What do you do for a living??

295 Responses

1. Good morning, MM! With the way you speak, it seems that you are very one very satisfied person – with your accomplishments and your life, in general. I’m so happy for you because you truly deserve what you have right now! I wish when I get to your age, I’d be feeling the same way. ^_^

   I’m a call center agent (but I’m looking for other jobs right now.) That’s why I get to read your posts as early as 6am. hehehe…

2. this is good….

   I’m 42yrs old, works in a call center here in Cebu City. I was born and raised in Marikina City, has worked with different companies in the computer industry when I was still working in Manila, had my share of meeting quotas and dealing with pressure being a Product Manager of IBM. It was 1999 when I decided to just pack up and left Manila, went to Iloilo to look for a job and start a new life. Lucky enough, I’ve landed working in an ISP company and met my husband there who is a Cebuano, transferred to Bacolod for another job and finally decided to settle down here in Cebu City. I like my job now, being a Technical Support Rep, no pressures, no quotas and no reports afterwards. After my shift, I dont have to worry about anything anymore.

3. Hi MarketMan! Lurker here! I’ve been visiting your site for more than six months now. I came across your site while looking for a panna cotta recipe. I’m a Copy Editor.

4. Hello, MM! I’m a government employee at a fairly large department that handles government resources. I always make it a point to read your posts as soon as I get to the office, which is quite early (6:30 am). When I get my daily dose of Market Manila I’m all ready to get to work because I’ve had my fill of food, cooking and places you’ve been. Hope to see more interesting posts..

5. Hi MM! It’s always facinating to read your blogs. Everytime I get on the net I make sure I go to your site first.

   Anyway I’m a Quality Assurance Engineer for a software company :)

6. I am a legal secretary for national and international law firms specializing in corporate/employer labor and employment law. I am thinking of retirement now but I still have a long way to go to be eligible for social security benefits.

7. Marketman,
   I finished high school and 2 years of college in Manila but I obtained my degrees (bachelor and masters) here in the US. I am currently an officer/ombudsman for the Attorney General of Texas….have tons of work-but I love my job….someday -I also wished to go home-permanently….of course-balik sa Pilipinas.

8. I just stumbled across your site a couple of months ago — and now i am hooked! After checking what’s current, I go back to your back entries and i have a l-o-n-g way to go. I have only tried one dish – the buffalo wings which was your perk-up meal for the kid. My hubby liked it with gusto; one downfall however is my arm getting splattered with the hot oil. I am a novice when it comes to cooking; while i have been married for almost 18 months, it was only during the last 6 months that we have a place of our own. I was lucky enough to study for a semester in new zealand – i survived on cereals, fruits, cheese and ham sandwiches, and instant noodles during my 7 months stay – that sums up my culinary skills then. Your site, as well as others – pinoy cook, 80 breakfasts – showed me that cooking can be fun.

   Re: your question. I am a civil servant, and have been with the same government agency for almost a decade.

9. Hi MarketMan,
   I am a laboratory assistant in a research company here in the south of Luzon.

10. Interesting mix of people here..*waves hello to everyone*

    Anyway I’m a Graphic Artist for a UK based charity. We feed and educate children from the dumpsites (Tondo, Navotas, Baguio and Bacolod) We have education programs for adults and livelihood programs for the community. We’re hands on so we get dirty, sweaty, stressed out and the job doesn’t pay well – but it is the most rewarding job I’ve ever had!

11. Earned my living working in accounting and management for thirty years, ran my own pastry shop in the East end of Toronto for five years and now lead a nomadic life between Canada and Southern Brazil. I also help promote the revival of the Philippine Guitar by writing about and helping publish Filipino classical music transcriptions for the solo guitar. I use a Bourgeat gratin dish for frying whole fish and polished chrome dumbells (that I can no longer use as free weights) for smashing ice and garlic.

12. p.s.

    Go and have as many fish pans as you want, MM. You deserve it. I have art supplies that costs an arm and leg but heck, if my house burns down to the ground, the only thing I will save aside from my family – our pets and my precious art supplies. I don’t care if I have to balance my easel on my head just to save it :-D

13. Hi MM! A year ago I retired from being a Solutions Manager from an IT company and now manages my home with 2 kids.

14. Hello Marketman! Though I’m quite sad that I didn’t win a jar of your now famous Kalamansi Marmalade, I do love your posts and will hang around to read them everyday (& watch out for the next tambiolo contest…hehehehe).

    After a 10-year stint in Corporate Training and Development, I traded my laser pointer with an apron. For the last 6 years, I’ve been perfecting my role as a domestic diva (read: stay-at-home Mom). I love having the extra time to experiment with food recipes I read on your blog and other foodblogs. My hubby and I do have a small business on the side (online english courses for Asians). Having been bitten by the entrepreneurial bug, we are always on the lookout for the next hit business we can get our hands on. Some of your posts have given us inspiration/light-bulb moments in our biz search.

    Keep up posts coming…and here’s to more Marketman tambiolo contests!

15. hi MM– am a physician by profession (and am licensed to practice), but never really got around to doing clinical work. was with the management team of an HMO for five years before being recruited to my current organization, a corporate foundation that does health policy consulting for government, the private sector, and multilateral agencies. on the side, i do a lot of writing/editing for magazines and websites. oh, and lest we forget, im a weekend party-boy! ;-)

    i love pork, am freaked out by frogs, and would never dream of turning vegetarian (though i adore vegetables, and have a slavish devotion to alukon in particular) ;-)

16. hi sir MM! I got hooked to your blog through Yummy magazine. I wish I could be a partial retiree at a very young age just like you. I’m a Biology teacher!

17. i’m a farmer based in ilocos norte :)

18. I’m a college instructor in Bacolod handling basic computer subjects. I usually find myself teaching students where the left and right mouse buttons are (harhar). On other days I teach them little tricks in MSWord such as using page breaks, the format painter, mail merge, find and replace and other stuff. Most of the time I let them surf the web and do research while I blog hop. I also do creative stuff. Painting, graphic design, layout, photography using borrowed cameras, writing, are some of the things I do. I’m also a partner in a small piggery with some friends and a few momma pigs and we sell the piglets before we give them cute little names and get too attached to them.

19. Hi MM! Been an avid reader of your blog for more than a year now. I’m a customer care officer in one of the real estate companies here in Manila. Keep the posts coming!

20. Hi Marketman. I’m a professional chef (I know,I know I’m just a glorified cook) currently based in Australia. I’m sure other readers would also like to read the other facets of your life (re: skeletons in your closet) Haha!

    Wow! A readership from 75 countries! That’s truly fascinating. Just wondering, where’s the most far-flung reader from?

21. I absolutely enjoy your site, MM. I check this site once in the morning before I leave for work and upon my return. I often feed off of your creativity and have the same thing for dinner as what you had for lunch! I am a VP for JP Morgan Chase Bank (Consumer Division). To unwind for the day I blog hop between favorite food sites, decide whether I want to prepare a featured recipe, and walk the two blocks to Whole Foods for fresh ingredients. Thanks to your “pre-work” and other readers’ comments, I have had very gratifying meals indeed.

22. Hi!

    am an executive secretary for an insurance company based here in alabang – our mother company is in spain. been with the company for 24 years!

    love your posts….love your recipes…

    thank you!

23. hi MM- I’m a fan of yours from Canada working full-time as an operations administrator for a real estate developer (shopping malls/office buildings) and runs a business on the side promoting medical tourism Philippines in Canada and retailing of bags & accessories made from recycled juice containers in Philippines.

    thanks for sharing your experiences, expertise and everything else worth sharing.

24. I have wonderful memories of having been involved with puppet theaters (Asian and shadow plays) and toured the Philippines as well as other part of the world through them, met a lot of interesting and world-renowned artists/mentors, became an art instructor, pr writer and yes!…a children’s book illustrator. Now, having “retired” and married quite late to my “soul mate” :-), we lead a rather isolated life (by Pinoy standards) in the mountains, seek God in every way possible and learn a lot from each other—he being an engineer in thinking and I, the one who loves naming all the animals around :-)! But now, we have somehow taken on each others’ eccentricities..but I still don’t understand how an inverter works (hee-hee!) Hello, everyone! :-)

25. Ay, what a wonderful variety of readers! So when is the next Eyeball??? I’m a freelance development worker.

26. Been a lurker for about a year now since i started working last June. Enjoyed your blogs so much and the fact that you are Cebuano. I am a Graphic Designer who works for a retail company here in Manila and I’m 23 years old. I was born and raised in the Cebu also, loved your lechon blogs. Haha!

27. Hi,the previous 15 years I’ve worked as a cosmetics consultant of a company here in Canberra but when I had my youngest daughter I left that job and set up my own company so I can work from home.

    That’s why I can post here sometimes hehehehehehe.

    audball,whereabouts in Australia are you?Just curious :)

28. It was nice reading everyone’s work profile, what a diverse set of people we have here! As for me, I belong to the popular age group of MMs readers, currently employed in a small family business who is into photography. I do a lot of stuff from managing to marketing to sometimes actually being the photographer : )

29. i am an RN (Philippine and US licenses) teaching mass communication, my real love. in two years, i WILL begin advanced studies in health communication. i so look forward to that.

30. I’m still in mourning for not winning your contest. But anyway…

    I’m a Quezon City based SAHM (stay-at-home-mom) who was previously an entrepreneur for 13 years. Traded in the whole thing to get married and have kids. Lately though, I have been forcefully thrown back into the business arena (by way of my dearly departed Dad) and am now learning the ropes of running a Mining Company with off-shore partners to boot. Whew!! That was a mouthful :)

31. How I envy your semi-retirement. I can’t wait to do that myself. Funny since I’m just in my late twenties. So there, late 20s, working as an advertising copywriter in a small agency. Slower pace than big agencies, but I like it since it gives me time to blog :D

32. Hello Market Man! I am truly enjoying your blog and its content. I live in Northern California . . . I “used” to be an Interior Designer for 12 years but the last 10 years as an admin. analyst and still at it. Argh! :-) I blog to keep in touch with thee familia back home in the Philippines as well as my friends here. Also, “blogging” to me is another form of therapy. :-) Oh well, I have to “attempt” to make your adobong pusit now. Hmmm . . . I’ll let you know if it turns out. Keep up the good work you do on your blog. Ciao . . .

33. I’m based in the Midwest now for many years, formerly a NYC resident (just like you). Educated in two worlds… a graduate of the University of the East in Manila, and of Old Dominion University in Virginia. Travelled all over Europe,the Mediterranean, the Middle East, The Caribbean, North Africa and Northern Asia for culture, cuisine and curiosity. But seriously, after all my madness is over, I would return to the Philippines for good, have a Condo in Makati or the Fort, a resthouse at the Beach and have friends and acquaintances for foods like MM cooks and displays on his website.

34. Hi MM! I love your site – very dynamic and fun! Love your recipes, found several great party menus that I’ll use for my upcoming birthday :)

    I’m a Failure Analysis Engineer for a semiconductor company, a CSI type of job time for microchips.

35. i used to be a psychometrician in a private school when i was still in the philippines. now that i am waiting ( and trying) to finish my studies here in the states, I am working as a food attendant in a posh retirement place here, it’s a bummer cause we’re not allowed to accept tips, he he.

36. I’m a newly wed who loves to cook – I think I found your site sometime last year when googling recipes :) Other than that, I’m an interior designer by course and by license, but currently in web and graphics design :)

37. Market Manila is on top of my bookmarked pages but, lately, I am finding myself reading your blog even before I read the news. I do not know how you ever find the time to write as much as you do …. but thank you for all the wonderful recipes, pictures and insights.

    I was previously a CPA and a certified information systems auditor with an accounting firm. I almost made it to partnership when I quit to get married and become an expatriate wife. We have lived in Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong, and Japan. Now, in our 40’s, my husband and I are truly enjoying life as stay-at-home parents in Houston, TX.

38. I’m a call center agent. I hate my job, and hopefully I can stick it out until next school year. I’m just saving up so I can study music.

    I love your site.

