Life is Easier (and Cheaper) in Cebu! Love it!

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We had lunch earlier at Ayala Center, Cebu 'coz we had to go grocery shopping for snacks that we sell here at our cafe and for supplies at home. Mai doesn't want to go to an actual market (at Carbon or Colon) to shop for chips 'coz of the hassle of looking for a decent parking space. She doesn't mind the price difference as long as she's comfortable. Nice, huh? I'm all for it since we're here in Cebu but if we were in Manila, it's pretty easy to go to the market since it's just a tricycle ride away from home.

Anyway, going back to our lunch, we dined at Ayala Center's Food Choices (it's like Food Court in SM). As always, Mai and I chose to buy lunch at Sizzling Chef. She had the Hungarian Sausage and I had Pork Cutlet Sizzling meals. Yum!

Mama preferred to have veggies and some soup for her lunch so she bought Nilagang Baka (stewed beef), Kimchi and this other dish from a Korean food stall at Food Choices. I can't remember the name of the dish but it had strips of carrot, jicama (singkamas), Chinese cabbage, bean sprouts, hot Korean sauce (i guess) and spinach, I think. Plus, she also bought lumpia. I don't really like veggies but I got so used to it 'coz Mai gave me no choice (lolz).

All that food only cost around Php 400.00. And I was so full I was feeling sleepy. And it was more than enough for the 3 of us.

This is one of the things I love about Cebu. You can have a very fulfilling meal with almost half the cost compared to Manila.

Take for instance the sizzling meals Mai and I had. Back in Manila, we almost always choose sizzling meals over anything else 'coz we oh so love gravy and we don't like fastfood for lunch. Our fave place is the Sizzling Plate at SM. Most of the time, Mai and I would order the same meals and it'll already cost us around Php 300-350. Yeah, that much for just 2 sizzling meals.

It seems that everything here in Cebu is cheaper. The cost of living here is definitely lower compared to Manila. You can get to anywhere in Cebu in 1-2 jeepney rides. You can have a decent meal for just Php 10.00. Don't believe me? Read on.

One of my fave Cebuano food is Ngohiong. It's Cebu's version of lumpiang shanghai but it's stuffed with heart of coconut with a mix of veggies like spring onions, and with ground pork. There are a lot of other variations you'd find here in Cebu but the one that I extremely liked were the ones we bought from the Ngohiong place near University of San Carlos in Talamban, Cebu, and that other place at the back of Cebu Doctors. You can buy them for as low as only Php 6.00 each. Some might even sell it for less.

Puso is also one of the things Cebu is famous for. It's sticky rice wrapped in coconut fronds. It's very ideal for picnics, barbecues, or when you're at the beach. You won't have to worry about washing your fingers 'coz of the wrapper. You can buy puso for only Php 1.00 to 2.00 each. And it doesn't taste like plain rice, too, in a good way.

There yah go. A meal for only Php 10.00 - 1 Ngohiong for Php 6.00 and 2 Puso for Php 4.00. You can get by with just that. Don't trust me? Well, Mai had a first-hand experience of this 10-peso meal back when she was in college 'coz she wanted to save her money for some things more important (according to her). Hehehe.

It's also pretty easy to find Ngohiong and Puso here in Cebu. Also, almost everywhere you look, you'd see a barbecue stand, or a food stall selling roasted chicken and liempo (pork) and they sell puso, too.

There are a lot of other dishes/food you can try here in Cebu but I want to reserve that topic 'til next week when we take Lindon and Joseph (our friends from work back in Manila) out for our anniv celebrations. They'll be visiting us here in Cebu and we'll give them a taste of Cebu. More photos, for sure!

Lastly, I also want to mention that when Mai and I were working here in Cebu, we had more money saved than when we were in Manila 'coz we don't have to worry too much about transportation expenses, expensive meals, and as a matter of fact, we don't worry about anything too much. Everything is cheaper and more convenient here in Cebu. The life is definitely easier here. Can't wait for my family in Manila to all come here and experience the life in Cebu. Naks!