P4 (Party of Four)

13 Things Your Waiter Won't Tell You

Waiters share insider secrets about restaurants -- from tipping to what days to avoid dining out

1. Avoid eating out on holidays and Saturday nights. The sheer volume of customers guarantees that most kitchens will be pushed beyond their ability to produce a high-quality dish.

2. There are almost never any sick days in the restaurant business. A busboy with a kid to support isn't going to stay home and miss out on $100 because he's got strep throat. And these are the people handling your food.

3. When customers' dissatisfaction devolves into personal attacks, adulterating food or drink is a convenient way for servers to exact covert vengeance. Some waiters can and do spit in people's food.

4. Never say "I'm friends with the owner." Restaurant owners don't have friends. This marks you as a clueless poseur the moment you walk in the door.

5. Treat others as you want to be treated. (Yes, people need to be reminded of this.)

6. Don't snap your fingers to get our attention. Remember, we have shears that cut through bone in the kitchen.

7. Don't order meals that aren't on the menu. You're forcing the chef to cook something he doesn't make on a regular basis. If he makes the same entrée 10,000 times a month, the odds are good that the dish will be a home run every time.

8. Splitting entrées is okay, but don't ask for water, lemon, and sugar so you can make your own lemonade. What's next, grapes so you can press your own wine?

9. If you find a waiter you like, always ask to be seated in his or her section. Tell all your friends so they'll start asking for that server as well. You've just made that waiter look indispensable to the owner. The server will be grateful and take good care of you.

10. If you can't afford to leave a tip, you can't afford to eat in the restaurant. Servers could be giving 20 to 40 percent to the busboys, bartenders, maître d', or hostess.

11. Always examine the check. Sometimes large parties are unaware that a gratuity has been added to the bill, so they tip on top of it. Waiters "facilitate" this error. It's dishonest, it's wrong-and I did it all the time.

12. If you want to hang out, that's fine. But increase the tip to make up for money the server would have made if he or she had had another seating at that table.

13. Never, ever come in 15 minutes before closing time. The cooks are tired and will cook your dinner right away. So while you're chitchatting over salads, your entrées will be languishing under the heat lamp while the dishwasher is spraying industrial-strength, carcinogenic cleaning solvents in their immediate vicinity.

From Waiter Rant: Thanks for the Tip-Confessions of a Cynical Waiter by The Waiter (Ecco/HarperCollins)

REMINISCIN': Chefs On Parade Philippines 2004

More pictures from Chefs on Parade Philippines 2004

Intramuros Clamshell, Manila.

REMINISCIN': Chefs On Parade Philippines 2004

Above pictures were all taken during Chefs On Parade Philippines 2004. The said COP was i think the last time it was that grand. After that it lost its fame

FEATURED CHEF: Mario Batali

The Ultimate Iron Chef: Mario Batali

Personal History

Born in Yakima, Washington, Batali attended Rutgers University where he double majored in Spanish Theatre and Economics, graduating in 1982. He currently lives in New York City with his wife Susi Cahn (daughter of Miles and Lillian Cahn, founders of Coach Farms) and two sons, Leo and Benno. He also owns a home in Northport, Michigan. His father is Armandino Batali, owner of Salumi in Seattle.

Batali is one of the principal subjects of Bill Buford's 2006 book, Heat.

Professional career

During college, Batali started working as a dishwasher at "Stuff Yer Face" restaurant in New Brunswick, New Jersey.[citation needed] He quickly moved up from dishwasher to pizzaman. Batali went on to spend time as an assistant in the kitchens at the "Six Bells public house" in the Kings Road, Chelsea under Marco Pierre White,[1]the Tour d'Argent in Paris, the Moulin de Mougins in Provence, and the Waterside Inn, outside London. In 1985 he worked as a sous chef at the Four Seasons Clift in San Francisco before being promoted to helm the Four Seasons Biltmore Hotel's La Marina restaurant in Santa Barbara. At twenty-seven, he was the highest paid young chef in the company. In 1989, he resigned his post at the Four Seasons and moved to the Northern Italian village of Borgo Capanne to apprentice in the kitchen at La Volta, where he sought to master a traditional style of Italian cooking. He was inspired by the cooking of his grandmother, Leonetta Merlino.

In 1993 he opened "Po" with Steven Crane, but sold his interest in the restaurant in September 2000. In 1998, with his business partner, Joseph Bastianich (son of Lidia Bastianich), he went on to own the recent Michelin star winning "Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca". They have since opened seven additional restaurants,[2] Lupa (1999), Esca (2000), Otto Enoteca Pizzeria (2003), Casa Mono (2004), Bar Jamon (2004), Bistro Du Vent (2004, closed in 2006), Del Posto (2005), Enoteca San Marco (2007 in Las Vegas, Nevada), and B&B Ristorante (2007 in Las Vegas, Nevada) and a shop named Italian Wine Merchants (1999).