39. Hi there!
    I was born in Mapandan, Pangasinan to a wonderful set of parents. My dad was in the US Army and my mom is a domestic engineer and was an excellent cook which I did not appreciate until I moved away from home. :-(
    At 18 mos old, we moved to Oahu where my dad was stationed. When I was 5 years old, we moved to San Francisco and there I grew up until I married at 22 years old.
    I now reside in ‘America’s Finest City’, San Diego, CA.
    My 21 year old daughter attends UC Davis and I’ve been employed by the federal government as a Human Resources Specialist for the past 17 years.
    I love reading different and interesting blogs. I’m nosy like that…
    Thanks for sharing your adventures and most especially your recipes.

40. I work for the Canadian Embassy in Manila and I lust after your Viking stove.

41. Hi MM! I’ve been working for the mobile communications industry for 5 years now. I’ve also been a features writer, music critic, been part of the production team of several cable tv shows, and moderator of a TV chatroom.

    Those are my jobs, but my career is professional eater :)

    Hi everyone!

42. Hi Marketman!

    I’m a big fan of your’s. I read your blog every single day, it’s part of my daily routine already. ;-) Hehehe.

    Well, I’m a young lawyer (young being a passer of the 2006 bar exams) and I’m currently employed in a small Makati based law firm specializing in Corporate law, taxation and Labor. :-) Hehehe. Boring stuff, really. ;-)

43. I think I posted this in the other thread. Anyway, I was PR Executive before (in Manila) and now an expat wife in Korea. I am married to an American and we have two sons. I’m a graduate of Mass Communications majoring in Journalism and Advertising in La Salle University-Bacolod. I have lived all over the Philippines (Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao) because of my dad’s work assignments but I am really from Cavite City.

44. Hey. Avid reader but I hardly post. I work for a mobile applications and content provider as a senior writer and editor.

45. Hi, MM I really can’t remember how long I’ve been checking your blog on a regular basis. I found your site by accident, trying to show my husband how a makopa, tambis looks like. Needless to say, I was hooked since then, although I still blame you for the occassional cravings for makopa, santol, duhat and sineguelas. As for the fishpan, next time try fish fillets and deep friers. *sticks tongue out*. Frog legs are tasty but crickets cooked adobo is far tastier.

    I was born in San Fernando (apparently a city now) in Pampanga, moved to the US in 1997. My main source of dough, I’m a licensed Physical Therapist that loves shoving lazy and unmotivated people off their beds, most especially if your lazy and unmotivated. I’m a Harry Potter nut and yes I’ve cried several times while reading the last book, that vile of a woman called Jo Rowling. Harumph!!!!!!

46. MM,

    I’m a steel plant manager here in the fringes of Metro Manila. Would’ve wanted to try being a chef specializing in traditional Chinese food, or a man-whore, but it didn’t exactly worked out. :)

47. Hi MM, I’m an electrical engineer by education, currently working as a product and database manager for a Belgian owned manufacturer of automotive Hydraulic brake assemblies based in California, the only Filipino in this company of 250 employees. An avid reader of your site and occasionally submits short comments, though maybe not quite often enough. One suggestion, MM, write a book about all this. This is quite an amazing journal.

48. Have tried many of your tasty recipes & I’m very appreciative that you unsefishly continue to share them. I’m scared of frogs so it took me awhile to recover from the shock & to check out your blog again. Anyway, thanks for getting rid of the infamous frog shot! I’m a freelance artist, designer & illustrator. Thanks for the interesting topic & hello to you & your family MM as well as to all your avid readers!

49. i’m a former personal shopper from NYC who now lives in manila & is stay at home mom. i will soon be going back to work with my husband in our real estate company which specializes in property sales and related investment banking services. i really loved your new york posts. thanks!

50. Hi MM!
    I’m a librarian and works for a research NGO (environmental research) in QC :)

51. Hi MM! I’m 37 mother of three working as a Flight Attendant for Cathay Pacific Airways. Like you I’m an obsessed foodie, found out about your blog through Mabuhay Magazine while travelling to mnl on PAL. Been on the job for 16 years now and looking forward to my retirement when I turn 40. So like you I have been hauling loads of cookwares, dishes etc. everything I could think of to stock up my kitchen…any advice aside from the all important Fish Pan???

52. Born and raised in Iloilo. Went to school in Iloilo and then Manila. Trained in university hospitals in Manila, Miami, Pittsburgh, Edmonton. Worked for a bit in the US, before coming back to las islas Filipinas become Associate Professor of Pathology.
    Currently president of my professional society.

    I dabble in some rare plants and photography to keep me same.
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/likas_halamanan/
    I love to eat and cook.

53. Hi MM!
    I’m actually a 24-yr old fine arts student at UP. As for what I ‘do for a living’, I’m a raketeer extraordinaire: I write articles/take pictures for a broadsheet and some teen/tween magazines. I make (non-precious) jewelry, shirts and crazy accessories, and paint shoes.

54. Hello MM. I’m on vacation here in the Philippines and will be back in LA on the 2nd of August. I’m work as an ambassador and working for Royal Caribbean International for 17 years now and travelling all over the world.

    Anybody wants to go on a cruise? I’ll take care of you and be my VIP just like what I did to Whoopi Goldberg, M/M Bush, M/M Clinton and even Vilma Santos, Johnny Litton and more.

    Still I miss my simple life in the Philippines and eat turon, banana cue and guinatang bola bola.

55. I’m a software engineer working in Makati, dreaming of becoming a SAHM someday.

56. Hi MM. Wasn’t really bothered by your frog pictures. (Have tasted them and didn’t find them unique enough to crave for them again.) I work in the accounting department of a package tour operator based in southern California. Grew up in Makati, spent summers in Quezon province…came to the US after college.
    Thank you for keeping up this blog !

57. Hi MM. Glad to see such a diverse set of people from all locations. The 9 to 5 thing was never really enticing for me. So I left my work and became an entrepeneur for the last 16 yrs or so (despite the headaches!). Apart from my business w/c now requires very little monitoring i am working full time as a financial consultant/underwriter for a british insurance firm. I also dream of being able to hit retirement soon like you and just devote quality time to my family especially our 2 kids.

58. Hi Marketman and everyone else,

    I’m a mommy to an 18-month old and will be giving birth to my second, tomorrow :)

    Professionally, I’m a Banker in one of the leading banks here and helps as a “consultant-marketing strategist-salesperson-letter maker-signatory” for my husband’s business which is into the point-of-sale systems.

    Also, I love food… :)

59. Studied film/writing, found out I had no real talent in either, went home to Leyte to help out in the family business (retail), logged on to the intarwebs and found my true calling as a web developer (freelance, and truly anal about accessibility standards :p). Also gaga over my dogs (two labs, two strays)…

60. I’m an engineer working almost whole of my employment years as an ofw here in Saudi Arabia. OFW are heroes daw but basically just about everywhere I go we seems to be the toiler/lowly kinds. For one, just imagine we have to first queue outside the airport because we are ofws, and the queue are long because the POEA counter is not fully manned. I guess our government agencies like the POEA thinks that we are work bees na sanay na sa hirap that we don’t mind their lack of service! Sorry for the rant.

61. Systems Analyst here… sometimes computer programmer when duty calls.

62. I currently work for a school in Manila; previous jobs included marketing international education and college counseling, HIV/AIDS prevention program officer, esl trainer, and pizza/hamburger flipper at my college cafeteria.

    I’m curious what people’s funniest/craziest/worst jobs were.

63. And yes, I would like to own a fish pan one of these days… :) I guess am just too lazy to fry fish even though I really love it. Takot ako sa tilamsik ng sizzling cooking oil, not to mention that it makes our house smell like fried fish for hours, even if the vent is on. So grill ko na lang si fish parati. Iwas tilamsik na, healthier pa. But I’d like to own a fish pan some day :)

64. hey MM! i thought i was the only underpaid slave of the family biz..but there you go =).i also manage our real estate firm for my siblings. hoping for a change though, 9 years on the job is a bit too long for me. that’s why i focus my excess energy on cooking, fish pans, table settings..

    i’d also like to say hey to everyone. nice to know that despite the different fields and different countries, we have a common denominator, food! =)

65. I’m retired from USMC but presently working for US Postal service dahil kulang ang kita, pag retire ako ulit uwi na ako diyan sa atin baka kasya na yong kita ko.MM. Cebu ay maganda daw maraming seafood.

66. Hello, MM. I am a daily reader, and a long time lurker. I’ve posted a few comments in your site, but mostly enjoy reading the fascinating and enriching feedbacks from other readers. I was born and raised in the Philippines, got curious, drew lines on a paper map of the world and just got lost in it. When I settled, I decided to live and work in Southern California, commuting between Orange and LA counties.
    I work as an HR Director most days, and part-time in film distribution, with special interest in European arthouse cinema. On my spare time, meaning out of my office, I attend school fulltime and currently attempting to finish my training as a psychotherapist. Call it a bit crazy, but I still find time to paint, work on my ceramics and cook a LOT! I dream of visiting home in time for one of your fantastic Eyeball events. When days are hectic,I find comfort in sinigang and abodo. I love the Philippines, I miss it sometimes. I know I am homesick when I cook up a scandalous batch of Filipino food (mostly obscure regional food that are not usually offered in the fastfood places around here). Hey! I am in SoCal, and Pinoy food is available in almost every area code, so I feel compelled to whip up something special everytime friends crave Filipino food. For that, I thank you. You’ve given me endless ideas and wonderful food notes to share on the table.

67. I’m a dermatologist who secretly dreams of opening a nice Filipino resto here in Toronto. I don’t own a fish pan (yet) but I’m in the market for one :-) Thank you MM for making me feel that Manila is not too far away. Toronto is a great foodie destination, but there are just some things from back home that cannot be replaced. Keep up the excellent work! BTW, you inspired me to start up my own blog. Thanks for that too :-)

68. one day, I got hit by a hammer in the head, and had this crazy idea of putting up a restaurant when I come back home, I hit search and your website keep on popping up. I was hooked. =o)

    Hi Marketman,, Im 23, a PDA repair technician in Taiwan. Your pictures and recipes keeps me hungry. Keep it up.

69. I hold a 24/7 job. Perhaps the hardest job there is…Stay-at-home-mom to an almost 7 months old wonder (boy). I’m based in Dubai and was previously an Events & Meeting Planner for 4 years until late ’06. I love good food (and a good blog) and was once googling for something until I found yours. It’s added on to my Favorites list and has become one of my most daily visited sites. You have such diverse readers coming from all walks of life, it’s amazing. You should publish a recipe book you know. And oh, I’m 27 yrs young ;)

70. Talaga Danney! I would like to go on a cruise. Kaya lang, in my experience, parang “kung mangarap ka’t magising” lang palagi. The only cruise adventures I can lay a claim on are a research cruise in college, the usual boat travel around the country and being a Bantay Dagat in Tungawan, Zamboanga Sibugay. Hahaha…and speaking of this exotic, exciting place that you must have heard more often these days, other fascinating places that have also been in the news like, Tipo-Tipo, Sumisip (and other Basilan municipalities); Payao, Tuburan, etc. in the Zamboanga Peninsula and Daram and Villaba in Samar, I have been to. Very exciting, very challenging, I tell you. Some of these I have already mentioned in my previous posts. As a coastal management practitioner and development facilitator, I get carried away sometimes. Like a simple idea that started with MM’s kalamansi marmalade has turned into one that has a very real possibility in my development efforts in partnership with the people (as well as appropriate organisations) and the local government(s) concerned.

    Have only gone abroad a few times. But I have practically been all over the Philippines in the course of my profession. And my advantage over some of those in the same field, I thrive in unlikely places and dare go in and investigate and interact with communities in every nook and cranny of the area I am assigned in. And I mastered skills, apart from research, along the way.

    Actually, in the past few years, I have been more a full-time homemaker than a paid professional. But a coastal practitioner and development facilitator I still am–pro bono nga lang. Hence, hirap financially (So malabong maka-join sa mga eyeball events.) but full of love and compassion still. Masaya, enjoy to read all of MM’s posts and interacting with other readers/site visitors.

    Cheers to you MM and my co-readers.

71. I’m 23 and was born and raised in Lucena City, Quezon and now working for a below-the-line ad agency. I am into photography, painting, antiques and cooking.

    Hope to build my own beach house someday and would definitely invite MM for a round of lambanog. Tagay!

72. I’m a wife and mom first and foremost, and a pediatrician by profession. Born in Cebu, went to Manila for med school, trained in NYC and now practicing in WA state! I have been fortunate enough to join a practice that understands why I want to work part-time :)
    And wow, such varied interests and professions among your readers! Hi to everyone!

