Farewell 2018

This being the final day of 2018, I feel obliged to review this past year and put forth my thoughts in a final blog post of the year.

In the areas of reading and writing, this has not been a productive year for me. With this being the 95th post of 2018, I regret to say that I've written fewer blog posts this year than any year since 2013. If it wasn't for the occasional mango shake review, or VW Beetle spotting, I'd have almost no posts to speak of.  Normally my postings drop off in non-Presidential election years, but this year is far worse than 2017.

As one will see in tomorrow's list of books read this year, my reading dropped off. I read fewer books this year than any year since 2013. It makes me wonder what went on that year.

One area where I feel like I've done well is in the area of exercise and physical fitness. As a general rule, I walk every morning - unless, of course rain prevents my doing so. I've set up different dumbbell routines thru out the year, trying to maintain a balance between working on every major muscle group and getting the proper amount of rest.

My current schedule calls for approximately 40 minutes of dumbbells six days a week - taking Sunday off as a full day of rest.

Without going into too many details, the basic schedule calls for a chest workout for Monday, upper and lower back on Tuesdays, followed by a leg workout on Wednesday. Thursday is for triceps, Friday biceps, and shoulders on Saturday.

I normally change my routine every 3 or 4 months - this routine being only a couple of weeks old, I'll stick to this one for some time to come.

I don't usually make New Year's resolutions - that being my only one. I'm not going to promise to post more often, or read more books. I'm not going to try and stay off social media or any of those other things folks resolve to do this time of year.

I'll just be me, and we'll see how that works out.

Obama Fans/Trump Fans - Birds of a Feather

A little over three years ago, before Trump was elected President of the United States, I wrote a blog post where in I said that Barack Obama and Donald Trump were two sides of the same coin. Now, after two years into the Trump presidency, my belief in that position is even stronger.

I observed as early as January 2016 that both Trump and Obama are narcissists with followers that have fallen victim to a cult of personality.

When I read Internet comments of Obama lovers/Trump haters and the Internet comments of the Trump lovers/Obama haters, I see that both sides are operating under intense emotions with little or no objectivity.

A quote from an article on goodtherapy.org can be used to describe both groups :
"A common theme in hatred is a complete negation of the humanity of the other person or an inability to believe that the other person has any redeeming qualities or any worth".

Neither side is able to accept any criticism of their guy and anyone speaking in the least way about a positive quality the other might have is branded an enemy as well, and perhaps the spawn of Satan.

Both sides love comparing the other guy to Adolf Hitler without realizing that you immediately lose any argument once you've resorted to Reductio ad Hitlerum.

I haven't gained any friends or changed any minds trying to point out the flaws in either side. I'm attacked while attempting to remain reasonable.

The Trump haters will say vile and vicious things about Trump's wife and children just as the Obama haters will give no quarter to his family.

Sadly, I don't see any end in sight and I'm not optimistic about the sanity of the United States.

The Silver Beetle Redux.

Yesterday morning, while taking my walk, I decided to detour down a side road in Sibulan where I don't normally walk. By taking that detour, I came upon this silver Beetle. Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera at the time. I brought my camera along with me this morning and took the same little detour as yesterday in order to snap a photo or two.

Looking over my VW photos, this Beetle compares favorably with the Silver Beetle I photographed last March at the VW graveyard.

I believe the two Silver Beetles are one and the same. It isn't just the color that leads me to think this. I've looked at my VW Beetle photos and no other Beetle has the front turn signal indicator (AKA blinker) on the bumper of the vehicle. Every other Beetle in my photographs has the front turn signal indicator positioned atop the fender.

Based on these similarities, I'm giving this the same number as the earlier Silver Beetle - #45.

A Ghost From Decembers Past

Yesterday, I wrote a post entitled Oh, He's Such a Trump.

Being the old fart that I am, I had forgotten that I had written a post covering the same subject in February of 2017 - Trump : Are We Finally On "The Road to Understanding" ?