Vic Firth, known for his production of quality drum sticks, has also teamed up with Batali to create custom kitchen tools. Specifically he has designed a line of wooden rolling pins, pepper grinders and salt grinders.[3]

The New York Post reported in September 2007 that Batali's contract with the Food Network would not be renewed, and that he would no longer be featured on its Iron Chef America series. The article further reported that although Batali had not initially been dismissed from Iron Chef America, he decided not to make any further appearances on the show after the network made the decision to cancel his cooking show, Molto Mario, which had been airing on Food Network since 1997.[4] A Food Network spokesperson confirmed to ABC News that Molto Mario, would no longer be aired, but said that "Mario Batali is still part of the Food Network family. Sometimes family members go off and do other things. We completely blessed his decision to go to PBS...He is still going to appear on Iron Chef America."[5] No new episodes of Molto Mario have been filmed since 2004, but the network continued airing re-runs over the ensuing three years (with reruns currently airing on Fine Living). Batali was absent on the season finale of The Next Iron Chef, but he appeared twice during Iron Chef America's 2008 season, and his likeness has been licensed to appear in the Nintendo game Iron Chef America: Supreme Cuisine.

Batali will be starting another show for PBS with Gwyneth Paltrow, Mark Bittman (of The New York Times), and Claudia Bassols (a Spanish actress) featuring Spanish cuisine. The 13-episode series was filmed from October 2007 into early 2008. The show is titled Spain... on the road Again.[6]. This will be the first of a series of shows that will be developed for PBS over the next several years. Batali is also in negotiations with Travel Channel to develop a series on Italian cuisine and culture with Anthony Bourdain that reportedly will be an "exhaustive, definitive Italy series with the kind of production values that Planet Earth had".[7]


Television career
Molto Mario[8]
[edit] Television career
Molto Mario[8]
Mediterranean Mario
Mario Eats Italy[9]
Ciao America[10]
Iron Chef America: Battle of the Masters
Iron Chef America: The Series
ICA:All-Star Special
Mario, FULL BOIL (Special)[11]
GladWare container commercials
Emeril Live (guest appearance)
Chefography (guest appearance)
Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations (guest appearance)[12]
Spain... on the road Again (2008)

Awards
Michelin Guide to New York City; One Star
Three Stars from The New York Times for "Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca"
"Best New Restaurant of 1998" from the James Beard Foundation for "Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca"
"Man of the Year" in GQ's chef category in 1999
D'Artagnan Cervena Who's Who of Food & Beverage in America in 2001
"Best Chef: New York City" from the James Beard Foundation in 2002
"All-Clad Cookware Outstanding Chef Award" from the James Beard Foundation in 2005 (national award)

i love watching....

Nothing more to say...
Watch it and you'll see why!

Funny or Not... Here i come!

from: www.dyoks.com

korni man e ok na din! hahahaha

ERAP JOKES

Erap's Prayer
Gambling father
who art in jueteng
hakot be thy name
thy kickback come
thy wealth be done,
in Wack-Wack as it is in San Juan .
Give me this day
My daily bribe
And conceal all my sins
As I conceal those who sin along with me
And if I am Led into temptation
Deliver me from! criticism
For mine is the country,
its power, and its money
forever and ever. Amen.

Response:

Aba Ginoong Estrada
Napupuno ka ng kwarta
Ang panginoon ng jueteng ay sumasaiyo
Bukod kang pinagpala sa lahat ng bobo
At pinagpala ka naman ng kay raming
kulasisi mo.

Era! p's Mi ultimo Adios

Mi parte de jueteng wala na.
Mis compadres y lords nabuking na.
Los mansiones de mis
queridas ini-imbistiga
Mis amigos de la Camara el
ultimo pagasa.

I'm yours... all yours zweety!?

whoaaa... i know it's late to post this but i simply love the Ssong! ok ok i admit before all i understood was dumbdumbdumb....

Well you done done me and you bet I felt itI tried to be chill but you're so hot that I meltedI fell right through the cracksNow I'm trying to get backBefore the cool done run outI'll be giving it my bestestAnd nothing's gonna to stop me but divine interventionI reckon it's again my turn to win some or learn someBut I won't hesitate no more, no moreIt cannot wait, I'm yoursWell open up your mind and see like meOpen up your plans and damn you're freeLook into your heart and you'll find love love love loveListen to the music of the moment, maybe sing with meAll - ah peaceful melodyAnd it's our God-forsaken right to be loved love loved love lovedSo I won't hesitate no more, no moreIt cannot wait I'm sureThere's no need to complicateOur time is shortThis is our fate, I'm yoursScooch on closer dearAnd I will nibble your earI've been spending way too long checking my tongue in the mirrorAnd bending over backwards just to try to see it clearerBut my breath fogged up the glassAnd so I drew a new face and laughedI guess what I'm be saying is there ain't no better reasonTo rid yourself of vanity and just go with the seasonsIt's what we aim to doOur name is our virtueI won't hesitate no more, no moreIt cannot wait I'm sureThere's no need to complicateOur time is shortThis is our fate, I'm yoursWell no no, well open up your mind and see like meOpen up your plans and damn you're freeLook into your heart and you'll find that the sky is yoursPlease don't, please don't, please don'tThere's no need to complicateCause our time is shortThis is out fate, I'm yours

visit!