73. ello MM!

    i was born in bacolod city, but now residing in Metro Manila. I work as technical support representative in SYKES Asia. and i have been an RSS reader of this blog.

74. hi MM! i’ve been an avid reader of your site for almost a year and a half now. Though ive never left comments before, i am truly, a fan of yours. I am 21, born and raised in manila, I graduated HRM from UST a year ago, took a one year break before looking for work and ended up moving to iloilo to help my dad run for mayor of his hometown in iloilo. Currently, i am part owner of our family owned restaurant here in iloilo, though i am still in search of what i am destined to do with my life. hehe. Do come for a visit when you’re here in iloilo. :) cheers.

    The Mango Tree Restaurant, Iloilo.

75. I’m an OFW, stationed in Middle East, working in a Retail Industry as an Assistant Buyer,,used to work in a goverment office in Manila when I was a fresh graduate in college.

    Great day!

76. a mother of one, ECE by license but working as a Tech support engineer in an antivirus company in QC.

    a mountaineer, hiker, wannabe-biker and trying hard-to-be-a-runner.

    a lover of good food, some drinks and lots of laughs.

    trying(and failing)to lose the weight gained from having a baby and sitting too long infront of a computer.

    wants to win the lotto so I can retire and travel. =)

    Hello to all!

77. Training and OD Manager.

    Life Coach

    and NLP practitioner :-)

78. Ney ho! I’m a Consumer Credit Risk officer in the Asia Pacific Regional office in one of BIG banks here in Hong Kong. As I’m also a full-time “DH” of my husband, I make it a point to check your website everyday during lunch break so that I am updated with Filipino food and adventures. And yes, I’m also affected with the current exchange rate but anyway that’s life not that I am complaining. =)

79. Revving and burning tires in the rat race of fast paced Silicon Valley. Earning my keep as one of the Sales & Marketing lemmings for a vast high tech firm famous for its “garage.” Grew up partly in Davao but spent most of my years in sunny CA. Would love to follow your footsteps in retiring while young and hip… however the shackles of the valley is tough to break.

80. Hello, MM! I’m a marketer for a food manufacturing firm, and I’m based in Manila. I’m a foodie at heart. = )

81. I am a thirty-five-year-old family practice physician in Seattle. I spent the first four years of my life in the Philippines with my family while my father was stationed there.

    My best friend of over twenty-five years is half-Filipino and can not cook to save his pitiful soul. His wonderful mother reintroduced me to Filipino dishes and has been keeping my belly very happy ever since.

    My wife and I share many passions, with food (eating, preparing, sharing, and history) topping our list—a trait you and all of us readers here happily share as well.

82. Dutchman living in England. Trained chef but making a living driving a 44 ton semi. Interested in food, with a fondness for the south-east asian kitchen and specialising in Indonesian food.
    Daily visitor and amazed at the amount of posts you manage to put out. Keep it up.

83. Thanks MM for initiating sort-of roundtable introductions!

    Graduated AdMU in 1987 then moved to the US in 1988. Lived in SoCal, Honolulu-Hawaii, Austin-Texas, and now Portland-Oregon. Can you imagine the regional influences in my (and my family’s) tastebuds?

    Been in the systems development/support tech sector all my professional life and currently serving as a Senior Manager in a global outsourcing company. My tech job then and now has sent me to many places. My favorite part of the travels — why, the meal allowance of course!

    I love pork — most specifically I have been craving lechon lately. There is no convenient source in my area. (Thanks Anthony Bourdain for your No Reservations travel to Indonesia’s feature on roast Balinese pig!) I do love cooking, baking, and gardening. Friends and people at work have always raved about my creations. (Or maybe they just fear the consequences in the workplace…)

    I’m amazed at the diversity and distribution of your readers!!! Maybe some meet-ups for those in the same area to do food crawls???

84. Greetings everyone!
    I’m an artist and a college professor in Brooklyn, NY.
    I’m ok with pork, I used to be a vegetarian (until I dated my husband), and I’ve enjoyed frog legs (in Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya). I’d probably own a fish pan if I had a place to store it. NY: sooo little apartments, sooo many good places to eat!

85. hi MM!

    i work as a sales analyst based in parañaque but would really prefer to just cook and eat! hehe..

86. Hey guys! I can’t believe I only stumbled on this site today. It really resonates with many of the things in my life right now–like finding great food, having great conversation with old and new friends, and discovering more of the world everyday. Ayos! Great site, keep it up Marketman.

    Ay onga pala. I’m 31, female, writer. Mabuhay! (insert Ms. Universe pose here)

87. I’m a senior network engineer and I do network implementations for my company. The job involves quite a bit of travel – mostly around the US but also to Canada and Latin America.

    When I grow up I want to be a full-time couch potato. :-)

88. MM, I am an avid reader of your blog. I am the President and General Manager of a Fifty Two Year Old Insurance Brokerage Firm in San Francisco. A Lot of hard work has paid off to be able to run and manage this company in a very White Male oriented industry. I was born in Mandaluyong, grew up in Hong Kong and went to school at Tulane University in New Orleans. I am what you call a hibernating gourmet, I can cook and cook well but only do so if a strange hankering strikes me which is about every six months. I love cooking gadgets from all over the world. Paella Pan from Spain stuffed in a suitcase. A tangine from Morroco hand carried carefully. A copper Tarte Tatin pan from Paris. The problem is I probably use them once if not at all. My garage is filled with Gelato makers, panini grills and other gadgets that gather dust. I do have a copper pan specifically used for poaching fish and that one I used more than once. MM, I am a great admirer and want to say thank you for the hours of enjoyment over the last couple of years that I have visted your site.

89. This is so interesting! I’m a graduate of UCLA (+ 1 sem of studying abroad at UP-Diliman). I work in the Customer Operations group of a fun dotcom based out of the Silicon Valley.

90. Hi MM, i’m working as consultant in a government office. Happy wife and mom and a great admirer of yours :)

91. Hi Marketman!

    I worked as a Systems Analyst/Designer back when “IT” was commonly as “EDP” and the World Wide Web was just taking off in popularity. I left that to help manage the family business and am still involved with it.

    Right after reading the local papers and checking out the CNN website, your website is the first in my daily checklist. Your various travel posts help me travel vicariously!

92. hello! 24, based in manila but will be moving to canada in two yrs. licensed chemical engineer.

    science research specialist at DOST-ITDI. nature of the work basically involves helping micro-, small-, and medium-scale enterprises/industries (MSMEs) improve their production in terms of cleaner production, envi management systems, etc.

    i was previously a research assistant in my university while i was taking my master’s degree in environmental engineering.

    i’ll be transferring to an envi consultancy firm in two months time.

    soon-to-be wife and someday… a mom (after 4 yrs pa sana :D ) i want to retire early as well (i hope!).

93. Banker for many years, then, retired or resigned? and joined my hubby in his company. He says I’m the BOB…boss of the boss. I own a fish pan and I love to cook for the men in my life. My youngest said I spoil them…with food! Actually, a strategy also to make them love staying at our home rather than the mall or other people’s house. I’ve tried some of your recipes…always goood!

    What an interesting mix of professions but tied with a common thread…love for cooking!

94. I toyed with the idea of cooking for a living but never really got there. The closest would be a few orders for a couple of parties. I was involved with sales and marketing in the telecoms industry for 8 years, currently i work as a senior analyst in recruitment doing metrics.

95. I’m 25, a Biologist/Scientist by education but retired from it after a year. Chose not to take further studies in Medicine, I landed helping out our family owned business..food that is, but not for long. For the last 3 years I am in a telecom company doing marketing and consultation which requires work day & night..I feel old!! I am now torn between choosing a path back into scientific studies, take a scholarship grant in a Calif university plus a part time cancer researcher job or stay with telecom. Either way, it makes one feel old no?

    Frogs dont freak me, it must be the other way around…I freak them out?!? I’m occasionally vegetarian, and pork is the least kind of meat I eat.

96. Hello Marketman.. I’m 23 years old working as an Account Executive/Liaison Officer in a financing company for almost a year now. My background is really in Marketing, but with my exposure in this Financing company, I am now interested to dwell into the complicated yet exciting world of Finance.. You can probably give me tips.. ;)

97. Parang nakakahiya nang magpakilala dito =P

    Seen a lot of overseas readers here and great profession too. Anyway, I’m presently working as Marketing Asst in an Importer of Animal supplement based in QC. Baking and cooking is my passion since I was in younger years. I start getting serious about my baking ang cooking when I get married six years ago.

    At least, may guinea pig ako…who will be always happy to eat all my cooks and bakes without any hesitation….=)

    any takers?

98. OH MY GULAY!!! Almost 100 comments in less than 6 hours (a record pace I think) during the work day in Manila and while most folks in North America are still asleep!… Yahoo! You guys are too cool, such interesting jobs, such a wide spread of interests! Keep those comments coming, and a record 30% of you are commenting for the FIRST TIME, a great way to persuade lurkers to emerge from the woodwork! This is really cool… Maraming maraming salamat!!!

99. being a physician is my primary source of livelihood but being a parent to two lovely young girls is my real job.I am a herbivore and havent eaten pork for almost a decade now.

100. I have been a banker half of my life. I love to read food blogs (market manila is my favorite, of course) and food magazines, collect recipes and cook them sometimes, and best of all, eat!!!

101. I work as a trader in a stock brokerage firm :)

102. Corn-fed and Cebu-bred…I’m an architect, now living in Los Angeles(an amazing foodie town!)

103. Hi MM! I’m a director in a Media Sales/Consultancy firm :) I used to be a sales correspondent for the same firm which had me based around Europe for almost 2 years. I’ve also worked in a fantastic (ok, a little bias here) bookstore in Manila. My first job was with a bank. I’ve also written for a local magazine part time.

     When I got married I made sure to register for a fish pan because of your post and I have not once regretted it! It is the exact same shape as a boneless bangus, one of my top fish to eat and a favorite of my husband too! :) It’s getting a lot of mileage :)

     Certified pork lover here!!!

104. I’m 36 years old working as F&B Cost Controller in one of the de luxe hotels here in Makati. Your site is (1)like a wikipedia for new products I’m not familiar with, (2) helps in verifying food products in season or if available in the local market, (3) helps broaden our knowledge in recipes, and (4) appreciate your survey on grocery prices. On our 30-member association (HRCCAP), we compare prices, industry practices, menus, etc. I was thinking of inviting you one time as our guest speaker during one of our monthly meetings, if its fine with you. Thanks – Noel

105. Hallo! I stumbled onto your blog when I was looking for sources of Kaffir here in the Philippines. My family and I had cooking lessons in Thailand (obviously, we learned how to cook Thai food), and when we came back to the Philippines we couldn’t figure out where to get the ingredients or what substitutes to use. So, thanks to the Kaffir leaves, I discovered this awesome blog. Hahaha!

     Like Yan-I, I’m a software Q.A. engineer for an IT company based in Makati. (Pretty boring…) I wish I could say something like…I’m a dive master based in Palawan. blahblahblah. Oh well. :P Hehehe I just graduated last year…lotsa time to do other things. By the way, this is my first job! hahaha!

     Ciao!

     PS: I am also depressed because I didn’t win the kalamansi marmalade contest. Darn it! I already had my menu planned. :P hahahaha!

106. Hi MM, I enjoy reading your blog and other food blogs out there. I work in financial services in HK and I love the variety of restaurants and food products available here.

107. hi mm. i am 34 years old, work in a bank but cook and bake during weekends. =)

108. I am a team lead for an IT company thats based worldwide. I thanks Marketman, Lorie of DessertComesFirst and Anton for openning my eyes to the different food places in the metropolis, I’ve also tried your recipes for chicken inasal and my family loved it. More power to your site.

109. I’m 24 and I’ve been working as a part-time call center agent in Marikina for 2+ years, after finishing BS Human Biology. Soon I will work as a medical proofreader in a transcription company. Those are my sidelines, as I am just waiting for the nursing board exam results coming mid-August.. hope I pass! :)

110. Hello, again. We are such a diverse and lovely bunch. So much love!! It’s very heartwarming just to read through all the responses. It affirms my belief that wherever I end up in this planet, may kapwang Pilipinong babati sa akin. I feel like I’ve been introduced to everyone in a great welcome party. Hey, MM! You really know how to throw a good one, even online. Look at what you’ve done ;). It was great reading a bit about everyone. Thank you guys!