Can one plagiarize oneself?

At any rate, it gave me the idea of looking at previous posts with the idea of possible updates. I began by looking at what might be called the ghosts of Christmases past, or at least the ghosts of Decembers past.

That look brought me to this jewel from December of 2014 - The Warren/Clinton Slugfest , when some felt that Elizabeth Warren might make a good POTUS. That was four years ago, and I think there are very few today who would give Warren the same chances in 2020.

That being said, the highlight of that previous post was my inclusion of a Youtube video called "Run Liz Run". When I added the video, I said that, if I were a Hillary Clinton supporter, I would make every effort to make "Run Liz Run" go viral.

The song in the video is horrible. It still remains to be seen if Hillary will make another attempt at the White House, but should Warren test the waters, any Democrat opponent should encourage this video to sweep the Internet.

Oh, He's Such a Trump

Anyone who has read this blog for any length of time should know two things about me -
1) I enjoy reading
2) When it comes to buying books, I'm very cheap.

2018 will be, unfortunately, a year in which the number of books I've read through out the year will be far less than usual. As I've mentioned often enough, most of the books I've read over the past few years have been e-books, downloaded from either fadedpage.com, project gutenberg australia or the much larger project gutenberg, where books out of copyright and in the public domain are available free of charge.

Getting most of my reading material this way has lead me to read quite a few books written during the late 19th century or early 20th century.

Two particular novels I want to mention here were written in 1917; one written by Ethel M. Dell, The Hundredth Chance and the other, The Road to Understanding, by Eleanor H. Porter.

In both novels, a word is used to describe men, who are, as Merriam Webster might put it, as " dependable and exemplary persons".

That word is "trump".

In Chapter X (The Head of the Family) of The Hundredth Chance, after the character Jake helps his friend Bunny, we have this:

"You're no end of a trump!" said Bunny with tears in his eyes.

In Chapter IX (A Bottle of Ink) of The Road to Understanding we find this:

"What a trump dad had been to offer it! What a trump he had been in the way he offered it, too! What a trump he had been all through about it, for that matter. Not a word of reproach, not a hint of patronage. Not even a look that could be construed into that hated 'I told you so.' Just a straight-forward offer of this check for Helen, and the trip for himself, and actually in a casual, matter-of-fact tone of voice as if ten-thousand-dollar checks and Alaskan trips were everyday occurrences".

I note all this because I'm amazed at how the word has changed these past 100 plus years. Once, it was considered a high compliment to be called a "trump", while now, some still might look at it as a compliment, many people in the U.S. might consider being called a trump fightin' words.

VW Number 56

It's been quite a long time since I last posted a photo of a Volkswagen Beetle that I might have come across while out and about in Dumaguete. As a matter of fact, I haven't posted a Beetle photo since last November 3rd.

It isn't because I haven't seen any Beetles - on the contrary, on one particular day, I came across three different ones, but unfortunately that day was one of the rare days when I'd left my camera at home. There have also been occasions when I'd spot a VW while driving, but because the VW was traveling in the opposite direction, getting a photo was impossible.

That was almost the case with this VW Beetle I came upon while driving thru the city. I was unable to snap a photo while driving, but as luck would have it, I happened upon the car an hour later when I stopped at City Mall to purchase powdered milk.

I've looked thru my collection of VW photos, and it appears that I haven't photographed this on before, so I'm tagging it number 56.

Gandhi: India's Robert E. Lee?

Although it had once been the latest craze in civil disobedience and protest, one doesn't see much in the news of late, concerning the removal of Confederate monuments throughout the U.S. . There was a time when you couldn't go to an online news source without reading a story covering the public cries for - and against - the removals. The last one I recall coming across was a story from more than a year ago, when then Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams from Georgia was calling for the removal of the three Confederate war leaders carved on to the face of state-owned Stone Mountain.