For more info about COC
SKILLS SHOWDOWN 2008
The Asian Invasion

Visit the official blogsite@

www.igcfihrm.blogspot.com

IGCFI CLAH OF THE CONNOISSEURS

Please support my "could-be" last activity at Inter- Global.

INTER- GLOBAL COLLEGE FOUNDATION, INC.
Department of Hotel and Restaurant Management
Future Hotelier and Restaurateur Society, S.Y. 2008- 2009

PRESENT…

CLASH OF THE CONNOISSEURS:
SKILLS SHOWDOWN 2008
THE ASIAN INVASION

“We may live without poetry, music and art; we may live without conscience, and live without heart; we may live without friends; we may live without books; but civilized man cannot live without chefs.”

December 11 and 12 @
PACIFIC MALL LUCENA

Who’s the team that will reign supreme on the following categories:

*COC: Skills Showdown 2008 CATEGORIES and Point System
*CRITERIA FOR JUDGING/ GUIDELINES:

*This year the winning groups/ team will be determined by point system. Each category has a corresponding point system. For example COCSS01 or Market Basket was given an overall point of 10 points. 10 points will be given to the GOLD ACHIEVER; 7 Points for SILVER and 5 Points for BRONZE; The non- winning teams/ groups will all be given the title of DISTINCTION who will all have 3 points.

*For more info please see the FHRS Officers/ Advisers or visit the official website of COC 2008 @ igcfihrm.blogspot.com

COCSS01 MARKET BASKET: ASIAN CUISINE 10
COCSS02 ON DISPLAY COCKTAIL/APPETIZER MAKING 8
COCSS03 ON-THE-SPOT CAKE DECORATING 8
COCSS04 ON DISPLAY FILIPINO DESSERT 8
COCSS05 TABLE SETTING FOR FOUR 10
COCSS06 INDIVIDUAL BARTENDING 6
COCSS07 BED MAKING (HOUSEKEEPING) 6
COCSS08 FOOD AND BEVERAGE SERVICE RELAY 6
COCSS09 CENTERPIECE MAKING (Flower Arrangement) 6

COCSpecial01 CULINARY QUIZ BEE n/a
COCSpecial02 FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY n/a

[QUEZON'S BEST SECRETS] Lucena: My Beloved City

QUEZON AVENUE, LUCENA CITY (1900's)

DIKSYONARYO NG LUCENAHIN

A

Abuhan	:	Patungan
Abyad	:	Lakad o Asikaso
Adobi	:	Gamit sa paggawa ng bahay na may parihabang hugis at pinagpapatong-patong at pinagdidikit ng hinalong semento
Adyo	:	Akyat
Agipo	:	Labi ng kahoy na iginatong o panggatong na nagkabaga
Agiw	:	Bahay ng gagamba na kinapilan ng dumi
Agoy-oy	:	Kahoy sa ilog
Alburoto	:	Nagalit
Alibadbad	:	Masamang pakiramdam na may kasamang pagduduwal
Almiris	:	Maliit na bayuhan ng paminta na yari sa bato,kahoy o marmol
Almuhadon	:	Upuang binabalutan ng tila na kinapapalooban ng bulak o pum
Alok	:	Bagay kung baga sa pananamit
Alulod	:	Agusan ng tubig
Aluyan	:	Duyan
Amama	:	Lolo
Anaki	:	Baka,isip
Anayo	:	Nagalaw ng mga lamang-lupa
Anwang	:	Kalabaw
Aparador	:	Lalagyan ng damit na yari sa kahoy
Apaw	:	Pipi hindi makapagsalita
Apuyan	:	Posporo
Arado	:	Arado sa tubigan
Ariya	:	Madali
Asarol	:	Piko
Asuhan	:	Bubungan ng abuhan
Ataul	:	Kabaong
Awto	:	Kotse
Ayuoy	:	Daing,hinagpis

B

Babag	:	Away
Babahan	:	Pasamano
Bakid	:	Katulad ng basket na walang tangkay ngunit higit na malaki
Bagaman	:	Kahit na
Bag-as	:	Pandak
Bagaybay	:	Buwigan ng niyog
Bagtasin	:	Sundin,tawirin
Bahog	:	Pagpapakain ng baboy
Balag	:	Pansamantalang kainang may bubong kapag may kasayahan tulad ng kasalan,binyagan atbp.
Balkon	:	Bahagi ng bahay na ginagamit na pahingahan
Balinguyngoy	:	Pagdugo ng ilog
Balsa	:	Sasakyang pantubig na yari sa kawayan
Baluyot	:	Lalagyan ng palay
Bambang	:	Kanal
Bangaw	:	Sira-ulo wala sa katinuan ng pag-iisip
Bangkito	:	Maliit na upuan na walang sandalan
Bangko	:	NMahabang upuan
Bangkulong	:	Gamit ng bata
Banggerahan	:	Pamingganan
Bangi	:	Ihaw
Banghi	:	Mabaho
Bangyaw	:	Tanghaw o ilaw
Banlat	:	Kulungan ng baboy;rural
Barino	:	Inis o galit
Bastidor	:	Hulmahan
Batya	:	Planggana
Baylihan	:	Sayawan
Bayo	:	Kilos ng kamay na pababang paulit-ulit na maaring may hawak na halo
Bayong	:	Malaking bag na yari sa buri
Belot	:	Tawag sa munting aso o tuta
Bithay	:	Ig-igan
Bitoo	:	Suso
Blaus	:	Bus
Bulaan	:	Sinungaling
Bulaw	:	Biik
Bulid	:	Hulog
Bulyaw	:	Sigaw o bumulyaw
Bumbong	:	Kawayang pangadlo o sisisdlan ng tubig
Bunga	:	Nga-nga
Bunganga	:	Bibig
Bungkali	:	Hukayin
Buntunan	:	Tambakan
Busisi	:	Iyakin
Buslog	:	Hambog