111. Hi, MM! I’m 42 and worked in the last 5 years as aid worker, taking me to places of disaster and conflict in far-flung areas and having had the chance to sample various cuisine in my course of travels (work-related or not). Sad to say, I am not so impressed with western and central african food. Very much meat-based…Before that while there, I worked for an NGO providing health services to political prisoners and displaced refugees. I am currently on a break (almost 14 months now), re-discovering the kitchen in that time. Luckily, my partner is quite supportive and also loves to cook.

112. Human Resources Manager, dabbled in regional work and now back in Manila. Not much of a cook and bakes only sporadically but still, a daily visitor of Market Manila.

113. I’m from the UK (a kind of reverse OFW!) and have lived in different parts of the Philippines for about 5 years now – long enough to consider this wonderful country home. I work within the travel sector in Manila. My partner and I just had our first baby so we are very happy with life. Thanks for the blog MM, I found my way to it a year or so ago and have found it fascinating. This Englishman has learnt a great deal about food,local interests and culture from you and your readers and it daily increases my appreciation of where I live. I recommend the blog to all that I meet.

114. i’m a 25 year old public servant at the main office of the country’s biggest department. been working here for almost 5 years now. i love your site :)

115. am a free-lance trainer/consultant based in davao city. my work brings me to many places and many types of food all over. we have a small pastry shop and a baking supplies store here in this beautiful city that i so love.

116. Im a media planner/buyer working for a multinational media agency. I put the commercials on-air (TV-Radio) and on-print. You wouldn’t get to see those commercials without us. Hehehe

     Im a certified foodie. and stumbled upon ur site and am addicted reading and drooling over it…Ãœ

117. I am 55yrs old and am managing a textile company that does fancy straps for the intimate apparel industry and we supply the major makers around the world. My factory is in laguna

118. I’m currently unemployed (and looking for a job!) and fresh from passing the April 2007 ECE Licensure exam. I’m a BS-ECE graduate of DLSU Manila.

119. Oh yes its Oh My Gulay MM, I bought the April edition of Yummy and I saw a pic of a man wearing a hat, yellow green pants, a nice white shirt hehehe, and that’s where I found your site, so I peeked and its nice…and now, I’m here, by the way, I work as an event organizer.

120. Hi MM,
     I’m a long time lurker here in your site. I’m a PCB Design Engineer working here in Singapore. Originally from Bacolod City and worked in Cebu for 5 yrs before moving to Singapore. I always read your blog first thing every morning. God bless you and your family :)

121. Hi there! I am a lawyer by profession,currenly involved in a judicial reform project funded by the Canadian government. Started out looking for recipes for my very picky eater husband but got hooked on the non-food blogs, fish pans and frogs included. Currently looking for recipes for my 6 month old daughter about to start on solids; a post on “gourmet”(organic) baby food would be much appreciated :)

122. I have been reading your blog for a year already…and I am a travel agent=)

123. I am a meeting & event manager for an international law firm – I organize their annual and other regional meetings that are held in different parts of the world. My team travels to conduct site visits of the hotels where meetings will be held and meet with different suppliers and service contractors who work with us for our meetings.

124. So interesting, the job and geographical profiles of your readers!
     I am based in HK, used to be a cook/caterer/consultant in Manila, became a stay-at-home mom for 2 years, and now work part-time teaching cooking and baking to kids in various schools. I also teach Pinay helpers (in Tagalog, which they think is cool considering most classes here are taught by people with funny, very distinct or difficult- to- understand accents!) . It’s fun, fulfilling, and allows free time to read great blogs like yours, blog a bit myself, spend ages in bookstores and gourmet foodshops, and have fun foodtripping with friends who are as passionate about food as I am.

125. I’m 21, studying Psychology in ADMU :) Sidelines: selling puppies and volunteering for a few organizations. Love your blog!

126. MM,

     I’m a mainframe programmer!

127. my tokyo-based sister led me to your site. i grew up in hot and spicy naga but am now based in loyola heights where i study and teach. i am hoping to be ordained priest in april, on my 11th year in the society of jesus. i do daily text reflections for GOODNEWS 2346 mobile phone feature. “misa’ as well as “mesa” always gets our jesuit community together! spicier days ahead, marketman :-)

128. I’m a government lawyer here in the philippines

129. My career path was similar to yours- grew up in Quezon City, went to the US for college, worked initially for government, then an NGO, then a research firm, then various investment banks in four different countries, Hong Kong for the longest time. Spent way too much time in hotels and planes. Ate well almost everywhere but realized that there’s no match for Asian food! Quit the industry three years ago and moved to Spain for a long sabbatical. Got a phone call out of the blue from a friend of a friend recruiting me to move back to Manila and work for the government. I took it, and am still here, at one of the economic agencies. Thrilled to be back in the Philippines, but working for the government is the toughest thing I’ve ever done, and I ask myself all the time whether it’s worth it.

     I miss Spanish chorizo, and the amazing food of Hong Kong, but love being able to eat spanking fresh bangus as often as I’d like.

130. I’m in my mid 30’s and a homeschooling mom. Just finished my master’s degree a year ago(after 10 years of being a housewife…tinkering in the kitchen, trying A LOT of recipes). I love what I do now(liking the subjects I hated 13 yrs ago from college)after I went back to school. I’M a “multi-task” crafter AND MY DAYS ARE FULL and I’m happy.

131. I’m 31, I supply hotel and restaurant furniture so eating out becomes a necessity.

132. Im a writer/editor by profession but life has forced me to seek a change (mostly because Im tired of being underpaid and I need to bring home my share of the bacon!). Many options, but still undecided as the what the change will be! Btw, Im a 32-yo mother of sons based in Manila.

     I would love be an aid worker like nunasapunso. So noble and giving! I think I need the services of George the Life Coach.

133. I’m 57 years old . . . Office Manager in the telco subsidiary of a major utility firm in Metro Manila . . . with 3 happily married daughters who have given me 4 granddaughters in San Francisco, New York, and Connecticut (I call them my Benetton grandkids) . . . a son who works in the legal department of the same utility firm . . . and a husband who has retired from the same firm. When my son was 7 years old, he asked me to write down my recipes in a notebook that he labeled “Recipies of Mama” for his future wife and kids. I’d rather buy a cookbook or a kitchen gadget than clothes or shoes, which is why I enjoy your posts on fish pans and grape scissors. More power to you, MM.

134. UP law student here!

     i literally have to read more than i can carry… your website offers much needed reprieve from all the codals and cases :)

135. im a corporate banking head of a large universal bank based in makati cbd…

136. Hi there MM! Well, let me sum it up this way: Industrial Engineer by profession, Senior Paralegal by vocation, Caterer by passion!

     And thanks to your site, you provide me with new inputs and ideas for catering events and functions. Especially challenging here for me since my main thrust is to introduce the Filipino classic dishes to an international clientele. Washington DC is a such a hodge podge of culture and it is gratifying that my international clientele gets to learn and appreciate that there is food outside of Chinese, Japanese and Thai when one says Asian.

137. I’m 26 going to 27 years old. I homeschool my one and only child. I’m a medical office assistant by profession but homemaker by vocation. I’ll be going back to school soon (God’s willing) to get my associate degree in HIT health information technology. I’ve just move down here in the eat coast from west coast. Enjoying the summer and having a blast.

138. I’m 25,a Sociology graduate student and social researcher living in Makati. I’ve eaten grilled dragon flies with the Mangyans for merienda, ate unknown but edible vegetables to survive in the mountains. Lived in some small islands with fisher folks to research on youth. I adore obscure films (eg german silents), russian lit and intergalactic music. Oh, and I also sell shirts because I realized that Sociology could only feed my mind/spirit but not my body.

     PS. I love you ensaidmada posts and your single use implements. Damn, I envy the winners of the kalamansi marmalade!

139. Hi MM!!

     I’m a Records Officer for a NSW govt agency in Australia. I used to work as an Executive Asst to an oil company prior to migrating to Australia.
     As everyone else, I’m an avid fan and there is not without a day that I don’t read your column. Cheers, Gina

140. Hello MM, Im 36 yrs old married with a 6yr old makulit son and my wife is 7mos pregnant with a baby girl (hope they read the US accurately.) Im a cardiology/oncology nurse @ the university of michigan hospital. born and raised in naga city and my dad is from cebu. I love reading your blog everyday. cooking is my passion and maybe Ill open up a small turo-turo joint before I retire..reading your blog gives me the inspiration to do just that. thanks.

141. i’m an ic mask layout engineer, just learned how to cook when i got married and left for ireland almost seven years ago…….

142. i’ve been reading your blog for 4 months now and i’ve been “tuning” to it everyday….you’ve grown on me na.i’m a FTM – full time housewife. in between cooking, running errands, etc i squeeze in checking out your blog.

143. Hi MM,

     I’m 25 Years old. Graduate of Hotel and Restaurant Management. now working in one of the biggest call center in Makati. I’ve been a reader of this wonderfull blog for almost a year. so there… More power! :D

144. 27 years old… medical resident down south… :)

145. Currently in mourning after having to move into an oven-less flat. I’d kill to have a fish pan.

     Worked as a talent caster for JWT and as a producer/writer/director for Batibot and Nickelodeon back in Manila. Now working for an international school in Shanghai as a teacher.

146. Hi MM!! I am 31 years old, based in NJ and work as an exec asst to the Investments Director of a large foundation. Been in the US for 7 years. You are my first website of the day when I log in at work. I love reading your posts!

147. Worked as a physical therapist for a year. Currently working as copy editor. Hoping to be a SAHM soon.
     Say, Marco, from what company are you?

148. im now a SAHM… working part time from the home for my Brother in law’s business. i am a teacher by profession and i also worked with my dad for the family business when i was still in Manila

149. Hi MM! Ive been reading your blog since January. I really enjoy your posts. Im a doctor practicing in the south of manila, mom to 2 kids… and I don’t have any idea how to cook or bake. I just love watching cooking shows and reading food blogs like yours. I hope to somehow try it out in the future.

150. Hi MM

     been a lurker on your site for quite some time now. i’m 31, from Toronto Canada and a technical writer for an insurance company. I started visiting your site because i figure it’s about time i learn how to cook filipino food seeing as my is getting to her golden years. Seems that i could cook everything BUT filipino food. Luckily that’s changed now!!

151. I’m 24 nurse here based in ILLINOIS.I work in a Oncology Unit in Hospital. I’ve been reading your blog for more than a year now and this is my first time to comment.I love your website nawawala ang pagka homesick ko kahit kaunti.Thanks again!

152. THANKS for doing this, MM. Always wondered what your readers do. And thanks too, to Apicio! Next to MM’s posts I enjoy reading your comments the most!

     I’m originally from the university town of Los Banos, Laguna and now work as a special events manager for Penn State.

153. i’m 31, mother of four,
     school canteen operator/ semi educator,
     a certified foodie and gourmand wanna-be!

154. I’m database administrator for a company in Virginia. I come to your site to check what’s new in Manila and relay it to my relatives who are in the Philippines.

155. Hello everyone,
     I’ve been a lurker here for a time,then managed to post messages twice and that’s it.(It’s because I’m too lazy to write )Like everybody, I’m hooked!
     I’m a stay at home wife and mother of a thirteen yr.old girl. I taught for ten years in private schools in the Phils,till I met my French hubby
     I have been living here in France for 17 years now but I sometimes dream too of having a simpler life back home(PI)eating green mangoes and bagoong.
     Many thanks MM for all the wonderful posts, what would I read if you stop?

156. I’m an IT consultant based in Singapore, specializing in SAP.

157. Everyone seems to have an exciting life!

     I already want to ask about the cruise, the resto furniture, the rare plants and the online writers.

     Hi MM. I’m a lawyer by profession but I quit that rat race. I am now a project coordinator for a BPO. I dream of being a stay at home mom and baking dreamy cakes.

158. I’m 42 years old, a CPA-Lawyer, VP-Legal of a multinational company in Ortigas Center. I like eating especially in restaurants but I do not know how to cook!!!

159. doctoral student (theology) on the East Coast; reads blogs to procrastinate :-)

160. I moved to the US in the early 90’s. I have a degree in Anthropology and historic preservation from the University of Pittsburgh. I worked in academic advising and admissions committee for a large univeristy for a total of 7 years.