My personal view is that it is long past time for any monument to the Confederacy to be removed from places of prominence. I see no reason to honor the likes of Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, Jefferson Davis, or any of their ilk.

It's come to my attention, that there are calls being made outside the United States, to remove statues of other notable figures, who are now looked upon as less than admirable by some. A statue of Indian independence leader Mahatma Gandhi has been removed from Ghana's most prestigious university following complaints that he was racist against the black Africans, and over 3,000 people have signed a petition opposing a planned statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Malawi's commercial capital Blantyre.

Though Gandhi is more commonly remembered for his non-violent resistance to British colonial rule in his native India, his legacy in Africa is mixed.

One website detailing Gandhi's dark side gives the following :

"While Gandhi's time fighting for the rights of Indians in South Africa is often now mythologized as the heroic precursor to his later efforts in India, the dark side of this tale reveals that Gandhi's motivations in South Africa included his strident racism against the local black populations there."

'Ours is one continual struggle against a degradation sought to be inflicted upon us by the Europeans, who desire to degrade us to the level of the raw Kaffir [a slur now classified as hate speech and generally considered to be the equivalent of "nigger" in the United States] whose occupation is hunting, and whose sole ambition is to collect a certain number of cattle to buy a wife with and, then, pass his life in indolence and nakedness,'   Gandhi said during an address in Bombay in 1896.

It's more than a little bit ironic that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had noted Gandhi as a positive influence on his philosophy and non-violent approach, without knowing Gandhi's racist views toward black Africans.

The Mango Shake from Jo's Chicken Inatô

Jo's Chicken Inatô is located on Silliman Ave, in Dumaguete, between KBOB restaurant and 21st Boutique. Coincidentally, the mango shake I had there recently is also between KBOB and 21st.

The shake was better that the regular mango shake I had at KBOB - it had to be - but the mango shake I had at Jo's just doesn't compare with the wonderful mango shakes from 21st Boutique.

As if that's not bad enough, Jo's makes it worse by charging 75 pesos (10 pesos more than 21st).

No question about it, it's worth walking a few extra steps to pay less for a much better mango shake.

Mango Shake from the 21st Boutique

On Google Maps, the name for this cafe is given as 21st Boutique, although I'm not sure why. The closest thing to a complete name (other than 21st) is given on a few signs as 21st Food Ave.

Google Maps also lists the address as 21 Rizal Blvd. even though the map below clearly shows the cafe to be on Silliman Ave.

Be that as it may, I stopped in to the cafe recently to find out if they served mango shakes. I'm glad I did.

I know I've praised other establishments as having superior mango shakes, but honestly, none are better than the shake I had at this particular cafe. Absolutely smooth and creamy. Of all the shakes I've had, this one has the most ice cream taste and texture. At 65 pesos, you can't ask for a better mango shake in Dumaguete.

Mango Shake from the Cafe Racer Diner

This afternoon, I made my way to the Cafe Racer Diner for a mango shake. This isn't the first time I've mentioned the cafe in a blog post. In March of 2017, I wrote of a half- VW Beetle used as decoration - slash - conversation piece outside the cafe.

When I sat down at a small table, I told the waitress there was no need to leave a menu - I only wanted the mango shake. Normally, at nearly all the cafes and eateries in the area, one would have to pay before getting ones order, but Cafe Racer is one of the few exceptions here. You don't pay when you order.

Because I hadn't looked at the menu, I was unaware of the cost of the mango shake. As I received my shake, I thought that not knowing the price before drinking it might prevent my prejudging the drink.

The mango shake I had at Cafe Racer was absolutely delicious. The perfect mango shake. As I drank, I felt this one would be one of the higher priced shakes in Dumaguete. Upon finishing, I asked the waitress for the check, and I understood her to say the shake was 185 pesos.

Yikes.