K

Kabaak	:	Kaparis o kabiyak
Kaban	:	Baul
Kabog	:	Hulog o bagsak sa pag-aaral
Kabulusan	:	Tubugan ng kalabaw;daan ng tao,paragos at karilon sa bukid
Kabyawan	:	Kayuran o kudkuran ng niyog
Kakaunin	:	Susunduin
Kadlo	:	Igib
Kahiman	:	Kataliwas;ekspresyong hindi makapaniwala
Kahol	:	Lahol
Kalabit	:	Kalabitin,kuhit
Kalarat	:	Malakas na sigaw
Kalupi	:	Pitaka
Kamaw	:	Sinaunang hawong
Kamisidentro	:	Polo;Pang-itaas na kasuotan ng lalaki
Kamison	:	Kasuotang panloob ng babae
Kampit	:	Kutsilyo
Kampon	:	Kakampi
Kamposanto	:	Sementryo o pook libingan
Kapis	:	Bintanang yari sa kapis
Kapitbahay	:	Kalapit na bahay
Kaputol	:	Maikling panlalon
Karaho	:	Ekspresyong padamdam
Kartela	:	Kalesa;karetela
Kasilyas	:	Kubeta;Kumon;Palikuran
Katnig	:	Turo
Katre	:	Kama
Kawa	:	Tulyasi
Kawasa	:	Dahil sa
Kayuran	:	Kudkuran
Kilo	:	Hindi tuwid;Kilong pako
Kingki	:	Ilawan o lamparang ginagamitan ng gas
Kumon	:	Kasilyas;Palikuran
Kuok	:	Basil;uod o uhod
Kustal	:	Sako
Kuwadro	:	Lalagyan ng larawan
Kwitib	:	Langgam o guyam

D

Dag-im	:	Ulap
Damak	:	Dumamak;kumuha ng pagkain
Dampa	:	Bahay kubo
Damuhan	:	Basurahan
Dawdaw	:	Pagdaiti ng daliri o paa sa tubig
Dayag	:	Magdayag;Maghugas ng pinggan
Dayap	:	Lemon
Dilasag	:	Nagnganga
Dikin	:	Patungan ng palayok
Dulang	:	Lamesang mahaba
Dulog	:	Dumulog
Dungawan	:	Bintana

G

Gagaud	:	Magtatrabaho
Galalan	:	Lalagyan ng damit na yari sa buri o pandan
Gamay	:	Sanay
Garapon	:	Babasaging boteng pinaglalagyan ng kendi
Ginanga	:	Sinaing na isda;isdang niluto sa kalamansi
Garu-garo	:	Simaron;Maharot
Gulok	:	Itak
Guop	:	Takip ng kaldero o anumang lutuan
Gusi	:	Maliit na tapayan
Guyabnan	:	Hawakan sa hagdan

H

Hagilap	:	Hanapin;kunin;hinagilap;pangnagdaan
Hahagutin	:	Papaluin
Hahambo	:	Liligo
Halabas	:	Ginagamit na pangkuha ng niyog;kawit
Halo	:	Ginagamit sa pagbabayo sa lusong
Halumbaba	:	Nakalukod ang siko
Hambog	:	Mayabang
Hapag	:	Lamesa
Haplit	:	Palo
Hawong	:	Pinggang malukong na lalagyan ng sabaw
Hayon	:	Narating
Hayo	:	Ginagamit na pangbugaw sa aso para sawayin ito, patigilin sa ginagawa o paalisin sa kinatatayuan
Hayo na	:	Alis na
Hilulumbo	:	Uri ng insektong masakit makakagat;putakti
Himimigtas	:	Uri ng langgam
Hipa	:	Hindi gusto ang bait
Hitad	:	Kiri
Humayo	:	Umalis
Hungot	:	Baong nilinis na ginagamit sa kainan

I

Ibalid	:	Balikan o nakalimutan
Inana	:	Lola;ina ng magulang
Ip-ip	:	Pagsipsip
Ipod/Isod	:	Paglipat ng kinatatayuan
Isugba	:	Ilagay sa apoy
Itiit	:	Maliit na daga

To be continued...