     I am changing careers and decided to follow the footsteps of my father, mother, and sister to become a doctor. I’m currently taking post bac pre med courses. I am planning to begin medical school in Manila in June 2008. My wife and I are looking forward to living in Manila for 4 years while I get through medical school. Hopefully one day we can attend on of the Market Manila meets.

     I found this blog while looking for dinner ideas a couple of years ago. Thanks Marketman.

161. Another lurker here. I mustered the courage to make a single post in the past 6 months. 44 yo/F/M/Cebu. CPA (Phil and Illinois) worked in the US for 5 years before throwing in the towel and relocated back to Asia. ANother year in Japan before deciding to finally settle back in Cebu – (there IS JUST NO place like HOME). Current job:Controller
     Just wondering, if I’ll be the last post of the day (at 10:15 pm – Phil. time). Do I get the last bottle of Kalamansi Marmalade probably sitting at the back of your cupboard MM? (I can see you shaking your head- hmmm I knew that was a long shot)
     Patrick , I hope you pass your Nursing exams. And to naghihingalo – it must be difficult to constantly motivate yourself but where would we all be if we don’t have special people like you who are willing to do public service? Aside from our OFW’s to me there are a lot of unsung heroes in government. Sincere and hardworking. We just don’t get to see or hear from them. Whatever it is you are doing for all of us, thank you.
     MM, I can never thank you enough for … well, everything.

162. MM,

     A long time reader since I read about your site from an INQ7 article. Born and raised in Laguna, immigrated to US after graduating from UST and now live in Southern California (LA area). I am 41 years old and an IT Programmer/Analyst for a hospital chain. My wife is a an accountant and a Controller for a copier company. Lucky enough to work 2 ½ miles from home. Used to be an IT Director and consulting (consult when I want to and no travel clause) but had to slow down when we had 2 girls and 2 boys (18 year old college student, 14 year old high school freshman, 10 year old 5th grader and a 5 year old kindergarten). I was planning to retire at 40 but somehow the children’s education (all in private school) became imperative. My wife and I emphasize the importance of education to the kids because we consider this as our inheritance to them that no one else can take away.

     Cooking and gardening is my passion. Love your recipes and tried them at home for the family and friends. Missed my Nanay’s home cooked meals. She wrote down some of her recipes for me when they went back to retire to the PI.

     Jr.

163. hi all! i’m a pediatric occupational therapist =)

164. I work for a local bank but was a stay-at-home mom for a couple of years. During that time, I was able to spend more time in the kitchen.

165. I’m a chef,I cook it and he eats it:)I have been living in Australia for the past 30 years and loving it! To be a fully-blown-Aussie,you have to eat 10 blow-flies,but I have only managed 7 so far,hahaha!:)

166. I’m a 35-year old writer/managing editor of a newsletter.
     I bake using cake mixes.

167. I’m a systems analyst in one of the biggest airlines here in the US with an ambition to be an SAHM soon. I moved here Nov ’96 after working for a software company in Manila for three years.

     I discovered your blog just a few months after you started it and have been hooked ever since. I’m was lurker until now. I love your adobo recipes as well as your features on your different travels most especially your travels around the Phils. I hope to go to those places one day when I have the time and money to do so. My cookbook collection has grown also because of you ;-).

168. I am an avid reader, even on a very tight project schedule(like now) I still find time to read your posts. I am an IC layout engineer working in UK for more than 6 years now.

169. oh my… chief stewardess, crew cook, purser helping on deck when needed…jeeves a jack of all trade.
     studied politics and international relations in Greece, Cebuana and a proud one!!!

     Blogging every where in the med
     Hoping to do open some kind of training for future stewardesses or housekeepers how to do silver service, do proper laundry, butler jobs.

170. 30-yr old high school teacher in inner-city Los Angeles, CA and loving it.

171. Wow! What a wealth of experience you have here at your fingertips. Great idea MM! I was once a brand manager for fragrances and cosmetics for Rustan’s in Manila. Now I am a paralegal for a boutique (that’s what they call firms of our size here in the US) law firm in south NJ.

172. Hi MM, I love your blog. I currently work for the LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moet Hennesy) Group of Co. as their regional makeup artist.

173. Nice, I can do the same thing you did, retire at an early age.

     I’m living in Edmonton Alberta and I stumbled unto your webpage while looking for Pinoy blogs to appease my home sickness. Luckily I saw your Palawan Market article and from there on I kept on coming back to read your blog. Oh! and I work as an IT Support, but i’m a fine arts grad.

174. one more lurker, flushed out again…
     am a 34 y.o. banker and mom of 2 girls, originally from manila, now based in iloilo.
     katherine of The Mango Tree, love your restaurant, though i havent been there for a while =D

175. Oh my, oh my….this is the only blog I read and I’m very proud to say that the participants seems to be all very decent individuals. I had fun seating in front of the computer reading all what people do for a living.
     I’m 48 years old, a very successful nurse lives with my family in the state of Connecticut. I always say my prayers everyday especially when I’m driving my Mercedes Benz and BMW. I thank the LORD above for giving me such blessings. Life is too good for me, can’t ask for more.

176. Hello MM. I also worked for a large financial institution (a subsidiary of which was the subject of a previous MM rant, think: credit card – but before i get some raised eyebrows from fellow readers let me just clarify that i was with another business and not with ‘bank’) which goes to say that i too had a share of how it is to sometimes work 15-16 hours straight, 10 hours on a ‘usual’ day.

     im an engineer by education but always imagined myself becoming a poet and novelist.

     currently, im a business solutions consultant of a US software development company.

     bottomline is, im 24 and im really not sure what i am and been doing. =D

177. a daily reader of your blog, but first time to post…. Economist by degree, but a Corporate Sales Manager (aka corporate slave for 12 years) for a multinational pharmaceutical company before retiring at 34 in 2006. Now I do freelance management consulting, and executive and life coaching. I am also afflicted with a disease called itchy feet, travelling has been one of my passions. And I am learning how to cook. Your blog is a sui generis!

178. This is really pretty interesting. For a person like me who is still very much searching her place under the sun, reading about all these people — what they do for a living, what they enjoy doing in life, etc — it shows me many possibilities.

     In the meanwhile, in my mid-thirties, I work in front of a computer as a Financial Analyst in L.A.

     Hello everyone! This blog is awesome (I am sure MM is beaming with pride!) but the contributions, posts and comments make it even better!

179. I work for an art gallery in NYC.

180. Mr. MM, I am a constant reader of the site for the last two years. An IT consultant previously based in Toronto now in Victoria, BC. Your blog is awesome and the accompanying pix never cease to amaze me.

181. In support of Marketman’s request, I’m in my 30s, runs a school, hires expat teachers for public and private school posts.

182. Hi, MM! this site is really addicting; everytime I read it from my work, I’m loaded with new recipies and an awesome appetite( your pictures are awesome). My family considered as the best cook that ever lived(haha) until Market Manila.

     By education, graduated BSCE at Mapua, but worked since 1982 until 1998 as a Software Engineer/Developer for the second largest software company in the world next to Microsoft(reputedly that time). Left the company when my boss told me that they own me including my weekends. Currently employed as a Sr Software Engineer here in Nor Cal for a prestigious and one of the largest wine company. Planned to retire before I turned 55 but wala pang pera to go back home to the Cavite.

     Keep up the good work!

183. I used to be a purser for an international commercial airline based in the Middle East for 16 years. I think it was such a blessing to have the opportunity not only to earn good money and learning to be independent..but the best perk of this job was to experience travel,learn about cultures,not to mention tasting all kinds of food! One good advice I learned from travel bug colleagues was to “learn to eat what’s local and you’ll never go wrong,because they cook it so well.” Thats why I can totally relate to your blogs about food sites to this or that country..even the flower and plant bits remind me of my many leisurely walks around gardens and forests and public parks from all over. I retired at 40, married and now a mom to a very healthy and active baby girl. Thanks for your wonderful blogs!

184. Hello MM.I’m a home economist and a licensed educator from UP-Diliman, but currently a full-time mom and wife by choice. I have a 4-year-old son, and my husband, who’s a lurker, is in the army and into cycling as a serious athlete.
     Hi Danney,my mom and I dream of joining your cruise. Regards to Fely.

185. Chennai, INDIA — MM, I really like the presentations of your food servings. What’s your secret of taking such professional looking, yummy food photos? It’s as if flavours and aroma effuse out of them, never failing to give tingles to my taste buds when I see them. Did you write something already about Food Photography 101 a’la MM?

     Singapore-based Energy Management Consultant. Frequently on the move, right now here in Chennai amidst the flavourful South Indian curries and spices (yummy!). Looking forward to spend more time in the kitchen back home, to cook for my growing family :

186. I think I can safely say this is the first time I’ve seen a post for the first time, and it already had nearly 200 comments! MM, you must tell us all the records this is breaking! So THIS is all that was needed to pull the lurkers out of the shadows — a request for an introduction?! ;-)

     Okay, my turn: Because of the Gulf War, there were no jobs in my field to be had when I graduated. Desperate, I tried to teach English to Korean & Japanese missionaries. I gave up after two weeks because it was BOOOORING (I fell asleep in front of a student!) and paid less than I spent to go to work. Then I moved to what they *said* was a foot in the door for TV production, but turned out to be a secretarial job for ABS-CBN Foundation. After a week, they found out I could barely type, so I didn’t stay on. Finally, I became an advertising copywriter, while writing for magazines on the side. Believe it or not, I’ve been an advice columnist! After 15 years of being a slave, I resigned last year, and am now savoring every moment of being a bum. That is, until my savings run out…

187. Hi Marketman!

     I don’t have a job. I used to work for a social development organization. In September I’ll be taking the bar exams. I should be reviewing instead of surfing the net.

188. hello! i have been an avid reader for 2 years now and my wife mostly gets her recipes from your site. about me, i am with the USN currently here in the west coast after being in the east for a long time. cheers and more power to u..

189. This is quite interesting…

     I’m a 28 year old civil engineer working in St. Vincent and the Grenadines…. do I hear someone saying where the hell is that? Well, it’s one of the caribbean countries (yes it’s a country) and i’m currently working in a very small island (approximately the size of Fort Bonifacio).

     I’m interested to see the statistics of your readers age, location and profession.

     I’m a regular reader of marketmanila.com. If some people cannot start their day without a coffee, I can’t start mine without opening the site every morning.

     Mabuhay and I do hope you wont get tired of writing and sharing a lot of information.

190. Had a flourishing career in advertising for about a dozen or so years until the burnout. Blew all my money in an all-out, first class trip to the US and then Europe. For someone who can’t draw and never once thought I could be in the creative side of the biz, I have reinvented myself and have been a freelance graphic design artist for about 9 years. Most of the work I handle are for long-term projects supported by the Canadian International Development Agency.

191. Hi MM. Am a licensed ECE from Bacolod, but i’ve been working as a Trainer for one of the biggest call centers here in Makati for almost 5 years now. No regrets in my choice of profession so far.

192. i opted for early retirement from a government office in Mandaluyong, went to the US. got married has a 3 1/2 year old boy, currently working as an apartment manager of a 68 units apartment complex, works part time for a Filipino newspaper here in L.A.

193. hi! I’m a Montessori preschool teacher in Illinois(am in my early 30’s)…born and raised in the Philippines and love Filipino food or anything that has to do with food for that matter…I super enjoy reading your articles and it’s a part of my daily routine, after I check my email…I try some of your recipes whenever I crave Pinoy food(such as the chicken inasal)…thanks and keep on writing!

194. 22 years old here. . . currently working as a chef in a resort in Maldives, before i went to culinary school, i was going to conservatory of music, major in voice. . .stayed for 3 years but didn’t finish it, i miss the stage though. . .

195. Nothing like a question about themselves to get lurkers out of the woodwork!

     I’m currently a business school student in the US … deciding between a future career as an overworked investment banker, or as an overworked management consultant.

196. Hi MM,

     Proud grandmother of 2 lovely girls, I am a Sr. Business Systems Analyst for WaMu, (Washington Mutual), a Seattle-based bank.