I handed her a 200 peso note and waited at the table for my change. I was completely shocked. This may have been one of the better mango shakes I've had, but it was the highest priced shake I've come upon. No other mango shake had even come close to 185 pesos.

When the waitress returned with my change, she gave me - not the 15 pesos change I expected, but 115 pesos.

"What did you say the price is for the shake?", I asked.
"85 pesos", she replied.
"Oh," I said, "I misunderstood what you said".

I didn't tell her the amount I thought she had told me.

As it turned out, the shake isn't the highest priced mango shake in town after all, but more reasonably priced.

I have no complaints with the mango shake at Cafe Racer, nor the price.

House Rules Might Now Allow Hijab on House Floor.

Normally, I tend not to disagree with Rush Limbaugh very often, but I believe that with a recent Facebook post, he's needlessly causing a fuss over nothing.

When posting a link to his comments on Democrats' plans to change a House rule that bans the wearing of hats on the House Floor, in order to accommodate Minnesota Rep.-elect Ilhan Omar, a Muslim who wears a headscarf, he added this line above the Facebook entry :

"A 181-year-old rule in the House of Representatives says no religious head wear may be worn. She’s the one challenging that."

Naturally, thousands of comments were left on that post - most probably ridiculous and over the top. Of course, I didn't read all of the more than five thousand comments, but those I did read were highly critical of changing the 181 year old rule in order to accommodate a Muslim - separation of Church and State and all that.

If one were to take a moment to do a bit of research, it becomes pretty clear that the ban has nothing at all to do with "religious headwear". Put simply, it's a ban on hats and all head coverings while on the House floor.

I don't really see the harm in allowing female Muslim members of the House of Representatives to wear a head scarf, if they choose to wear one. That's contrary to one comment, however, which reads:

"She will brazenly wear her hijab. And NO ONE will stop her. Muslim Privilege. IT will be the DEMISE of America and Western Civilization".

There were also comments on the (current) ban on yarmulkes, like this one:

"Why do we have to change our rules/laws to accommodate when Jewish members never asked asked [sic]."

I'm no authority on Jewish law, but it is my understanding that there is considerable debate as to whether or not wearing a yarmulke at all times is required. I'm quite sure that, had a Jewish member of the House felt he was required to wear one, he would have been accommodated.

The current ban would also apply to House members wanting to wear baseball caps in support of their local team. House members from Massachusetts can't wear Red Sox caps to celebrate their team winning the World Series this year. That would probably suit the New York and Los Angeles Representatives just fine.

I'm sure the rule change will be supported by all House Democrats - there may be some grumble from a few House Republicans. The shoe would've been on the other foot, so to speak, had a newly elected House member asked to have the ban dropped in order to allow him to wear his MAGA cap.

It would then be the Democrats supporting the 181 year old tradition.

Mango Shake from GRAVI TEA at DAD'S Gastro Park

Dad's Gastro Park, located on E.J. Blanco Drive in Dumaguete, is a food court housing a number of kiosks serving food and drink.

For today's mango shake review, I choice a business called GRAVI TEA located in the center of the food court.

I have nothing negative to say about this shake; it was quite good. It's priced at 65 pesos - about average for the area. It's taste and texture reminded me of slightly melted home made ice cream that we made in small town Georgia.

The only odd thing I can mention is the plastic cover put onto the cup after it was filled. The covering did not suit the shot I had in mind when I photographed the shake.

DAD'S Gastro Park is a bit out of the way to get just a mango shake, but if you're there getting food from another kiosk, I'd certainly recommend the shakes at GRAVI TEA.

The Mango Yogurt Shake from KBOB Restaurant.

My last mango shake review was of the shake I bought at KBOB Restaurant on Silliman avenue across from Four C Fitness Center.

As I mentioned in that review, I didn't like their mango shake one bit, but I did not like having to write a bad review. The main reason for my dislike of their mango shake is the lack of dairy in the shake - making it more of a slushy. I didn't mention in the review that the restaurant also sells a mango yogurt shake for 100 php. I went back today to give that shake a try.