[QUEZON'S BEST KEPT SECRETS] LUCBAN more than just the PAHIYAS

BALULANG: Loving the Environment




Lucbanin Ka Ba?
Kung lucbanin ka, for sure familiar ka sa mga lucban terms…sige nga…try natin.
paigtingan —— nagmamadali
yagpa ———– naka-paa, naka-apak
naglalandi —— naglalaro, nagtatampisaw
pita’ ———— pilay
apuyan ———- posporo
nali-ay ———– natapilok
bangi ———— ihaw
sintunis ——— kalamansi
guop ————- takip
adyo ————- akyat
napaburingki — napabukaka’
daplag ———— nadapa’
pamipi ———— palo-palo sa paglalaba
gab-i ————- gabi
silok ————– kutsara
kiriray ———— malandi
kun-ay ———– kuwan ay
hibo ————– pintura
mabanas ——– mainit
dun-ay ———- doon ay
timang ———– baliw
nabakli ———- nabali
kakauyo’ ——– kaka-ilang, kaka-abala
habhab ———- pagkain na gamit ang dila lalo na sa pancit (pancit habhab)
balisbis ———- sa may kawayanan
kapiranggot —- konti
dukal ————- hukay
tipay ————- loko-loko
lula’ ————— hilo’
mahukas ——– makalas
lu-oy ————- mukhang kawawa
luyo ————– eto ay pangalan ng mag-iinom na si Luyo, tawag sa mga lasenggo
himasa’ ———– hugas ng— (intimate parts)
nadanggil ——– nasagi’ o nahagip
kalaghara ——– plema
payas ————- dekorasyon
rikit ————— kyut, maganda
anayo ————- manuno sa punso
palakat ———– malakas na iyak
na-ay ————- naito, heto, hayan
langis ————– mantika
tibig —————- patintero
nasulangot ——–napasukan ng napakaliit na bahagi ng kahoy, bubog, o kung ano ang balat
parisid ————–pakana’
ipod/isod ———- usod
samlang ————- bastos, kadiri
saka’ —————— pumunta sa bukid
bakid —————– basket
maayas-as ———– magaspang
walandyo/walastek –expression, as in ‘alanghiya’…
linang —————– bukid
bimbiw —————- larong taguan (mas malayo ang pwedeng taguan)
ba-haw —————– kaning lamig
singkalang ————- semplang, mabuwal
lamog ——————- bastos, kadiri
banyera —————- batya
paru-asan ————– masyadong excited
sirino ——————– hamog (usually sa gabi)
magalaw —————– manuno sa punso
pahi ———————- bura
pagaw ——————- paos, walang boses
purikas —————— pasimuno, lider
tinapa ——————– puto-seko
kagakag —————— kamot
balulang —————– malaking bag
hulaw ——————– pagtigil ng ulan
dyableg —————— expression gaya ng walastik
mamalisbis ————– manabi
ngabngab ————— kain ng todo
paskuhan ————— christmas party
kakiri-kiri ————– maarte, malandi
tulyasi ——————- malaking kawali
ulahipan —————- alupihan (centipede)
kagos ——————– gasgas
napadayukdok ——– napasiksik

Reymond Sajor's Coming Home Album

Title: Coming Home
Artist: Reymond Sajor
Label: Sony BMG Pilipinas
Released: 2008
Number of Tracks: 11





1. Coming Home
2. Counting Down The Days
3. Stand
4. I'll Be There
5. I Looked Into The Wings
6. Be My Lady
7. I Think I'll Try
8. You Should Know Me By Now
9. Love Me Again
10. Nella Fantasia
11. Anthem

*Please buy a copy of my friend Reymond Sajor's Album entitled COMING HOME....

FAKE FERRARI--- Pinas im coming Home!

HOW MUCH MORE IF SA PINAS YAN?

So hindi lang pala tayo an ganyan sa mundo... dumadami na ang ka2lad natin!

ROME (Reuters) - Italians are used to buying bogus Gucci bags or Rolex watches to look stylish but police found a new height of craftsmanship and cunning when they broke up a ring selling fake Ferrari cars for a fraction of the real price.
Police accused 15 people of building the blood red sports cars and selling them to car fanatics on a budget, most of whom knew they were buying a counterfeit classic.
Car body workers who police called “very able” cobbled together mostly fake parts and a few original components. They used body parts from other makes of automobiles, such as chassis, roofs, hoods, trunks and doors.
The body parts were modified to look like Ferrari classics such as the 328 Gtb, which went out of production in the late 1980s.
Some of the cars sold for about 20,000 euros, about a tenth of the going price for some versions.

WTF?! Si kuya tanga! hahaha

iDrop
What do you do after waiting hours or days in line to get an iPhone ? If you’re like this guy, you could open the case like an idiot and drop the iPhone on concrete. He was probably very anxious to see it…



HAHAHA si kuya clumsy o tanga?

A very controversial Grand Seminar

Yesterday, my 4th year students organized 2 seminar for the 2nd and 3rd years. Hope they learned many things.

JOLLLIBEE vs MCDO: Why can't Ronald beat the Bee in Pinas?