     Regards!
     CM

197. A very fortunate “G R A N D P A” of one very very beautiful 15 month angel. Below is a link (taken before her 1st bday)

     https://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v718/nazdman/?action=view&current=PerfSmile.jpg

     Yabang ko ano? no. Maybe just too proud. I am probably one of the oldest readers here, 55 and getting older. Working as a VDV (VoiceDateVideo) tech after retiring from the Nav in 93.

     I am looking forward to be in the next EB.

     Extremely Excellent job, MM! May your blogposts never end.

198. Hello MM, I left our country 10 years ago and worked as a nurse (Registered Nurse) in Europe, but then got married and while at home I went to study Business Administration major in Marketing. My husband is an Artist that’s why I ended up managing our own gallery now here in EU.My husband and I travels alot for vacations and exhibition, been to Shanghai, all across Europe and Middle East. But not yet the Americas. I read this site everynight before I go to bed, this site brings new horizon and undestanding about life there in the Philippines to me. And Thanks alot MM.Keep up the good works and very well done to you and your family and staff.

199. Hi MM,
     I too am one of the lurkers – i live in Canada and have been checking your blog daily because I miss pinoy food! (I miss my yaya :( more! )I am a wild animal trainer, worked in Hollywood and all that – thought I would chime in today and say Hi all!

200. Oh my goodness! Such a diverse group of individuals you have commenting on your blog Marketman! And from such far-flung places, surely evidence enough of how far the Filipino diaspora has reached. I used to be a Senior Purser for an international airline based in Hong Kong and currently an expat wife living in Hamburg, Germany. My fondest memories from my flying days were of scrumptious home-cooked meals, enjoyed in humble trattorias cooked by the family matriarch and served by assorted family members. Foodie-in-training, every outport had to at least have one memorable meal, with value for money being one consideration. The humbler the abode, the bigger the bragging rights!

     Because of my husband’s peripatetic work requirements, we have lived in Saigon, Singapore, Jakarta, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Manila, Sydney and now, continental Europe. You might say I am a citizen of the world, but at heart I am still a true blue Pinay. My best passengers were the OFWs’ who travelled the world in search of better opportunities, and I am glad they had a friendly face to see them off as they stepped from the aircraft door onto a new country. Sometimes they needed reassurance, but to know that I was a miniscule part of their journey always made my day.

201. An Accounting graduate but bitten by the bug and now working as a Senior Team Lead for an IT consulting firm. When is the next eye-ball ?

202. Hi MM

     Retired from working for a multinational manufacturing company in the Phils. Have done some travelling, both personal and professional. Currently working in a call center and like Brenda earlier, think the work is a piece of cake — no stress! :-)

203. That is so funny. I’m currently working for a New York based cost management consulting firm, based in Manila. And I work for 12-16 hours a day (when I get home, I sleep, when I wake up, I go to work, basically). It’s now 7 AM and I’m still in the office, from yesterday (I started 10AM)! I’m young, at 23 YO and have been working in the consulting firm for 18 months. And that is why I’m so interested about food. It’s the only that makes me enjoy my life and I devote my weekends to baking/cooking/eating/reading cook books.

204. can anyone please tell me why i have a report due in four hours, and i am here reading about what my “MarketManila classmates” do?

205. I first stumbled on to your site when I was looking for an “Ensaimada” recipe, been hooked eversince. I was a CPA working for an Auto dealership in my early years when i was still back home. Moved to the US in 1982 and is now working in the IT field for the largest HMO in the U.S. as a Lead Programmer doing middleware work. Hope to retire when i turn 55 which is just 6 years away, so im maxing out my ROTH and 401K’s to fund my retirement. To move back there and planning on helping out my public high school alma matter doing pro bono work showing the kids all the skills and experience i’ve earned during my lifetime ;-)

206. My first job was in the membership and finance department of a public television station in Washington, D.C. I had a rare chance to see famous people (Yasser Arafat, singer/songwriter Don McLean, Shirley Mclaine, and D.C. politicians) while they were taping a talk show. Shooked hands with the Sesame Street characters on a visit for a children’s show. Then a short stint with a very large publishing company near Georgetown, D.C. Finally, in the Pentagon’s Army financial arena where it gave me the opportunity to travel coast to coast and overseas. The best perk of my job was my occasional glimpse of visiting US president, senators, late King Hussein of Jordan, dignitaries from other countries and the highest Filipino Brigadier General Soriano to name a few. Not bad for a retired 65 year old grandma and proud of it.

207. Hello All,

     Oh my! MarketManila has such diverse groups of individuals! it’s nice to see/read that all your readers loves and enjoys what they’re doing and no matter how busy and hectic our schedules are we would always have a time to visit your page everyday!

     Born and raised in manila (cainta). moved to toronto about 11 years ago. since i was a young girl, i always wanted to be a flight attendant . so i took up travel and tourism, but while looking/waiting for a job in that area, i worked in a call centre as a quality control analyst for 3 yrs, got married, after 2 years got pregnant with a baby girl. i was a stay-at-home-mom for almost 2 years, and now i’m back in the job, i now work part time at a call centre for a transit company! i love to cook and bake with my 4 yr old daughter, i love watching cooking shows and decorating shows, oh and let me not forget I love watching tfc (soaps) too! i love to sing, however, sabi nila boses “palaka ” daw ako! ehehe, good thing my daughter got her golden voice from her dad! I’ve been wanting to try your chicken inasal, however, we don’t have a charcoal grill, see I want to do it the “right way”!

     More power to you, god bless you, your family and kudos to your crew/staff as well for keeping this website going!

208. Hi MM!

     I’ve been a lurker for the past 2 years. I’m 24, and I’m a Team Lead for a call center and have been in the call center industry for the past 4 years. I grew up in Quezon City and continues to live in the same city. Love your site!

209. hi MM! i am an admin assistant in a multilateral development bank in the ortigas center area. have been checking your site for a few months now but never left a comment. just so you know, i love your site and i make sure to check it everyday!

210. Hi, MM! I’m the sister of Aggy from Illinois and an executive assistant of a university along Pearl Drive, Ortigas, Pasig City .I also love to eat, cook (bake sometimes), and read about/take pictures of food. Am turning 40 in two weeks’ time! Our other sister who’s a housewife was the one who led me to your site and I’ve been hooked ever since. I read your posts every morning, cup of coffee in hand, before starting my work. Your posts simply make my day! Keep on writing (I’ll surely get a copy of your book if you do decide to write one in the future)and God bless you, Mrs. MM and the Kid! :o)

211. Hi MM! i love marketmanila simply because i’ve learned a lot. i am a pampangueño who wants to become a CHEF (Chef nga pero sa mga anak ko at asawa lang) i enjoy cooking very much kaya LOVE ko MM so much. i am connected with the National Government for 13 years (balak ko na lang mag tayo ng karinderia) para ma enjoy ko ang buhay at ako ang BOSS..what do you think MM?

212. Hi MM and fellow readers!

     I’m a pediatrician by profession in NC, but am a foodie through and through. Same goes for hubby. :)

     My mom spoiled me as I was growing up and I didn’t learn to cook until I was on my own. She passed away 2 years ago and among the things that saddens me is that I never took the time to learn how she made her yummy dishes. I am learning by trial and error though, and my aunts tell my my longganisa is almost as good as hers.

     I do not own a fish pan but my husband swears I have everything else but. :)

213. I’m 45 years old and IT manager for a large retail/distribution company. I have been with IT field since 1985, the time when mainframe computers reign suppreme and pc was still being built in the garage of bill gates and steve jobs.

214. Hi MM! I’ve been reading your blog for nearly 2 years and left a few comments now and then. I’m an accountant living in Wellington, New Zealand.

215. I vowed to start my day at 8am and postpone my reading MM till afternoon. Now at 9am, still here!

     Am in my late 40s. Studied in Toronto, went back to Manila. Used to work with a Canadian immigration consultancy firm, but I was based in Manila. Retired from hectic life that had EST and HKG time, and going to East Coast on turn around flights :) I miss the people I worked with though

     Now based in Isabela…I walk, think and dream my free-range and grass-fed chickens. They say I sound like a recorder when talking about the taste and health benefits.

     MM is on my daily must read.

216. hi MM! I work here in the fringes of Mindanao as Base Administrator for a Spanish Humanitarian Organization. What really started my MM addiction was your Cebu posts. I stayed there for my high school and college education. More power to you and your family.

217. Hello! I’m a super homesick paid chikkadora (read: English conversation teacher) here in Japan. I used to be a pres’l staff officer/policy researcher in Government.

218. hola MM! another lurker surfacing… i’m 38, mom to 3 growing up boys (ages 13, 11 and 9)and an events manager by profession. i tried to be a stay-at-home mom but it just wouldn’t work for me after being in the corporate world for so long. my biz now allows me to work around my boys’ schedule. helping out too with the family biz — we intro’d the yoghurt drink Dutchmill into the market last year. i hope you’ve tried it and would love to hear your take on the product. thanks and keep ’em coming!

219. Hi MM! Flying for almost 17 years now and based in Hong Kong. Stumbled on your site when I was looking for a leche flan recipe. From then on, I got hooked. Always shops for food items and never fails to buy fleur de sel whenever in Paris(same with patis from Malabon whenever I get home). Visited a cooking school in New York a week ago and now secretly dreams of becoming a pastry chef.

220. thanks tinsi! :)

221. Grabe MM! This must be the greatest post you have ever done, getting a reply from all of your readers (well almost because i am sure that lurkers are still around…..). i read all the replies and what can i say, i enjoyed reading all of them, never mind if my work is piling up i am addicted reading everyones profile hehehe….

     btw, just like most of us, i read MM daily (except sundays) right after checking my e-mail. more power MM!

222. Hi! Would’ve preferred the anonymity of just plain CecileJ but the warm responses from others prompts me to come out of my shell…I’m a planning officer/editor/writer for a government office by the river. Finished PolSci at UP, hence the long years of government service (iskolar ng bayan gratefully paying back to the country) Civil servant by day, happy homemaker the rest of the time!

     Tinsi, thank you for saying nice things about us government worker ants! There are many good ones but unfortunately, it’s the errant ones that get the media’s attention.

     MM, thanks for getting us all together! Time for another EB but at a bigger venue this time! Ang dami na natin!

223. ex-lifestyle magazine editor (manila), headwear merchandiser (toronto, on maternity leave), graduating magazine publishing student (sept 2007), currently freelance writer for a suburban toronto food and lifestyle magazine. btw, the number of comments to this post is simply staggering!

224. Solraya, been looking for a supplier of organic chicken, any chance you sell in Manila? :)

     I think the coolest job posted so far is Isagarch, the Wild Animal Trainer!

225. Just want to add myself to the statistics. I am an IT Consultant, or more specifically an SAP Consultant. Am now here in Melbourne, Australia on a working visa. I was an HR Manager for a long time before venturing into the field of IT.

     More power to you MM and may you never run out of topics (food, provedores, restaurants, rants) to write about! :-)

226. hi MM, im a 26 year old doctor, working for a maritime pre-employment company herein UN Avenue, Manila

     more power to you. its been my everyday habit to read your posts. God bless always

227. Hi MM, was a practising physician in Cebu before I moved to LA where I work as an editor for a company that provides CME for physicians. Your blog is the first thing I read in the morning (even before the newspaper) and the last thing I check at night.

228. hello MM,

     i love reading your blog because of the diversity of topics. Your blog is one of the three top food blogs that i check out every week.

     btw, i am a government employee, a foodie, and a working mom of two boys. take care and Godbless.

229. Mom, mom and mom to three kids all the same age, wife to an eye surgeon; am myself a specialized physician by training, currently working as corporate slave (oops just kidding, just realized I saw our HR manager’s post somewhere in the 200 some entries above) saving the world from evil forces that threaten to annihilate mankind; I cook, bake and entertain when I’m not shackled; I read MarketManila when prison guards are not looking…

230. wow! Hello to all my classmates!
     I’m a civil servant of a local goverment unit here in NCR for five years now. But I am a licensed civil & jr. geodetic Engr. My previous work was at a private real-estate developer. I’m married to a wonderful hubby working in a bank (also a CE like me), who is the real cook at home, ako taga kain lang!(I’m trying to learn po.) We have a 3-yr old daughter. I belong to the 31-40 age group. I found this site by accident one year ago, looking for site re: Cebu Pacific. grrrrr. Anyway, glad to be one of the readers of this very informative site.

