Mang Inasal and Going Under the Knife


 

 

 

 

 

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I love Mang Inasal.  I say that without reservation and with absolute conviction.  I am not certain of too many things in life, but one thing I am certain of, is that this tidy little Filipino fast food chain has – hands down – the tastiest chicken I have ever eaten.  Better than Chooks to Go, better than Sr. Pedro, even better than that Curbada’s (Curve) place up on Palinpanon Road.  I am not absolutely certain as to why it is so good, it just is.  My suspicion is that it has something to do with whatever elixir of ambrosia they are marinating it in.  And the best thing is, the pecho (“breast” – my favorite meal) is consistently good.  Every time I have gone it has been rich, and tender and oh-so-juicy.  Yum!

 Michell and I usually hit Mang at least once a week.  It’s not the healthiest food – each meal only comes with a soda (not so good) and “endless” rice, which is also not so good.  “Endless rice” always makes Michell’s heart go all pitter-patter, so I don’t have to usually do much arm twisting to get her to go.

 Last week we brought the GoPro in to video a dinner at “Mr. Barbeque.”  (“Mang Inasal” actually means that in Ilongo, another local language-dialect like Bisaya.)  As usual, the place was mobbed, so the audio “quality” of our little camera again failed the test.  We didn’t put too much worry into that as we were both much too busy woofing down our super-scrumptious pecho, while I was saving a special spot for a post-repast turon split.  “Turon” is a desert consisting of three scoops of ice cream (two scoops of “cheese” – one scoop of ube) snuggled between two yummy biscuits made of bananas encased in lumpia wrappers.  So, so good!!  As things are in the Philippines, turon split is sometimes out of stock, so when that happens, I usually have a leche flan, which is a sublime combination of whipped egg white topped with something that tastes startlingly similar to maple syrup.

Yeah, and people say that there is no good food in the Philippines.  Ha!

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 In other news – and as a total non sequitur – I got some bad news from the doctor this morning.  Now, if you are considering retiring in the Philippines, medical issues are always something you have to constantly consider.  Anyways, as I feared, the staph infection I have is going to require surgery.  Now I now you just saw us have dinner – and read about yummy comestibles at Mang Inasal – but it looks like I am going to have to have the sweat glands in my right armpit surgically removed.  The diagnosis is Hidradenitis Suppurativa, which doesn’t go away.  I never had issues with it before coming to the Philippines, and it has been steadily getting worse for the past few months, requiring multiple series of antibiotics, lots of hot compresses and a stunning amount of pain.  (If you’ve ever had a boil under your armpit, you know what I am talking about – just imagine six or seven of them at the same time…..).   So, long story short, I am on a new antibiotic (Levofloxocin) used in conjunction with a topical cream to get the swelling down.  From there, I will have to decide if I want to get the surgery done.  I will be getting a second opinion, of course (probably tomorrow) but from everything I have seen and (painfully) experienced, it looks like going under the knife is ultimately inevitable.  The doctor referred me to one of the surgeons who checked it out and said he could do it for 15,000 pesos with local anesthesia. 

Oh, hell yeah – soooooo looking forward to that.     🙁

Tomorrow I will go for the second opinion.  

Well, at least the good news is that with only one armpit with sweat glands, my deodorant will now last twice as long……..

If you are thinking about retirement in the Philippines, subscribe to our website.  Don’t be lured in by sites claiming that everything here is all puppies and rainbows. We try to show both sides – the good and the bad.  Thankfully – and in this author’s humble opinion – the good FAR outweighs the bad!

 

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14 comments

  1. We love this place also when we visit…..sorry to hear about your medical issue…a second opinion is a good idea Ned. We enjoy each video and article….well written by the way! Have a nice day!

  2. I love Mang InasalI like the pecho and also the dinuguan. They used to serve crispy kangkong, but I don’t think it’s on the menu any more. In addition to all-you-can-eat rice, they also have free sabaw (soup).

  3. Sorry to hear about your health situation. It’s never easy to need medical attention, and far worse to need it in a third world country like PH. If it’s any encouragement, I had my first bout with kidney stones last year while in Bohol. I’ve heard that it’s better to seek treatment in Cebu or Manila, but all in all I cannot criticize my care at Romero Community Hospital in Tagbilaran. I was seen by an Internal med doc, then a Urologist. I had an ultrasound, x-rays, and a CT scan. Three days in a private room, all the tests, doc fees, and meds came to $628 US. The worst part of my experience was the language difficulty. Docs spoke english, but not that great. It’s tough to go through an interpreter when talking about possible surgery, meds, etc., but then again, I’m probably a major wimp. Anyway, best wishes and keep your sense of humor. It’s more fun in the Philippines!

    1. I am a wimp as well and kidney stones sound like a nightmare! The new antibiotic I am on is working miracles, and I am hoping that it will be enough and I won’t need surgery. Thanks for telling us that medical (mis)adventure and noting how much it cost.

  4. Enjoy reading your post been married to my Philippina wife for 34 years love every day with her. are family lives in bacolod city going be back home in middle of dec to be with family . Get better soon so you get more turtle movie . Haha

  5. Ned, it’s also good to look up your symptoms online as a third opinion. The better questions you ask, the better answers you get, or so I have found.

    I love Mang Inasal also, really like the pork skewers and generally buy a double and single meal but I only eat one of the scoops of rice but I will drink both of the cokes. The thing is, I lose weight eating like that. Maybe it’s all the walking I do, brisk enough to make my own breeze if there is none. I love the prices, took 10 people to lunch for $30 one of those people being me. Hard to beat.

    1. Hey Robert – the last round of antibiotics seem to have cleared up the staph infection. Here’s hoping it sticks…… And yes, Mang is truly a great little franchise. I have not had native chicken yet, but Mang has the tastiest chicken I have had thus far. I lose weight here no matter what I eat. I dunno why – think it’s just the head.

  6. hehehehehe, have you tried inspecting the vinegar 🙂 the vinegar in mang inasal is usually unfiltered which means there are still tiny worms squirm in its surface bwahaha but do not fret they are actually harmless and edible too, their vomit makes the vinegar sweater. (trust me i ace my parasitology class)

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