Jollibee stings McDonald's in Philippines
By Carlos H. Conde

MANILA: Sometime in the late 1970s, Tony Tan Caktiong, the owner of a small ice cream parlor in a lower- middle-class neighborhood here, learned that an American hamburger chain was coming to invade the Philippines.
Worried that his store, which had just started selling burgers, might get floored by the new competition, Tan Caktiong, a Filipino of Chinese descent, took a leaf from the Chinese military tactician Sun Tzu: he flew to the United States to know his future enemy.
When he returned to the Philippines a few weeks later, Tan Caktiong brought with him an arsenal of ideas on how to fortify his store, called Jollibee, to face the newcomer.
What followed was a classic tale of survival that quickly became a Filipino legend that is now being retold in the country's business schools, often with a tinge of nationalistic pride directed against the U.S. burger chain in question, McDonald's.
Tan Caktiong had no choice but to reinvent Jollibee.
"He was told that either he sold Jollibee to McDonald's or be its franchise holder here. 'They will eat you alive,' his friends told him," said John Victor Tence, vice president for corporate and human resources of Jollibee Foods.
Described by friends as self-effacing and frugal but determined, Tan Caktiong told his friends, "I have a third choice: I can fight McDonald's."
And fight he did, using as weapons the very things that made McDonald's successful: the mascot, the colorful uniforms of the crew, their cheerful greetings, French fries, fried chicken and a burger aimed at Filipino tastes and priced much lower.
"He brought the standards of Jollibee notches higher, at least on par with McDonald's, by basically copying what McDonald's was doing," Tence said.
By the time McDonald's put up its first store here, in 1981, it no longer offered anything new. Jollibee, meanwhile, was already prepared, having opened nine branches and started an aggressive marketing campaign. Jollibee entered the list of the top 1,000 corporations in the Philippines that same year. By 1984, it was in the Top 500 list and dominated the local fast-food market.
The Philippines, The Economist magazine wrote in 2002, "is a huge embarrassment to McDonald's," citing a Taylor Nelson Sofres study showing that Jollibee was the "most often visited" fast-food restaurant in the country.
Jollibee had grown so big and confident that, in 1986, it opened its first store overseas, in Taiwan. It was a sign of things to come. In 1998, Jollibee would encroach on McDonald's home territory, opening its first U.S. store in Daly City, California, which has a large Filipino population.
Today, Jollibee has more than 500 stores in the Philippines and 25 in other countries, selling more than half a million burgers every day. McDonald's has about 250 outlets in the Philippines, according to Cerwin Eviota, a public relations consultant for the chain.
Aside from the United States and Taiwan, Jollibee also has stores in Indonesia, Hong Kong, Saipan and Brunei, as well as in Vietnam, where sales grew 46 percent in the first quarter of 2004.
Jollibee Foods also embarked on an ambitious expansion program domestically and overseas, and not just for its flagship stores.
It bought Chowking, a popular Filipino fast-food chain that sells mainly Chinese food; it is now the dominant Chinese fast-food chain in the Philippines and has even entered the Indonesian market. Jollibee also acquired the local franchise for Delifrance, a French café and bakery chain.
It also bought Greenwich, a small pizza chain that has grown larger in the Philippines than another American giant, Pizza Hut. And it acquired Yonghe King, a fast-food chain in China. All in all, Jollibee Foods has 1,186 stores in nine countries, including 120 in China.
Jollibee is now the largest Filipino food company, with sales of 21.7 billion pesos, or $397 million, in 2004, up 13.7 percent from a year earlier. Sales in the first quarter of 2005 were up almost 20 percent.
Yonghe King sales in China grew 27 percent in the first quarter. All its other stores are doing well, with Delifrance increasing its sales by almost 32 percent in the first quarter of 2005.
The value of Jollibee stock has grown 28 percent since last year, and it was the best-performing domestic stock on the Philippine stock exchange.
Jollibee's business, said Jose Vistan of AB Capital Securities, "will be driven primarily by their expansion in other countries like China and the robust domestic market." Vistan forecasts Jollibee's profit for 2005 at 1.83 billion pesos, a jump of 21 percent from last year.
According to company officials and food experts, Jollibee owes its success to the fact that it respects local tastes. Unlike McDonald's, which was constrained by its obligation to remain faithful to its core products, Jollibee was flexible.
Gene Gonzalez, a restaurateur and food consultant who runs the Center for Asian Culinary Studies based in Manila, said Jollibee adjusted its burger to taste like the meatballs that Filipinos like eating. "Unlike Americans, Filipinos do not like pure beef patties, which can be bland. They like their burgers to taste like meatballs, which are stronger-flavored, with flavor extenders - spices, garlic, onion, celery," he said.
It helped that Jollibee makes sweet spaghetti, which is a turnoff to foreigners but loved by Filipinos, particularly children. It also offers Filipino fare like palabok - vermicelli noodles topped with sauce and fish flakes - and arroz caldo - rice porridge with chicken bits.
"These did not taste fast-foody at all," Gonzalez said. "The Jollibee palabok is decent palabok." Jollibee, he said, has a "good understanding of Filipino culture and taste."
Tence said that as the company expanded to more countries, it would use the same model.
"Initially, our thrust was to target Filipinos overseas, but we learned that targeting Filipinos was simply not enough," he said.
Then there is the culture factor. As part of its strategy to counter the Western image of McDonald's, Jollibee's marketing campaign promoted Filipino values like respect for elders, patriotism and loyalty to the family.
"Jollibee had this big marketing campaign that appealed to Filipino sentiment," Gonzalez said. Instead of running ads in English, as McDonald's did, Jollibee ran ads in Tagalog, the Filipino language.
It may be hard for McDonald's to match that, but it is certainly trying. This year, the McDonald's Philippine franchise became 100 percent Filipino-owned, which gave its owners some flexibility. George Yang, the Filipino-Chinese chairman of Golden Arches Development, the local McDonald's franchisee, now has taken a leaf from Tan Caktiong's book.
Yang said that his full acquisition of the franchise here would enable McDonald's to "give our customers even more by being more sensitive and responsive to their changing tastes and wants and by adding a local flavor to our product range."

