Cycle 5 – Item 54
28 (Fri) February 2014
Filipino Spaghetti
1.0
by me
in my new apartment
-Ermita, Manila, Metro Manila, Philippines-
solo
Less than 2 months into my 4-month Manila sojourn, I’m already in my 3rd residence (thus far). This time, I’ve moved into a one-bedroom apartment, same building, a few floors up from the studio apartment before (see generally 5.008 Chicken Pork Adobo).

The most important factor in deciding to upgrade is that the bigger place has a washing machine. Laundry has been a major issue for me here. Beyond the logistical hassle, the detergent that laundromats use is some industrial strength powder, which was destroying/fading my clothes. And fabric softener was leaving behind an overpowering, artificial, flowery scent. So, I’ll be doing my own laundry hence forth. If laundry is my biggest problem in Manila, then I should consider myself blessed.

For me, it is the 25th place that I’ve considered home, averaging 1 domicile every 1.65 years.
- House, Naesu, Seoul
- Apartment (1-BR), Santa Clara, CA
- Apartment (2-BR), Santa Clara, CA
- Townhouse, Santa Clara, CA
- House, Saratoga, CA
- House, Bulgwang, Seoul
- Apartment, Sinsa, Seoul
- Apartment, Ogeum, Seoul
- Apartment, Ogeum, Seoul
- Dorm, New York, NY
- Apartment, Bundang, Seongnam
- Room, Alexandria, VA
- Apartment, Concord, CA
- Apartment, Concord, CA
- Apartment, Oakland, CA
- Apartment, Berkeley, CA
- Apartment, Albany, CA
- House, Cheongdam, Seoul
- Apartment, Los Angeles, CA
- Apartment, Los Angeles, CA
- Apartment, Bundang, Seoul
- Apartment, Nonhyeon, Seoul
- Apartment, Oksu, Seoul
- Apartment (studio), One Adriatico Place (29-J), Malate, Manila (see generally 5.008 Chicken Pork Adobo)
- Apartment (1-BR), One Adriatico Place (31-O), Malate, Manila (see generally 5.054 Filipino Spaghetti)

I’m not really into views per se, but I’d rather have three large windows facing the ocean than two small windows overlooking urban blight. Aesthetics aside, the view should have a purifying effect, I hope, giving me the impression of fresh air above the city grime. In sad fact, Manila’s lack of a proper sewage system makes the bay smell quite literally of piss and shit.

Because I prefer everything in one place, I’ve brought the mattress out into the living room, making it into a studio apartment, with the bedroom as a huge closet.
Actually, I’ve converted the bedroom into a clothes dryer, combining the air-conditioner and ceiling fan, which leaves clothes cool and crisp after several hours. I anticipate tens of thousands of pesos (hundreds of dollars) in electricity bills, electricity being painfully expensive here.

After the move, I went down to the supermarket, bought ingredients for spaghetti, and cooked dinner in my new home.



I’d attempted “Filipino-style” spaghetti before, but that had been from scratch, following a cookbook recipe. While the result hadn’t been so great, at least it had tasted like real food (see 4.277 Filipino Spaghetti).


This was the real deal. The sauce was like bottled ketchup, with a couple additional cups of sugar. The hotdogs were spongy and smelled like dog food, so gross. Sorry to say, but I took a bite and threw it out.
(See also GLOBAL FOOD GLOSSARY)
(See also RESTAURANTS IN PHILIPPINES)