I'm glad I did. This shake has a very flavorful yogurt taste and texture. Nothing in Dumaguete compares to it. If you enjoy yogurt - and I do - this has to be tried. There's no hiding the yogurt in this shake.

Just as I said you should avoid the regular mango shake at KBOB,  but I highly recommend the mango yogurt shake.

Mango Shake from KBOB Restaurant

I'm not quite sure how long KBOB restaurant has been open, but I've only recently noticed the business. Located on Silliman Ave. between Perdices and Rizal Blvd. the cafe is right in the middle of things.

The place - and the Korean owners - seem nice. I really hate giving this cafe a bad rating, I only tried the mango shake and can't write about any other items on the menu. Unfortunately, I didn't care for the mango shake I got there. Like the shake from Fruitas, it was more of a slushy and less like a shake. It really didn't taste like mango flavor either. As much as I dislike giving bad reviews, I'm going to say avoid the mango shake at KBOB.

Mango Shake from Scooby's & The Bean Connection

As I mentioned in an earlier post, there's more than one Scooby's in Dumaguete. My last mango shake review was the shake I got at Scooby's Fastfood on San Jose Street across from the Hotel Nicanor. Today's review is of a shake purchased at Scooby's and The Bean Connection located on Silliman Avenue.

Now, one would expect the mango shakes from two Scooby's to be pretty much alike. You couldn't be more wrong. The shakes I bought are completely different.

As I said in the earlier review, the mango shake from Scooby's Fastfood was both good and inexpensive. It seemed to me, however, that the shake did not contain any dairy.

The same isn't true of the mango shake from Scooby's and The Bean Connection. That shake contained dairy was a true shake. Exclamation point. This shake also contained a lot more fresh mango.......bumping the price up to 110 pesos, the second highest priced mango shake I've come upon. I have to say that this one is one of my favorites now. It's far and away much better than the mango shake from Senorita's Mexican Grill, which isn't much cheaper.

I have no idea why the words "Fat Tuesdays" is printed on the cup.

A Mango Shake from Scooby's

There are quite a few Scooby's located in Dumaguete, but for the purposes of this mango shake review, I choose the Scooby's Fastfood located on San Jose Street - across from Hotel Nicanor.

Of course, I'm not privy to the secrets involved in making Scooby's mango shakes, but I didn't taste any dairy in the shake I had there. I'm not holding that against them. The shake was quite good and at only 50 pesos, you can't beat the price.

Sinead O'Connor Converts to Islam

It's been a long time since I've made any comment on the bizarre behavior of Sinead O'Connor - seven years, in fact, when she obtained her fourth divorce.

Her attempt to be ordained a Catholic priest occured in 1999, long before the creation of this blog.

Now, I've learned that O'Conner has has converted to Islam and changed her name to Shuhada' Davitt.

Far be it from me to say that Ms. O'Conner/Davitt isn't serious in her conversion. I simply wonder about her need to inform the world of the conversion.

Baby Blue Beetle

It's not often that I'm fast enough to photograph a VW as we pass one another on the street. I managed to snap this one yesterday.

I've looked through my collection of Beetle photographs, and I can't find another with this shade of blue. I'm not 100% certain as to whether or not I've come across this one before.

Hunger

It's becoming increasingly apparent to me that human memory is unreliable, at best. This unreliability is especially apparent to me when I think of the novel, Hunger, by the Norwegian writer, Knut Hamsun.

To the best of my recollection, I first heard of Hamsun in the 1980's, in a magazine interview with the American writer, Henry Miller who, in the interview, gave Hamsun credit for being an influence on his writing.

I can remember having read the interview in the mid 1980s when I was living in Rome, GA. It must have been an old magazine because Miller died in 1980, before I ever moved to Rome. I actually don't recall anything else from that interview - only Miller's praise of Hamsun, who I had never read or heard of before this.

