, that would be far from necessary.

I soon found out about a couple other great eateries. A few of Nathan’s relatives live nearby (another huge blessing that would take up an entire post), and after learning that I was vegan they went out of their way to show us some of the veggie restaurants they’d heard of in Manila- Likha Diwa, Greens and Corner Tree Café- the first of which is in our neighborhood (about 10 minutes walking).  So far, things were looking up. But a few restaurant visits don’t justify my title as Luckiest Vegan in Manila.  

Young coconut! Masarap!

The next week we started working at SIBAT.  Every day for lunch, the whole office buys their ulam (the saucy, salty part of the meal that you serve with rice) and brings it back to eat together, with the rice provided by SIBAT. Most people purchase something meaty from street vendors, and the chances of finding something vegan on the side of the road here, is close to zero. My favorite exceptions include: Coconuts, clementines, mango and taho which is made up of soft tofu, tapioca and syrup and is my new favorite breakfast food. Unfortunately, none of these would make for a very well rounded lunch. Luckily, through an incredible stroke of good fortune, the one restaurant in the condominium complex that we work in is ALL VEGETARIAN! So every day, instead of going out to the street, I walk into the courtyard of the office building and purchase my veggie ulam for around $1. I’m sure I’ll be reaping added benefit from this once the summer hits and I don’t have to go too far in the noonday sun! The one woman who mans this lunch spot, called Green Wok, makes a different dish every day and that’s what everyone who stops in will be served. I cannot get over how awesome a provision this has been!

SIBOL People's Store (from their website)

Finally, the cherry on top of it all: SIBOL People’s Store. SIBAT runs an organic farm north of Manila where they train other farmers on the use of organic, sustainable agriculture practices. They sell some of the produce from their own farm, as well as from the farms of those who have adapted their green farming techniques, in a small store located in the courtyard of our office building. Every week people from the city can place orders for produce and either have it delivered to their homes or pick it up from the store. So I stock up on organic veggies (as well as vinegar, wine, sugar and peanut butter) right at work for a very reasonable price. This week I ordered enough for 2 weeks of homemade dinners, filling a giant grocery bag past the brim, for around $6.

Some taho for breakfast at the office

So while it’s true that most people I talk to here are totally unfamiliar with the idea of veganism, and most restaurants have a very limited (if any) selection, I am still eating an incredible variety of delicious food.  I really can’t believe how fortunate a position I am in. I was worried I wouldn’t get to try any “real Filipino food”, and instead everyday a lovely woman cooks up a veggie version of a traditional Filipino dish and serves it inside my office building. I was worried that I would have a hard time finding fresh ingredients for cooking, and instead I simply tell my coworker at the SIBOL store what I’d like to buy and receive a beautiful array of veggies at work.  I was worried that on weekends I would sit at home eating white rice and vitamins, and instead there are two different and incredible veggie restaurants within walking distance from my apartment. I had been telling myself that God would provide for my safety, my housing, my work and my relationships, but I hadn’t trusted that He could take care of my most basic needs.  So I’ll end with this scripture that sums up my experience so far:

 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?” Matthew 6: 25-27 

Some pineapple growing on the sidewalk near my house

Other, unrelated, updates:

• I have a bike! I biked at night in Manila! What a crazy life!
• Work is great & I'm getting involved with No to GMO advocacy, starting with a trip to the Supreme Court tomorrow!