[QUEZON'S BEST KEPT SECRETS] Lambanog

1. The Issue
Lambanog is a Philippine alcoholic beverage most commonly described as coconut wine or coconut vodka. The drink is distilled from the sap of the unopened coconut flower, and is known for its potency and high alcohol content (80 and 90 proof). Most of the Lambanog distilleries are in the Quezon province of Luzon, Philippines. In the late 1990s, the Industrial Technology Development Institute, along with the Department of Science and Technology began working with the three biggest distilleries to standardize the distillation process. This collaboration has improved the quality of the product. Its introduction to the world market began with exports to Taiwan and Cambodia in 2001. Since then, it has enjoyed increasing exposure and popularity since. Because it is an organic, (chemical-free) product, Lambanog makes a unique addition to the liquor market.
2. Description
Lambanog is an alcholic beverage known for its potency (it is sold in 80 or 90 proof variations). It is primarily produced in the Quezon Province of the Philippines, or about 143 kilometers southeast of Manila. The lambanog making process has been a tradition passed down through generations of coconut plantation farmers in this region. In fact, the Mallari distillery was established in 1918.
The process begins with the coconut tree -- "the tree of life." As with most fruit-bearing trees, flowers turn into the fruit. Lambanog making trees never produce fruit, because it is the sap from the coconut flower that is the crucial ingredient for this unique coconut wine. Plantation workers called mangagarit climb the coconut trees every afternoon to prune the flowers so that their sap drips into bamboo receptacles called tukil. (This process is analogous to rubber tree tapping.) The next morning, the mangagarit returns to collect the sap from these receptacles. The sap is then put through a cooking or fermentation process, which produces a popular coconut toddy called tuba. The tuba is then taken and distilled to produce lambanog. Until recently, lambanog was primarily an local drink, much like home-made apple cider or backwoods moonshine. Lambanog is widely enjoyed by the locals of the Quezon province, and festive occasions are incomplete without the traditional "tagayan" or wine-drinking. While the "tagayan" can take on different forms, the most common kind involves taking turns drinking out of a single glass set in the middle of the group.
Because of its long history as a cottage industry product, lambanog is still beginning to gain worldwide recognition. Also, in an efforts to increase its appeal to people of all ages, it is now marketed in several flavors: mango, blueberry, bubblegum, cinnamon, etc.
Cultural RelevanceBecause coconut trees abound throughout the Philippines, and because the process of distilling lambanog from tuba is a relatively inexpensive process, it is known as a poor man’s drink. Farmers often wind down by drinking lambanog after a long day’s work.
In Quezon, drinking lambanog is usually a communal thing – men sit around in a circle and take turns drinking shots from a cup placed in the middle of the group. Usually, there is also someone singing and playing the guitar to add to the festivities; he takes his turn at drinking too, so the music gets more interesting as the drinking goes on.
Government InvolvementCoconut Products are among the Philippines’ top ten exports. In recent years, other countries have increased their investment in the coconut industries, rivaling the Philippines in terms of export production. In response, the country has been looking for new ways to recover its corner on the market. Lambanog was one of the products selected for export development. The Industrial Technology Development Institute, along with the Department of Science and Technology began working with the three biggest distilleries to standardize the distillation process; their suggestions improved the quality of the product. To prepare for export, the government’s Brand Development Program worked with the distilleries to develop unique bottling and packaging; they hoped to introduce lambanog with a Philippine trademark on the global market to increase its competitiveness.
Market Penetration and PotentialLambanog was launched on the export market in 2001. Exposure and popularity have also been helped by the tourism industry. Tourists who visit the Philippines inevitably sample lambanog and look for it abroad. Recently, hotels and corporations have begun to introduce creative desserts that feature lambanog as a key ingredient. One of these is the Werdenberg Corporation Manila, whose recipe is called Tirami-Asia. Under the Brand Development Program, work is being done to trademark lambanog and make it more competitive on the global market. The distilleries have also begun to release flavored lambanog (ranging from bubblegum, mango, calamansi, and blueberry), which has increased its appeal on younger consumers. Efforts are also under way to market it to the more health conscious consumers as an organic wine.
Environmental impactBecause lambanog comes from the distilled sap of the unopened coconut flower, it is in the industry’s best interests to take good care of its coconut trees. As the demand for lambanog increases, it will naturally serve as an incentive to plant more trees.
3. Related Cases
Coconut --focused on nata de coco – an indigenous Filipino dessert that enjoyed great popularity in Japan in the early 90’s. According to this case study, the popularity of nata de coco as a trendy dessert caused such a surge in demand for the coconut product that it caused some environmental and unemployment problems, which were further complicated when the dessert’s popularity declined.
Sugar -- Philsug case which highlighted sugar as the Philippines’ leading export crop and the large impact that the U.S. quota reduction in the late 1980’s has had on the Philippine economy and environment.
Sake -- Sake is a Japanese rice wine that is now widely known, and often consumed with sushi and other Japanese foods. Like lambanog, there are traditional ways of making sake, and great care goes into making it. Currently, sake is the only Asian wine featured in the TED database.
Grappa -- The Grappa case describes it as “a distillation of the sediment left after pressing grapes to make wine. It goes on to say that while it “originally emerged as a poor man's drink, grappa has recently attained status equivalent to that of Scotch whisky or exquisite cognacs. Italians sip it for breakfast, it is added into coffee and also used as a digestive after meals or an ingredient in cooking (e.g., in cakes, cookies and homemade sausages).”
TsingTao beer -- This case study explores the history of TsingTao and Taiwan Beer, the politics of Taiwan and the Mainland, relevant economic issues, and the legal principles that would be involved in possible litigation.



