Week 12: The Philippines

Guess which country is an archipelago? Who knew there were so many archipelagos in the world? Not us! Archipelago might be my favorite vocabulary word from this experiment.

The Republic of the Philippines has a tropical marine climate and is usually hot, humid, and tropical. Psh. Show offs. I'd like to get in on that action.

The country is a former colony of Spain and the United States. Spain gave it its name and its religion. The name comes from Spain's King Philip II (16th Century). And the religion? About 90% of Filipinos identify themselves as Christians, with 81% belonging to the Roman Catholic Church. (Wait, isn't that Italian and not Spanish influence?)

At any rate, what, you ask, did The Philippines get from the US? The language. You're welcome, bitches! Filipino and English are the official languages.

The current president of The Philippines is Maria Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, a professor of economics and daughter of late former Philippine President Diosdado Macapagal. She is the second female president of the country. Not only is she a woman, but she's also Filipino! Double bonus!

Speaking of female Filipinos, our sister-in-law Jill is originally from The Philippines. For our delicious meal we cooked her recipe of Chicken Adobo. Jill says everyone has different styles and techniques in cooking chicken adobo. This is hers:


Ingredients:

1 Kilo chicken or pork, cut into serving pieces
4 t soy sauce
5 cloves garlic, crushed
1 t freshly ground pepper
1 c vinegar
salt to taste
1/2 c H2O

Procedure:

Wash/clean the chicken thoroughly. Take the skin off and the fat. In the pan (a large skillet or stove top casserole), place the chicken and the H2O. Let it boil. Add the vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, pepper and salt and let it simmer 'til the chicken is tender. DO NOT STIR. Serve over rice.