I remember going to the local library in Rome to try and find any novel written by Hamsun. This was long before the Internet and Amazon.com. The only novel by Hamsun in the library was Hunger, which I immediately checked out.

I don't recall just how much of the novel I read at the time. I know it wasn't very much. I can remember finding the life of the unnamed protagonist just a wee bit too close to an earlier life experience of my own - thereby depressing and frightening me to no end.

Many years later, I felt a need to pick up Hamsun. He was being favorably compared to Fyodor Dostoyevsky, who is nearly incomparable in my eyes. At some point, I downloaded a copy of Hunger as an ebook.

This time, upon reading it, I fell in love with the novel. Yes, I still recognized the similar life experiences, but this time I didn't find them depressing or frightening.

I've been recently meaning to reread the novel, and after finishing a number of novels by C.S. Forester, I uploaded Hunger to my Kindle. Prior to this new reread, I remembered having read the novel twice before on Kindle. However, I've been keeping lists of the books I've read each year since 2011 and that year is the only year I've had Hunger on my book list.

In 2014 I did put two of Hamsun's novels -Pan and Shallow Soil- on my book list. That is also the year my first Kindle was destroyed while traveling to Philippines from the U.S., and I may have reread the novel that year and simply neglected to put onto a proper list.

At any rate, I've begun rereading Hunger and at this point in the novel, most of what I'm reading seems new to me. I have forgotten a good deal of the novel, but it has been years, after all.

The version I'm reading, and have read, is the 1899 translation by Mary Chavelita Dunne (under the alias George Egerton). That version is available for free at Project Gutenberg. From what I've seen lately, the 1996 translation by Sverre Lyngstad is considered to be definitive. Lyngstad's translation is available for Kindle at Amazon.com - for a price. Perhaps one day I will see my way into purchasing it and rereading the novel once again.

You Say Occidental, I Say Oriental.

In a post published earlier today [The Mango Shake from Gabby's - Brgy. Daro. ] I included, at the end of the post, a map showing the location of Gabby's - Brgy. Daro.

After reviewing my post, I noticed that Google Maps gives the location as Dumaguete, Negros Occidental.

This is incorrect. Dumaguete is in the province of Negros Oriental, not Negros Occidental. As a matter of fact, Dumaguete is the provincial capital of Negros Oriental.

A screenshot of the error is at the beginning of this post.

I immediately went to Google Maps to suggest an edit to correct this error. At the time of this writing, the edit has not been published.

The Mango Shake from Gabby's - Brgy. Daro.

Yesterday morning, while watching what would become the final game of the 2018 World Series (go Boston) I received an email from a friend who currently lives in Davao - the writer of the now discontinued blog, Village Idiot Savant, and current writer of dom.cimafranca.com - letting me knew he would be in Dumaguete for a few days, asking if I'd like to meet for coffee later in the afternoon.

We met at the Gabby's in Brgy. Daro. I brought along my camera, knowing I would order a mango shake. I had been meaning to compare the shakes at this Gabby's to the mango shakes found at the Gabby's located on the 2nd floor of the Paseo Perdices building on Rizal blvd.

A photo of the mango shake I ordered is to the left.

But, wait, you might say, this looks like a blank photo. It is, never the less, an accurate photo of the mango shake I ordered. In other words, mango shakes are unavailable at the Gabby's in Daro.

Naturally, I have to give this eatery a failing grade. Zero stars.

I was so shocked that I was not able to get a mango shake, I failed to ask if this was a temporary thing due to lack of ingredients, or if mango shakes were not on the menu there.

Fortunately, this mango shake disaster did not ruin the visit I had with my friend. We had coffee and shared stories and agreed that we'd have to do it again soon.

Mango Shake at the Big Tree Hive.

Once a week I meet, for breakfast with a small group of Americans living in the Dumaguete area. Normally, we meet in a different cafe each week, but for the past few weeks we've gotten together at Senorita's Mexican Grill, located at the Dumaguete airport.