231. Hi MM — I made a few postings when I first came upon your blog but have been a lurker as of late. Thanks for maintaining such an entertaining and hospitable site. I truly enjoy reading your posts and the lively reader responses. Here’s my bit of exhibitionism for today: I am an aspiring cook & writer who is formally trained in law and pastry. I currently work at a Swiss bank (doing some law, but no pastry, unfortunately!). Prior to working at my current job, I worked as a lawyer at a NY firm and, prior to that, I spent some time learning the culinary ropes at Annisa (restaurant in NY headed by the talented and generous Chef Anita Lo).

232. Hi MarketMan. I’m a physician too. My primary interest is heart diseases and rehabilitation. I enjoy reading your posts very much, particularly the one about David and the gingerbread house. I don’t know how to cook but I like to expose my palate to new, but not necessarily exotic, items all the time. I’ve not tasted durian in its original form and am very scared to even try.

233. …from Mandaluyong, wife to a surgeon, mother of one, tormentor to a small tv commercial production group…

234. Hi MM! i love marketmanila simply because i’ve learned a lot. i am a pampangueño who wants to become a CHEF (Chef nga pero sa mga anak ko at asawa lang) i enjoy cooking very much kaya LOVE ko MM so much. i am connected with the National Government for 13 years (balak ko na lang mag tayo ng karinderia) para ma enjoy ko ang buhay at ako ang BOSS..what do you think MM?

235. hi everyone! nice to know the background of people who read and comment on MM’s post. i have been working in the apparel industry all my working life. graduated with a BS in Clothing Technology from UP. worked as merchandising manager with the biggest US denim brands in the phils. i’m now here in LA, still working in the apparel industry but concentrating in production instead. i love cooking and baking. reads recipes for ideas but always experiments and innovates. i dream of being a pastry chef and opening my own cafe.
     MM’s blog sometimes satisfies my hunger for Pinoy food, sometimes makes me crave it more. i love it though! :)

236. Hi!
     This blog is inspiring and awesome! I was born in Quezon City, raised and studied in Cagayan de Oro until high school, transferred to Manila for pre-med and eventually finished Medicine. Practiced for a short while back in Camiguin island and Pila, Laguna. I decided to go into Anesthesia as a specialty but I realized that teaching is actually my first love so here I am, teaching at a medical school in Cavite. Love to eat and the men in our family are the real cooks! Keep it up Marketman!

237. Hi! I’m a fresh graduate from DLSU-M (just last June) and am currently job-hunting. I’ve been cooking since I was about 6 or 7 and am addicted until now. My specialties are pasta, lamb, and salad; occasionally I’ll have a go at cookies, cakes, and pies. At one point in high school I wanted to go to culinary school but now I just want to learn how to perfect my cooking through experience, without the classroom setting and the million-peso education. In the future I hope to put up my own cafe that serves homey comfort food, no hoity-toity stuff, thank you very much. My dream is to open a B&B at one of our country’s deserted islands.

     I love your blog, MM, in the future I hope to set up my own food-related blog! MM for president!

238. Hi MM! Hello everyone! I’ve been a lurker for 6 months now. Hehe! I’m a lawyer who used to work for one of the major banks in Manila. I’m currently taking a much-needed respite in one of the (more peaceful) countries in Africa. I love your blog.:) Cheers!

239. I was in radio/media for 4 years, 10 years as a civil servant with youth related programs and currently into the food retail business =)

240. hi, marketman!! i worked as a bilingual agent at Pampanga and right now, i am applying for a new job as a bilingual CSR here in Makati.

241. With a 2 year old and a 5 month old, I don’t really have much spare time to be surfing but can’t resist the odd visit to your site. Thanks for the wonderful bits of info which bring back food memories of my childhood.
     I grew up in Manila, parents are both from Bulacan.
     My family moved to Sydney in 1988 (when I was 16), I lived in Switzerland for almost 6 years then came back to Oz 18 months ago to bring my parents their first ‘apo’.
     An Electrical Engineer by qualification, I have mostly worked for telcos either as a Network Engineer or in Software testing. Have been on leave since my second baby was born (longest period I’ve been out of the corporate world since finishing university) so I do miss the adult interaction. Reading food blogs is part of my downtime when the kids are in bed.
     My Mum comes from a family of butchers, making their own chicharon, longganisa, etc. My extended family has an obsession with food and my English husband still cannot fathom the amounts of food we prepare and manage to put away at every get-together:-) I love all cuisines but enjoy most things my Mum makes like tinola, estofado, bachoy,etc.
     Keep up the great work.

242. Hi. I’m a lawyer working in Makati. We specialize in power-related project, though we do almost everything (just not criminal case). I’ve just read your pieces about Cebu – I was raised in Cebu but was born in Cagayan de Oro – and they certainly brought back a lot of memories. That realty development you took pics of, is that anywhere near Tisa, Labangon? Really gorgeous! Makes me want to drop Makati and go back home!

243. Hi MM! used to be a pre-school teacher. i’m into tv commercial production now (since ’92).

     Hi Katrina. Hi Anette.

244. Hi MM! New York posts are great, gives me a genuine feel of how NY is like.

     I am 24 and works for an outsourcing firm as a metrics data specialist. I have been with the company eversince I graduated (they hired me the day after graduation!) and I’m on my 3rd yr. The funny thing is I have a degree in Asian Studies and planning to pursue further studies in diplomatic affairs and international law. And I sucked in Math and Stats when I was in school. Such an irony considering the nature of my job.

     It’s always a treat to get some time and read your posts as they are always interesting and informative.

245. MM,

     Such clout! I take people for a quickie, short-time, two-hour walk down the streets of Manila and to the depths of our cultural soul! ;o)

246. Hello DADD-F, Kit and Risa,

     DADD-F and Risa – Cruising is so much fun!! Getting paid well and travelling all over the world for free pero maraming trabaho.

     Kit, we miss you. Akala mo siguro nakalimutan ka na namin since we met sa Eyeball sa The Fort. Sabi ni Ate Fely she wants to get in touch with you and to make kuwento by text but she lost your phone number but you can contact me and I can forward your phone number to her. E-mail me at danneyleague@yahoo.com.

     I’m leaving on the 2nd of August balik Los Angeles na naman. Natutuwa ako sa mga MarketManila friends natin.

     Parang nangarap ka at nagising at nagkatotoo nga ang mga pangarap natin sa buhay. It is all about hardwork,faith in God, and determination. We choose our own path. Tayo ang gumagawa ng ating sariling pagyaman. No one can blame it on the government, nor blame God nor blame their relatives and friends for their misfortunes. Sipag, dasal at tiyaga talaga.

247. Hi, MM! I’m a lady judge who reads your posts everyday to get my mind off this stressful job! :)

248. Kumusta po sa inyo.
     My path took me from Physical Therapy school, then to Medical school where I met my dear hubby. We are based in the Midwest where I primarily am a homemaker & mommy to our 2 dalagang Pilipina daughters. Pardon my pride, but our I., who was accelerated, graduated best of class among her 400+ HS senior class, received a full ride for college at a major university (quite thankful). Magaling ang mga Pinoy. Both girls are into piano & ballet. I minor in PT as a vestibular rehab therapist; have a passion for exercise (because of my love for food), teach yoga & taichi; & help kababayans with consolidator airline tickets.
     Maraming salamat for the quite interesting & informative posts, MM, & the MM community!

249. Wow, that was a long list to go through before anyone could leave a comment. This should make any blogger’s day, MM! You’ve done an amazing job! Kudos! Connecting people across the globe, not only Filipinos, but also an Englishman :).
     I’m currently a housewife, so have time to check your blogs several times a day.

250. Jdawgg is the name gangbanging is the game. That was of course about twenty odd some years ago. I am 45 years old. Born in Pangasinan, Philippines. You can say I had my fair share of enduring the pain of farmwork and housework. This actually the place where I have learn to plant, harvest, cooked and eat the things we grew in our garden as well as fishing in the river as well as in the rice fields. By the time my parents decided to bring us to the states I was already 15 years old and that’s when everything went south pole with my life. The time I’ve reach my mid twenty my girlfriend got pregnant and that’s what change my life around. Currently I work as a Facilities and Shipping Coordinator for a Venture Capitalist out here beautiful San Rafael, California. Still married with same girlfriend for 22 years. We had produced 2 boys and a beautiful girl. Cooking in my passion, this is where I vent out at the end of the day, with a glass of wine or ice cold beer I’m at my happy place. You could kinda tell if I had a bad day at work reason being is I’m cookin up a storm. if I had a good day at work, the family eats cold cuts. Anyways keep up the good work and I’m still waiting for good recipe for LECHON. Give us the FULL MONTY for the Lechon recipe. Thank you and more power to you and your family.

251. Hi MM,It’s me again.The first comment wasn’t me at all.My dh was the one who wrote that,he’s a cheeky bugger!

     I have lived in Oz for 33 years and have been working in the catering industry for most of these time. Now am semi-retired,but have found an active interest in the stock exchange trading CFD’s.
     I love cooking and although all my kids were born here,they always love sinigang,adobo and most Pinoy kakanins.
     More power to you,MM!

252. I am 44 years old and I just ‘retired’ from a regional HR role with a multinational company after 21 years, last Feb. My days have been kept busy since then – doing photography classes, travelling with my wife and kids last summer, hosting my balikbayan sisters, scuba diving and nowadays, getting up early to help my son get ready for school and helping him with his homework. I love to cook and am going to enroll in a chef school in August, will be rennovating our kitchen and taking french language lessons…..all this before probably going back to work next year (maybe). Your blog is an excellent source of information and entertainment….keep on blogging.

253. Hey MM!! Canadian HereI have been lurking on your site for awhile. I am a director of operations for a call center. Looks like I wil be moving to Manila beginning of September and am very very excited especially about all the new foods I will be able to try. Need anything brought from Canada Maple Syrup maybe :)

254. Hi MM. A good friend, who is also a foodie and MM fan, introduced me to your site.

     I got my CPA license in 1996, worked with an accounting firm for 2 audit seasons and moved to a regional job with an IT company. I was relocated to Singapore to be a pioneer in a new company and racked up 16 hour work days on Oracle implementation, had wrist cramps doing SOX documentations and did a fair amount of traveling. At 30, I decided to be a single, glamorous, jet-setting bachelorette but fate had other plans. Mr. Right came along so I traded in my frequent flier miles and spreadsheets to be a domestic goddess. I am now based in Bacolod to join hubby and he was torn between amusement and irritation when my last batch of balikbayan boxes arrived, containing enough pots, pans, baking trays, kitchen equipment, silicon molds and cooking ingredients to fill a mini-grocery :P.

     Your site is a source of constant inspiration to be more creative. I always learn something new and hubby is more than happy to try my culinary experiments. Truly, the way to a man’s heart is thru his stomach :P. Keep up the great work!!!

255. tings, i envy you sooo darn much.
     toping, connie… i can relate.

     MM’s post just described me :-p

     Software developer in a land where KFC has no gravy!
     Come on, say it with me…

     CRAZY!

256. Good day to you Marketman. The last time I wrote you was about the ensaymada recipe which was excellent. I’m a constant lurker to your site, 36 years old and I’m a microbiologist and a pastry chef. I guess opposite worlds attract sometimes.

257. Korek ka dyan Danney. While we are forever surrounded by various forces–and influenced by them in varying degrees–in the end, the decision is ours to make. And so, nasa sa atin nga ang kapalaran natin. At mabuti naman sa inyo at nagising kayong nagkatotoo ang inyong mga pangarap. Hahahaha…well, nagkatotoo din naman ang iba kong pangarap. But this luxury cruise…sigh…well, in time. :)

     Like you I have travelled in and out of the country ng libre. Part of the job. How else did you think a proletariat like myself could have travelled so? And yes, had been paid well enough–wala naman akong luho eh so okay na yun. And yes ulit, HARD “WORK”. Work in quotation marks kasi I loved what I do, I love what I do–pro bono this time.

     At present, I travel courtesy of Market Manila. At parang sosyal na rin minsan with all these seemingly snooty places, foods and products. Hahaha. Sige lang MM. You’re a blessing this way. You help continue widen my horizon. Hi to everyone and cheers!

258. Hi MM. I was a banker back in Manila but here in the US I am a stay-at-home mom to 2 beautiful children. And what do you know…we do have a copper-bottomed fish pan! It is my husband, however, who cooks with it. Would you believe, the thing is off-limits to me along with his cast-iron pots and pans. That’s ok because my baking utensils and equipment are off-limits to him.