Ang Lambanog ay isang katawagan ng mga Filipino para sa alak na gawa mula sa 100% purong sangkap. Ang ilang halimbawa ng mga pinagkukunan ng lambanog ay tuba, niyog, bigas at sasa, isang kahalintulad ng puno ng niyog ngunit kadalasang tumutubo sa mga lugar na malapit sa ilog at latian. Ang lambanog ay ang pangunahing produkto ng lalawigan ng Quezon.
Ang proseso ng paggawa ng lambanog ay naging isa ng tradisyon na ipinasa sa bawat henerasyon ng mga magsasaka na nagtatanim ng niyog.

Proseso ng Paggawa
Maaaring gawin ang lambanog sa pamamagitan ng proseso ng distilasyon. Ang katas o dagta ng bulaklak ng niyog ang pinakamahalagang sangkap upang magawa ang alak na ito. Ang mga manggagagawa ng taniman na tinatawag na mangagarit ay aakyat sa puno ng niyog tuwing tanghali upang putulin ang mga bulaklak. Ang dagta ng bulaklak na ito ay patutuluin sa mga lalagyan na tinatawag na tukil. Kinabukasan, kokolektahin ng mangagarit ang dagta mula sa lalagyan at ito ay dadaan sa proseso ng permentasyon, na makakalikha naman ng tuba. Ang tuba ay kukunin at matapos na dumaan sa proseso ng distilasyon, ito ay magiging lambanog.
Ang limang galon ng lambanog ay karaniwang nagkakahalagang P200-500 depende sa dami ng paninda at gustong bumili. Ang lambanog ay 100% na natural at ito ay walang mga masasamang kemikal na tulad ng ibang mga komersyal na alak.
Dahil sa mahabang kasaysayan nito bilang isang produkto ng cottage industry, ang lambanog ay nagsisimula ng makakuha ng pagkilala sa buong mundo. Upang lumakas din ang dating nito sa lahat ng tao, ito ay maaari ng mabili sa ilang lasa tulad ng: mangga, blueberry, bubblegum, cinnamon atbp.

Woohoo! The EMO CHEF is back!!!

hahaha... im back and im back for good!

after more than 5 months of not being able to use this greatest site on EARTH--

now i'am back with a VENGEANCE!

whew- i wonder if many can read the image above-- well i have a very bleak vision

but still i was able to read it!

being back means posting tons of pictures and tons of CONTROVERSIAL remarks.

i have thought about what i should post on my blog- i will try my very best to

at least blog about something from my beloved province QUEZON!

starting tonight i will be blogging anything- and i mean anything under QUEZON!!!

i hope you'll appreciate it!

*its just me*

LONG OVERDUE boozed PHOTOS

SOME BOOZED PHOTOS WHICH ARE
WAY WAY WAY....
LONG OVERDUE


THERE YOU GO DIRK...
SORRY... HE JUST GOT BOOZED UP....
at least he didn't passed out


HEHE... Even my brother got boozed...
whou wouldn't after 4 bottles of Gran Matador
and 2 bottles of Jose Cuervo...


emelito was once again a victim...
i wonder why when in Lucena...
certain things (like getting drunk) happen to him


creepy pictures of emelito and pery...
for the nth time... emelito got drunk again...



GOOD THING... I ROCK AND NOT BOOZED!


*its just me*