Cycle 17 – Item 1
Post 5,845
6 (Tue) January 2026
Steamed Grouper in Scallion Soy Sauce
3.0
-Mandaue, Cebu City, Cebu, Philippines-
with DJ
Dive Trip to Cebu, Day 1 of 5
-
- Day 1 (17.001 Steamed Grouper in Scallion Soy Sauce)
- Day 2 (17.002 Rock Lobster in Garlic Sauce)
- Day 3 (17.003 Caldereta de Cabrito)
- Day 4 (17.004 Samgye Tang)
- Day 5 (17.005 Chicken Adobo with Fried Eggs + Kimchi)
In Cebu. With DJ (IZ has already started school, so he and W stayed behind). Third time for both us, first when DJ was not yet 4 (see generally 2.124 Pancit Canton), second when DJ was not yet 7 and IZ was 2 (see generally 5.121 Best Pig … Ever!). Tagging along with MtG and his family, who are training for their PADI Open Water and Advanced Open Water certifications (DJ also going for AOW). Arrived today, a day early to spend some quality time with DJ. Diving together Wednesday + Thursday + Friday. Going back Saturday.
ACCOMMODATIONS
For the duration, we are staying at the Bluewater Maribago Beach Resort, which is located along the southern coast of Lapu Lapu City on the island of Mactan, part of Cebu Province.
Forgot to take a photo of the resort from the entrance.
SNACK
Oyster Bar is a pub. Part of the resort.
Arriving at the resort just past 13:00, neither of us were very hungry for lunch, so we opted for a light snack at the bar.
DID YOU KNOW: San Miguel Pale Pilsen was first released in 1890 – believed to be the first beer produced in Southeast Asia – by what was then La Fabrica de Cerveza de San Miguel, a company based in Spain. San Miguel Brewery (now San Miguel Corporation) became a Philippine entity in 1913, while the brand was brought back to Spain in 1946 to become Mahou San Miguel – both are currently in operation, independently of each other.
DINNER
Minnan Seafood Restaurant is a Cantonese restaurant.
While working at WHO and living in Manila, from 2014-2020, part of my monthly salary was diverted to a PHP account at BPI to pay for local living expenses. Which was quite a lot. But in the final months, locked down at home during the pandemic, we weren’t spending much – except for electricity, more than PHP 50,000 (around USD 1,000) per month to run multiple air-conditioners to run all day – so the money had accumulated. Didn’t have the wherewithal to settle the account at the time of our departure.
On our trip to Manila last summer, I took the opportunity to visit the bank. Over the years, I’d forgotten how much money was in the account, so I was very pleasantly surprised by the balance. Won’t specify numbers here, except to say that the money will be enough to fund at least 5 dive trips to the Philippines.
Spent most of the afternoon shopping for dive gear – first opportunity in over 6 years! At Pacifica Dive, the exclusive distributor of Scuba Pro in the Philippines (used to be a regular customer at the main location in Manila, not far from our house in Makati). Had enough PHP to buy my own stuff, but then DJ wanted a new wet suit, and he looked so damn good in it, and I’d already promised to take him clothes shopping, so I used my credit card, deeply rueful that I hadn’t packed more cash.
By good fortune, a highly rated Cantonese seafood restaurant – my favorite kind of place – was located just down the street.
The food was hit and miss. The fish was nice, especially with the sauce over fried rice. But the rest was forgettable. Still, even if mediocre, I was happy to be eating Cantonese.
* * * *
So, obviously, GMTD lives on to see Cycle 17.
Prior predictions concerning the demise of GMTD:
- Cycle 5: “For several reasons, I had contemplated shutting it down. But then, the reasons in favor of continuation won out. I suppose that, now, I’ll just have to maintain the blog through Cycle 8” (see 5.001 Galbi Tang).
- Cycle 9: “I’ve always maintained that I would wrap GMTD at the conclusion of a cycle divisible by the number four – four being my favorite number. Now that I’ve launched Cycle 9, I suppose that I’m locked in until Cycle 12” (see 9.001 Spaghetti Florentine).
- Cycle 11: “This is the first post of what I anticipate will be the penultimate cycle of GMTD – including today, just 731 posts left to go” (see 11.001 Tofu Salad)
- Cycle 12: “Previously, I had declared my intent to wrap GMTD at the end of this year. But we’ll see. Anyway, I look forward to at least 364 posts more posts” (see 12.001 Dweji Galbi).
- Cycle 13: “I’m continuing GMTD, indefinitely. It’ll end when it ends – no more teases along the way. Over 12 cycles, I’ve used 33% of my upload limit, so I should have enough capacity through Cycle 36” (see 13.001 Mul Naeng Myeon).
- Cycle 14: “In my current state of mind, I am thinking that Cycle 16 will be the final one. I’ve always hoped to end on a denomination of 4 (my favorite base number). By the end of Cycle 16, DJ will (hopefully) have graduated high school and entered college. That’d be a nice way to wrap. Then again, that would leave IZ hanging in Grade 8. To see him through college, I’d have to keep the blog going through Cycle 21 – not a denomination of 4, but a nice number (black jack!)” (see 14.001 Tong Dak).
- Cycle 15: “As of now, I’m still thinking Cycle 16 will be it. But as history has shown, I am completely unreliable. Upon completing 4 cycles, then 8 cycles, then 12 cycles, I’ve always found justification to keep going. I’d declared at the start of Cycle 13 never to predict when the blog would end, then promptly made a prediction the following year. So we’ll see.” (see 15.001 Dweji Galbi).
- Cycle 16: “Fair warning, I’m already beginning to wonder if GMTD will end with Cycle 16. IZ has voted to keep it going, at least until he goes to college, Cycle 21. Moreover, I’m feeling kinda queasy by the prospect of not keeping a daily log of what I eat, which preserves the memories – not just the food but whatever significant may have happened that day – otherwise, I fear that my experiences, food and all, will fade away as if they’d never happened.”
Henceforth, I’ve decided to readopt the stance in Cycle 13: just do it until I don’t. Now that nobody reads the blog, I feel a sense of freedom, no shark to jump.
(See RESTAURANTS IN THE PHILIPPINES)
(See GLOBAL FOOD GLOSSARY)
(See BOOZE)