259. work beats pork by ten miles

260. hello marketman, i saw your site by accident. with so, so many readers, perhaps you won’t remember that you responded to my query regarding where to source yellow callas. anyway, you’re site is an inspiration. i’ve started my own — iloveiloilo.com, a food and travel on Iloilo. The journey is slow but hopefully I can also get to 1,000 entries and many readers.

     what do I do? juggling my time being a wife, mother of 3, college instructor, heritage worker, and blogger.

     More power!

261. sorry for the typo error. it should be “…your site is an inspiration.”

262. Hi MM,
     Full time student :( Got about a year to go to finish grad school :).

263. Hubby and I are both architects but more into Interior Design, here in Beijing. :-)

264. Hi, MM!

     I’m a “lurker”, have been around for over a year now. Many times I think about your posts long after I’ve logged off, because it seems my taste buds nag my memory, then I just have to go and try out the dishes you’ve posted.

     I am a marketing communications manager in a 5 star hotel. With this job, I’m surrounded by food all the time.

     Thanks for making my days and my diet “pregnant” with possibilities.

265. I’ve been a banker, stock trader/investment analyst, call center workforce supervisor and now, an academic adviser for the US Army here in Germany :) When we return to the US in 2009, I’ll be a CPA – I hope to sit for the CA CPA exam in late 2008. Wish me luck!

266. hi MM,

     Just stumbled on your site while searching for suggestions for a family reunion. I don’t know why your site showed up on google, but I’m glad it did. I got intrigued with the discussion on the fish pan and decided to read on!

     I was a jazz singer on my “past life” but happily married now, and like you semi-retired. I love being a stay at home mom now, spoiling my hubby and kids and just really enjoying each blessed day of family life..

     Nothing compares to having the opportunity to talk about one’s passion.. Keep on writing!

267. Hi MM, i’m 29, an account manager (for a multinational company) whose main responsibility is to dislodge competitors. i have a degree in hrm but wasn’t able to apply my learnings professionally. i realized i was meant to be in the corporate world. i have an MBA degree. i’m good with what i do i know pretty soon i’ll take over my boss’ job :-). my job can get so toxic at times and i de-stress by dining out, dvd marathons, and shopping!

     i still love to cook and have been hailed as the queen of pantry potluck in our office.

268. Co-owned a used car dealership in Q.C. back in the 80’s, managed a resort in Boracay and Puerto Galera for 3 years in the 90’s, worked as executive assistant in 5 different international chained hotels in Oman, Kuwait, UAE, Bahrain and Qatar. Currently working as executive housekeeper with an international chained hotelin Boston.

269. Hi MM! I totally agree with you about the joys of “partial retirement.” I was an HR officer for a semiconductor manufacturing company for almost 6 years (and before that a communications specialist for an NGO), but in 2002 I gave it up to be all-around girl (read: admin assistant, finance manager, janitress, telephone operator, marketing consultant, etc) for my husband’s generator set sales and service company.

     I find it uncanny that you ask about what we do just as I blogged about it: https://annethology-queen.blogspot.com/2007/07/my-work.html

270. 26y/o. I couldn’t call myself a physician yet, though just took the boards and passed. I still get the “Duktor ka? Ang bata mo naman..” reaction. Still in the phase of going to various medical/surgical missions, before I immerse myself in my chosen specialty.

271. Its not just your posts that keep marketmanila interesting… its the comments that add flavor and makes me keep coming back for more. :)

272. Hello all!

     I’m 28 and an office slave here in the land of camels and sand!

     I envy all those SAHMs and FTHs out there…

     Love your website MM!

273. Am a doctor who works quiet long hours here in Metro Manila and reading your blog is one of my destressor! So thanks. I keep on dreaming about cooking when I have the time.

     Lived in NY for 7 years during my residency and fellowhip – quiet familiar with Elvie’s, and those Filipino stores in the East Village. And Balthazar. And the Unior Square Green Market.

     Am planning to buy lotto three times a week so that I can semi-retire too and mimic your life.

274. hi MM

     stumbled on your website when a friend recommended it to me about eight months ago, and has been hooked since.

     i once served your ham and (mala-pinikpikan) chicken soup to a group of friends, with lip-smacking success :P

     im 40 and has been involved in the garments production/Q.A. trade for over 17 years now, and 12 of those overseas. had lived in sri lanka for nearly 7 years and now reside in HK in the past 5. my work takes me to many (mostly third-world) countries, often staying in short stints.

     while i love HKG dimsum, north indian curries and authentic thin-crust pizza, my comfort food will always be: ginisang munggo, lechon kawali and sinigang na hipon.

275. I’m 44 y/o, marketing manager of herbana farms. doing alot of composting for farms producing tons of chicken dung, helping farmers to start growing produce organically, and coordinating a nationwaide tour on the latest technological trends in organic farming with gil carandang. also involved with boni comandante doing fish hibernation, meaning shipping live fish without water anywahere in the world

276. Im 29 years old…from our awesome planet to your blog…im a big fan of anton and you :) i don’t have a job.

277. Hi MM..came across this website when I was looking for a dinuguan recipe, then I just found myself reading all your blogs that day..and from then on, I keep myself busy in front of the computer and checking on with what’s new when I’m not at work. I work as a nurse in one of the biggest hospitals here in London, UK. I love cooking and eating, and so my never ending problem is my weight, I just keep on gaining these unwanted pounds! (sana sterling pounds na lang eh!) Anyway, I love reading your posts and looking at the pictures over and over again. Now I miss my family in the Philippines and of course, the food!!!

278. Hi MM. I was a high school teacher in the Phils. Have decided to work on cruise ships to see the world (my passion). Have been to 54 countries and over 100 destinations. Worked in London in top restaurants as a receptionist/supervisor. Then got a job as a flight attendant when Cathay Pacific opened a base in London (just left June 2007). Now I’m a full time mum (have a 1 yr old daughter) and am currently doing a degree in Molecular Biology (science – my first love) at the University of London (2nd yr this sch.yr. 2007-2008). My goal is to be a DNA analyst but we’ll see…

279. I have been a professional nomad, traveling the world for the last 2years and have now decided to be planted in the Philippines. I am from Sydney, Australia but am moving to Manila next month to reverse the ‘brain drain’ by choice. I am a Community Development worker and an advocate for Fair Trade. I am a Foodie who radically believes food should be shared :)

280. an rn here and this site keeps me close at home esp since you also come from cebu and you seem to love to post anything about my city, the queen city of the south. bisdak forever! c”,)

281. I’m an anesthesiologist in private practice near Boston. Born in Manila, & moved to the States in 1981 – so some of the Balarila lessons are still in there somewhere! I miss our food and constantly crave green mangoes & bagoong. Why is it so hard to get a great mango abroad?! :)

282. Wow. I almost miss the boat on this one. Great job on luring a lot of your fans out of the woodwork, MM :)

     Let’s see … uh, yeah, I write code for a living and I have years of experience in developing either information systems that corporate data analysts make use of or in configuring ‘out-of-the-box’ CRM (Customer Relationship Management) application systems. Lately though I’ve been working on transitioning to doing web applications using RIA tools like Adobe Flex thru independent learning and it’s been fun doing that actually as I’ve finally found a perfect tool that has allowed me to express my personal interest in photography and website design. I’m hoping that my passion would eventually translate to new opportunities later on as I continue to learn new ways of applying it in other applications.

     I rarely cook, actually, as our household has been blessed with an almost everyday homecooking from my wife’s Mom but when I get the itch to try out a new recipe that I’ve read about or seen on the food channel, I really get into it. And speaking of the food channel, we all enjoy watching the cook-offs and the cooking competition genre like ‘Top Chef’, the ‘Iron Chef’ old reruns, and the American version of the ‘Iron Chef’. We appreciate the individual creativities that the chefs bring in to the competition even though we almost always end up ‘sighing’ after every show saying to ourselves ‘we’ll never ever get to try that dish in our lifetime, huh?”

     Your site sometimes provides that element of ‘adventure’ and ‘surprise’ that is akin to watching competing chefs get challenged into cooking up several dishes based on the secret ingredient that the TV host unveil each time. And that makes it fun reading your site, in my opinion.

     Now about those frogs …

283. I am a SAHM, and reading your blog is one of my hobbies, hehehe.

284. hi MM!

     I work as a Graphic Designer and loves reading your posts.

     (“,)

285. i am a silent fan. rarely leaves comment but, a fan. i am currently a stay-at-home mom but, an MT (medical transcriptionist) by profession. lots of administrative jobs in the past but, enjoys this present job the most. i love your site. you write very well, i admire the way you live your life. you seem down-to-earth and even though, you might sound snooty for ordinary locals like me, i don’t think you are. here’s to more blogging.

286. Learned about your site while looking for some info on cupcakes by sonjas. I work as an auditor here in Manila and got to experience 16-18 hours of work during busy season!

     Love your site!

287. I worked as a college instructor for philosophy and argumentation and oral defense…then i left to work for 3 years in Japan and now im semi retired too…at 26 I am still single and I manage my computer shop and net cafe and I go home on weekends to my Mothers’ hometown to see to the management of our small fruit farm and piggery….Most of the times i browse blogs to get to try new recipes and to unwind….Keep on blogging MM.

288. Hi MM! Just discovered your blog yesterday when I was searching for the ultimate bulalo recipe. I’m 27, married to my Tattooed Hunk and mom to my 4 year old son who I shall refer to as Crayon Imp. Born in Naga, raised in Batangas, married an Ilonggo, living in Makati. Used to be in theatre, was a tv host for IBC 13 and then did the bit player artista bit in ABS-CBN until I auditioned and got in two shows in one of their Regional Network Groups. Was a one-time beauty quuen in a province (the shortest at 5’3″ bwehehe). Now I’m a manager for a company that provides accounts to call centers. Dying to be a SAHM one day. Love, love your blog MM. I can’t cook well but I’m a budding foodie. Sana wag kang magsawang magblog, I’m officially a fan! God Bless you, Mrs. MM and The Kid! Cheers!

289. I run a search marketing company in Makati. Originally from The Bay area, where I miss my favorite restaurant https://www.manresarestaurant.com/

290. Hi MM! I seldom post comments but I surely read your entries through feeds. I’ve got a of lot back-logs though, because I just came back from a one-month vacation in the Philippines. I am a Chemical Engineer by profession but I do Environmental Consulting and I’m currently based in Doha. Like you, I hope to semi-retire at an early age – hopefully before 40. Keep your posts coming. I really enjoy them!

291. I’m a freshman in college. MM, your site is great for all those times when I feel like I’m going to collapse from all the school work. I’m getting hungry just browsing through your archives. Haha.

292. WOW!! great way to connect and breach through your Widely profound food lover Audience..like Myself ;)

     Im a 25 y.o. Escrow Officer/Aspiring Chef here in SOCAL.. if only the tuition fee for Culinary arts school here would be more Affordable. Well i guess with all the food that you would cook and eat will add close to the base cost. But for the meantime, in between time, i make it a point to hawk on your site, like one of those hungry packing wolves in the artics.. And no Frogs for me please. But OHH Yes to my Buddy Porky, who can say no to a fresh crispy Bagnet, Lechon Skin, Pork Loin and the list go’s on and on…

293. 38 yr old mother of 3 based in Hamilton,Ohio (USA). I have been in the IT Industry (Currently an IS Analyst) for 12 years now. I was based out of Bangkok, Thailand for 5 years and have been away from our mother land – PI since 1991. I enjoy your site since it brings back lot of memories – It also help me create dishes that I only see in photos or may have tried in the past that I could have never imagined I would be capable of…. May thanks to you MarketMan! More power to you and the family!

294. Love your blog. Maybe one of these days I hope to start my own.I’m a foodie inside and out. I cater, I’m starting my bottled food business and I’m a student taking a course dealing with, what else, food! I always check out your blog whenever I’m looking for new places to eat in. Thanks for the tip!

295. 28 yrs old, physician..

     finally, I just caught up with your posts since I started reading late last year and been in love with your site..I don’t cook but I do try especially if I have friends who are willing to eat them up..I love eating and looking for new restos and trying different cuisines in different places..keep on blogging! love.love.love them