Filipina Bride Survival Kit

[Ray]

volt's post the other day about his fiancee's visa approval reminded me that it's probably a good time to repost the survival kit. 

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Considering the culture shock and homesickness that often affects your Filipina bride when she arrives in the States, here is a list of items that you can try to have on hand ahead of time to help her feel more at home. This list is based on my own personal experiences and recommendations from other PL readers. Please feel free to add your own suggestions, especially if you are a Filipina immigrant to the U.S. You may have to find an Asian market in your area for some of these items, but the additional effort will be well worth it.


Required Items:
  Rice, 20lb min, Calrose or Thai Jasmine
  Electric Rice Cooker
  Cooking oil, 1 gallon
  Soy sauce, 1gallon
  Vinegar
  Banana sauce
  Dried fish
  Dried squid
  Pork chops
  Ground beef
  Spam
  Vienna Sausage
  Coned beef, canned
  Sardines, canned, X-large
  Garlic
  Onions
  Celery
  Carrots
  Cabbage
  Potatoes
  Ginger
  Tomatoes
  Eggs
  Bananas
  Lumpia wrappers, frozen
  Pancit noodles (Canton, Bihon)
  Sinigang mix
  Coke
  Sprite
  Lactose-free milk
  Tabo (or 1-qt plastic pitcher)
  Step stool
  Nipa broom w/ 18” handle
  Flip-flops, size 6, 2-3 pair
  Warm jacket, small
  Warm fuzzy slippers
  Electric blanket
  Woolite detergent
  Clothes pins
  Vick’s Vapor Rub
  Electric fry pan for outdoor cooking
  Prepaid phone cards

Optional Items: 
  Beer
  Rum
  Tabasco sauce
  Bagoong
  Patis
  Ground pork
  Hot dogs
  Fish, whole, with heads (Tilapia or Bangus)
  Nescafe instant coffee
  Pineapple juice
  Green mangos
  Fresh Papayas
  Squid, whole, frozen
  Mung beans
  Sunflower seeds
  Spinach, fresh (or ampalaya leaves)
  Eggplant, Japanese long
  Yellow squash
  Rice dispenser
  Karaoke machine with Filipino love songs
  Large framed picture of Last Supper
  Arnold Schwarzenegger movies
  Bucket, 5 gal

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[robert angel]

Too complete--very funny in spots too list, but hey, you can't go wrong (maybe broke though) with all of that. I bought a rice cooker and we used it maybe twice. Maybe later on for some folks who entertain especially, that'd be nice, but most Fil Am households I know here use a pot and stove. If they have one, it's more for parties.

I'd wait a while on the electric blanket, and yes, get vinegar and some of those really hot smaller than pinky size peppers (well, HOT peppers anyways) to go in the vinegar-soysauce dipping 'solution'--but vinegar from the Asian store, as they might already gather.

I don't think celery or potatoes are high up our list and tomatoes not so much, although she adds them to scrambled eggs basically. Then again, when they're around, she'll put them in a lot of stuff. I have a kazzion tmatoes in our garden and suash and she wants to cook them altogetr, oh well--why not?

Most folks already have Coke and it should be there, but they sure do seem to love Sprite over there and most folks don't stock that here.

Corned beef is a comfort food, they'll like, we have trouble finding the right sardines. Mangoes and papaya go fast--yellow mangoes are maybe the only think she'll gobble up so fast that I get left out if I'm not fast--Filipinos by nature share so much, especially while eating.

Those dang fish heads! My son went into the freezer to get an ice cream and took a bag of them out and forget he did. For a couple days, we noticed a progressively worsening smell, then stench. Oddly it seemed to come from one area, but we finally discovered those red snapper heads, staring back at us in revenge...

That electric outside fry pan (we use the cheap, small ones with hair spray can size propane can "tanks") is a God saver for the Kano--once you've had some dried fish cooked inside, no air system or air freshener is going to get that smell out fast--it can cling to draperies for days...

Maybe add Milo?

Yea Ray, keep that list close by for periodical reposts. On behalf of the soon to be initiated, we thank you!

