Last 14 Years

Here are some facts I have learned from living in the Philippines for 14 years. Firstly, the Filipino staple food is rice, and the Filipinos like to fish as well. Unlike other Asians, Filipinos look and sound Mexican which is probably due to some of their ancestry being Spaniards as Spain colonized the Philippines for 333 years before the Americans ceded the Philippines from Spain. As a result, there is a significant amount of Spanish and Mexican influence in Philippine customs and traditions such as in their folk dance, music and Spanish last names. Then the Americans taught the Filipinos the English language, pop culture, fast food, music, film and basketball. Additionally, some Filipinos are also part Chinese owing to the fact that the Chinese from nearby Xiamen or the Fu zian people have immigrated to the Philippines. Since the Philippines was colonized by several different cultures all over the world, their cuisine is more of a mixture of all the countries. There are Indian, Spanish, Arab and American influences over the food all over the Philippines. Filipino traditional food is generally prepared with salt, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, tamarind, mango and guava. Secondly, the Philippines is divided into 3 parts, the largest northern island Luzon, the second largest predominantly Muslim Mindanao and the separated Visayas. Lastly, the natural resources of the Philippines are made up of its lands, water, forests, minerals, plants and animals. Various types of fish, shells, clams, oysters and other seafood are found in its waters such as rivers, streams, lakes and seas.