Coconuts, Friends, and Fun!

Living over here in the Philippines, we have found that coconut products are very common and weaved into everyday life. Not only do Filipinos have coconut drinks and coconut flakes, but they also have clothes, bags, brooms, lotions, jewelry, paintings, rugs, toys, food, and much more made out of the coconut and the coconut tree. The coconut tree is actually deemed the “tree of life” because it is the only tree that bears fruit all year long, and every bit of it, from the leaves to the roots, is used.


This weekend, some of our new friends from church took us to the annual coconut festival at one of the malls here in Manila. We had so much fun seeing all the different, unique ways to use every part of the coconut. The leaves, the coconut skin, the inside of the coconut, the juice, the bark, every little bit of the coconut plant was used for something. No part went to waste!

Our friends, Tita Tina, Tita Gina, as well as Gina’s daughters Rachel and Claire, invited us to this coconut exhibit because they knew we were interested in coconuts. In case you are wondering what “tita” means, it is just one of the Filipino addresses of showing respect to ladies older than you. It is similar to Miss or Mrs., but with the affection as with “Aunt” in English. Tina and Gina wanted us girls to call them “tita” as a way of welcoming us into their Filipino family.:-)


Sarah was so excited to find a fellow beekeeper here in Manila. Ever since we first arrived, Sarah and Dad have been hoping to come in contact with a Filipino beekeeper. As soon as Sarah saw the beekeeper’s booth at the exhibit, she and mom began talking with this Filipino beekeeper and asking about his bees and what beekeeping is like over here in the Philippines. This man was also very excited to find out that Sarah also had her own apiary. By the end of the conversation, the man gave us an invitation to visit his apiary of 20 colonies. And where do you think he has his hives? They are not in a field or even on the ground; this Filipino beekeeper keeps his beehives on the roof of his house. :-)


Food! The exhibit would not have been complete without its many testers!:-) We love coconut and thoroughly enjoyed sampling the numerous testers made with coconut.:-) Although we tried many different testers from jam, to vinegar (fermented coconut nectar), to candy, to other types of food, the coconut ice cream was probably our favorite tester. This creamy, coconut ice cream tasted absolutely heavenly! We actually tasted two kinds of coconut ice cream: one plain, and one that was flavored with purple ube, which is a root plant similar to a sweet potato with a purple color. Both were very tasty and extremely refreshing.


After looking at all of the different coconut exhibits and booths, our friends decided to take us to Chowkings for lunch, which is a Chinese-Filipino fast food place. To top off our meal, we tried some Halo-halo, “mix-mix” in Tagalog. This tasty Filipino dessert was composed of ice and milk. Now these were not the only two ingredients. The ice and milk were literally covered with all kinds of toppings and mixtures! On most Halo-halos, you can find anything from beans, to bananas, to ice cream, to parts of coconut and much more included on your dessert. The customary thing to do once you received your dessert is to mix it up with a spoon. Hence the name “mix-mix” or “halo-halo.” All in all, our day was filled with coconuts, friends, and fun! It has been a blessing to find such sweet friends here who are willing to take the time to show us around.:-)