[thekfc]

Thanks Ray, that is a great list. Most of the items on the "required items" list I have/usually get/can get.

Today at the Filipino festival in NYC, I bought the following seasoning mix:
Pang Kare-Kare (Stew Base mix)
kare-kare (Peanut sauce mix0
Sisig (Citrus-pepper spice mix)
Adobo
Menudo/Afritada

Maybe add Milo?

Yes Milo, Ahya & her nieces/nephews love Milo.......and so do I.

Also deserts.  I found a place that make good halo-halo & other deserts, we could go there once a week.

[michaelb]

Had me going for a minute, I was about to ask "What do they do with it, cook it as they would rice?" I was thinking of the grain used as livestock feed. But a quick Google search made me realize that you're really referring to some kind of chocolate powder to mix with milk (at least I hope you are).

[Jeff S]

Large framed picture of Last Supper

Will a black velvet painting of Jesus playing poker with Elvis and some dogs be an acceptable substitute?

[Dave H]

Hey Ray,

Great list! I didn't see "beef loaf." If she likes beef loaf, have her bring a suitcase full, as I have not seen it in the US.

Dave

[Celtic_Jorge]

How about a Thai bride survival kit???

Could anyone conjure me up one of those?

[Ray]

Hey Ray,

Great list! I didn't see "beef loaf." If she likes beef loaf, have her bring a suitcase full, as I have not seen it in the US.

Dave

OOPS! Forgot the Beef Loaf. Thanks Dave!

But Filipinos all have their own favorite brands for those canned foods so try not to get the wrong brand. When the wife comes back from a family visit, after packing my Tanduay Rum and a few bottles of San Miguel, she will usually fill any remaining voids in her suit case with Holiday Beef Loaf & Youngstown Sardines.

Ray

[robert angel]

Re:
How about a Thai bride survival kit???

>>Could anyone conjure me up one of those?<<

Heck, that's easy, Jorge. Just start with an American Express "Black"card, platinum Visa & Mastercards and a Nissan GTR! She'll be very happy!

[Dave H]

Where's the BEEF?

I read this page yesterday http://www.pcij.org/i-report/1/beef.html. Later in the day I found myself at the supermarket (in the Philippines). I decided to check out the ingredients of the various canned meat products; beef loaf, corned beef, meat loaf, carne norte, Chinese style luncheon meat, etc. for myself. I quickly remembered why I rarely eat the stuff. I discovered a new term being used, "carabeef" (carabao), which sounds much more appetizing than "carabao" (An old, worn out, tough and stringy, sickly carabao usually comes to mind)

Dave

A few of the many popular Philippine canned foods:

[Jeff S]

Hey Dave - Don't you know that in Leviticus (I think) it says, "Thou shalt not eat canned meat." That stuff'll kill ya.

Canned saba (Japanese for mackerel) and other ao-sakana (silvery, oily fish like sardines and herring) though is great. I even make it at home. Last weekend I smoked some saba and sanma (horse mackerel) fillets, stuffed the meat into short jars, added some extra virgin olive oil, garlic, and fresh rosemary and thyme from the garden, then sealed them up and into the pressure cooker for about 10 minutes. - wow, good stuff.   

- Jeff

[Dave H]

Hey Dave - Don't you know that in Leviticus (I think) it says, "Thou shalt not eat canned meat." That stuff'll kill ya.

- Jeff

Hey Jeff,

Leviticus...I believe you are right! Deuteronomy said not to eat camels, canned or fresh.  

Whatever it is made from...I still enjoy my Deviled Ham Sandwiches!

[Howard]

Gotta add:

All varieties of Mama Sita's Marinades and Sauce Mixes
All varieties of the Knorr Soup Bases - must have Sinigong(sp?)
Chicken Boullion
Beef Boullion
Fresh Lemons/Limes
Ginger Root

Find a local vegetable market that has Green Papaya and Long Beans and you will have a heppy wife!

OHhhhhhh... and an explaination that the garbage disposal is only for little food scraps that escape the dish pan NOT for everything from Pork Bones to Paper Towels!!!  LOL

Keep the Faith!

H