jumanggy

Was it the Cherry one? As a non beer drinker, this is the closest I have found in beer that tastes like wine. I really really like it. ← You're right! It's a cherry-flavored beer (mine was specifically from Belgium). I loved it so much and I thought I had grown up like 10 years after drinking it. After that I bought a bag of Kettle Brand Potato Chips (Cheddar Beer) -- the Honey Dijon variant is a guilty pleasure of mine -- thinking that I could trust their taste, but no. I still hated the taste of non-kriek beer. I think tears were rolling down my cheeks as I struggled to finish that expensive single-serve bag.

Ooh, but scottie, did you not learn to love Maggi yourself? Yum... hydrolyzed vegetable proteins... With a taste not unlike soy sauce, kids love to sprinkle it on rice to salvage a bland meal. The Philippines in particular has a wide range of non-imported and imported condiments. (The more common ones I have trouble finding are Tahini and Mango Chutney, which is weird because we have so many here.) Imported sauces are not hard to find, courtesy of Lee Kum Kee, Kikkoman, and an ever-present imported food section in most good groceries. Here's a short list of locally produced condiments: Ketchup - Tomato, Spicy Tomato, Chili (YUM), Sweet Tomato, Rich Tomato, Banana, Spicy Banana Soy Sauce - almost always dark (brewed and light ones are usually imported) Fish Sauce, Shrimp Paste (Bagoong) Vinegar - usually cane vinegar, and undistilled. Sweet Chili Sauce - so popular nowadays. Stand-in for ketchup. Sweet and Sour Sauce - always a disappointment, considering you can make it yourself and always better. Never know why this is bottled. Hot Sauce - just like Tabasco, but cheaper and milder. Ubiquitous. Teriyaki sauce Barbecue sauce - usually chinese-style, sans the fruity flavors (e.g. tomato) of Western barbecue sauces. Soy-sauce based. Worcestershire sauce Liquid seasoning - such as Maggi. Not as salty as soy sauce but has more interesting flavor. Achara - pickled shredded papaya, carrots, etc. as described above. Popular with barbecue. Chili-garlic paste, Oyster Sauce Mustard - I'm not sure if McCormick just repacks this, but I think it's mostly imported anyway... Mayonnaise Sandwich Spread - this is Mayonnaise that has been sweetened and to which pickle relish has been added (as well as a coral tinge). Sweet pickles and pickle relish (dill pickles are always imported because they are so unpopular)

I hope your adventure paid off Also, it's great with fried fish. fish + banana ketchup + rice = Staple of millions of Filipinos. Tilapia in particular I could never say no to.

The first thing that comes to my mind when I hear broccoli is one cooked in garlic and oyster sauce. Sweet and crunchy. I always used to wonder about kids on tv who complain about eating broccoli when I've always loved it. I also like it in pasta, with fresh or dried tomatoes (it seems like I prefer the Chinese and Italian ways of handling vegetables). Same for cauliflower. I've also always loved asparagus, in stir-fries, soup, and sandwiches. I used to hate peas but now I find them particularly great in fried rice and stew. Mushrooms I'd put in anything. But I could never pass up a stuffed mushroom.

I hate coconut (meat, toasted, juice/water, nata or gel) unless it's in a macaroon or in a butter-coconut biscuit. One time a girl I liked insisted that I eat a fresh coconut dessert and I didn't want to be rude, so I put it in my mouth whole. She said, "I told you it was good!" and I nodded, pretending to chew. Then I slowly walked away and expelled the whole thing into a.. er.. receptacle. THAT bad. Among the other "native" flavors of my country I hate are purple yams, soursop (and many other members of the Anona family), bitter gourd, okra (grossest texture EVER), chico/sapodilla (Achras sapota), and jackfruit. I've only had cuttlefish once, but the first time I ate it, it tasted so bland and thick and metallic at the same time that I've never had another. I like squid though. Edited to add: I hate the taste of beer. (except for one kriek I tasted long ago but never again, sadly)