Arriving early yesterday, I thought I'd visit the cafe next door to Senorita's for a mango shake.

I must say, the shake I had there was superior. I would rate it as high as my favorite, the mango shake at Don Roberto's. At 65 pesos, the price is much better than the 90 pesos charged at the cafe next door.

Although the cafe has obviously been around for a long time, I couldn't find the name of the cafe posted anywhere. I even checked the menu and it wasn't to be found. I had to ask the waitress for the name of their establishment. She told me it was called Big Tree Hive.

This morning, just before writing this review, I went to my account on Google Maps (where I'm listed as a Local Guide) and added Big Tree Hive to the map.

The next time I'm at the Dumaguete airport and in the need for a mango shake, I'll know where to go.

The Fruitas Mango Shake

The Fuitas kiosk is located on the 2nd floor of Robinson's Place Mall near the entrance of the Robinson's MovieWorld movie theater. Fruitas sells a wide variety of fruit shakes and smoothies in 3 different sizes - costing p45, p59, or p75.

For this review, I ordered the medium, p59.

The shake has a sweet mango taste. However, the shake does not appear to contain any dairy, so it might be better called a slushy, rather than a shake. The thickness of the drink comes from the large amount of crushed ice used.

This lack of dairy is a major negative for me. Although called a shake, this isn't a shake to my way of thinking. I'm sure quite a lot of folks may like this drink, but I can't recommend it.

Mango Shake from Honey's Halo Halo Delight

Wah Crepe isn't the only kiosk in the mini-food court at Ever Mall Shopping Center on Perdices St. serving mango shakes. Just feet away from Wah Crepe, we find Honey's Halo Halo Delight.

As the name implies, their specialty is Halo Halo, but they do sell a variety of fruit shakes. The 16 oz mango shake sells for 50 pesos - the shake is equal to, and even superior to mango shakes costing much more. The shake has a delicious mango taste, with just the right amount of sweetness. The shake isn't as thick as some, but with the ingredients used, one can't really expect an ice cream like thickness.

I was able to watch while my shake was being made. The ingredients consists of mango, sugar, evaporated milk and crushed ice.

Not only is the shake priced right, the waiting time for me to get my shake after ordering was the fastest of any of the cafes and eateries I've been to in the Dumaguete area.

If you find yourself on Perdices St. and in need of a mango shake, it's worth stopping by Honey's Halo Halo Delight.

Senorita's Mango Shake

Originally located on the Dumaguete-Bacong Rd., Senorita's Mexican Grill is now a part of The Finish Line Cafe at the Dumaguete airport.

Much can be said for their excellent Mexican food, but that can be left for another time. Today is the day to review their mango shakes.

One need only look at the photo of the shake I got there to know it has to be absolutely delicious. It is. Of all the mango shakes I've found in Dumaguete, Senorita's tops the list. It is naturally thick and creamy, and I didn't have to ask for extra sugar for it to be perfectly sweet. It can honestly be argued if this shake is better than - or tied for first with the mango shake at Don Roberto's. The only negative thing I have to say about the shake from Senorita's is the 90 peso price tag. I loved the shake, but for every 2 shakes you buy at Senorita's, you can have 3 from Don Roberto's. It's like getting a free shake.

If I'm already dining at Senorita's, I could very well order a mango shake. But, if I wanted a shake just for shake's sake, I'd choose Don Roberto's because of the difference in price.

My Own Mango Shake

Some may ask, who am I to review the mango shakes sold in the local cafes and eateries. My only response to that would be to post a photo of my own homemade mango shake.

Modesty prevents me from ranking my shake against others in Dumaguete, but since I make them to suit my own taste, one can assume I think mine are quite good.

I won't include a recipe here, but I will list the ingredients:




mango
sugar
powdered milk
ice water

Unlike the posts on the other shakes found in the area, this post won't feature a map to the location. After all, I'm drinking them, not selling them.

The Mango Shake from Wah Crepe

Wah Crepe is one of a number of kiosks found inside the mini-food court at Ever Mall Shopping Center on Perdices St. in Dumaguete. As the name implies, the specialties of the business are their crepes and waffles. The business also has a wide variety of fruit shakes.

Any other time, I might have ordered an avocado shake, or a banana/mango shake, but this time I picked strictly mango to be in line with my past reviews of the mango shakes found in the Dumaguete area.

The shakes at Wah Crepe are priced at 65 pesos - that's better than the 80 pesos charged at some cafes. The shake I got there was thick and creamy, with a tangy mango taste, much like the shakes at Gabby's Bistro. The shakes at Wah Crepe do not normally have added sugar, so this one was not quite as sweet as I like. For the review, I wanted a shake as it's usually made. Next time, I'll have them add just a tiny bit of sugar.

Or, better yet, I'll just have the banana/mango shake which is naturally sweeter and thicker.

As an aside, I have to apologize for the slightly out of focus photo of Wah Crepe. The lighting inside Ever Mall isn't conducive to good photography, particularly the back lighting behind Wah Crepe.

The Chapters Cafe Mango Shake

I find the Carrolesque themed decor of Chapters Cafe, with the upside down tea set and playing cards on the ceiling, a bit too "busy". Add the loud music playing over the loud speakers, and you have a uniquely unpleasant dining experience.

The addition of Halloween decorations this month doesn't help.

But, this isn't a review of the Chapters Cafe experience; this is a review of the Chapters Cafe mango shake.

Like the decor of the cafe, the appearance of the mango shakes at Chapters stand out. None of the mango shakes I've had in Dumaguete can compare visually. The sight of the whipped cream and sprinkles is a delight. There is a touch of chocolate syrup in the whipped cream, making the Chapters cafe mango shake absolutely delicious. The mango portion (sans the topping) is as good or better as any other found in Dumaguete. The whipped cream only adds to the treat.

Now, for the critical portion of the review - the cost. The owners of Chapters Cafe are really very proud of their mango shakes, charging 135 pesos. Assuming that the shakes at Neva's and The Rollin' Pin are worth 80 pesos - and that the mango shakes at Don Robertos are a steal at 60 pesos, there is no way Chapters can be justified charging 135 for their shake. Are we to believe that the addition of whipped cream and sprinkles is worth the price of an additional Don Robertos shake? I'll admit, the mango shake at Chapters is unbelievably delicious. However, as I told the cashier, I love the shake, but I'd love it a lot more if the price was 100 pesos. 135 pesos is too much for this mango shake.

Mango Shake from the Rollin' Pin

The Rollin' Pin on Katada St. in Dumaguete gets high marks in my book for their being ahead of the curve in the fight against plastic, disposable drinking straws. The mango shake I had there yesterday was served with a metallic, reusable straw. I know some folks may call the war against plastic straws overkill, but Philippines is one of the highest producers of the plastic waste polluting the Pacific ocean, and I applaud The Rollin' Pin for taking this step.

Now, on to my review of their shakes.

Their mango shake is similar to the shake I had at Neva's - although not quite as sweet as I like. I give The Rollin' Pin the benefit of doubt here. I blame a miscommunication between myself and the woman taking my order for the small amount of sugar in the shake I had.

There were pieces of mango in my shake; one piece nearly the size of my thumb. I don't know if this is due to the cafe's intentionally wanting pieces of fruit in the final shake, or the incompetence of the man making the shake. At any rate, I didn't care for the pieces. It's difficult getting a large piece of mango through a straw.

Like the shake I had at Neva's, the mango shakes at The Rollin' Pin are priced at 80 pesos. Sorry, but the shakes can't compare to the much lower priced ones at Don Roberto's so it's unlikely that I'll have another.