I am on a 10 day road trip with the family.
I may be delayed in answering emails and PMs.
Internet is spotty in the places we are visiting.
Learning a lot about how and why people practice their diets based on where they are, the climate, the available food. The Ifugao is a distinct tribe, culture, people, location, climate in the mountains.
I'm getting away with RPD because fruits are abundant along the way, and the quality of fruits are higher in the provinces than in Manila. The meat, well I brought a large pack of beef in vinegar and garlic for preservation. I have duck eggs. The other day in the big city of Tuguegarao I got some good quality raw tuna and fatty raw carabao meat.
Tasting the so called "special" delicacies of cooked food in each province is so not raw paleo and usually of poor quality. cooked food is just poor quality food. I'm the tourist and I have to taste... not gorge, no way.
Pieced together the explanation of why people chew Nganga or Moma. It's a crutch they need to keep warm because they have little access to good meat in the cold mountains. And somehow this nganga is detoxing through saliva, like oil pulling on a regular basis. Some 5x a day.
Mountain people Ifugao in Banaue Rice Terraces have access to FREE, flowing, clean, potable, unlimited water for their drinking and washing needs. And the cleanest air. And organic mountain vegetables. But little access to quality meats, other than their free range chickens, they import factory pork and chicken. And the supermarket crap of condiments and junk food are in their groceries. Their super nutritious traditional rice is too expensive to be their daily staple today, even for themselves. They import cheap rice from neighboring provinces.
I definitely see a future many visits for relaxation in Banaue for me. It's easier and cheaper by Bus. 1 Bus ride via Florida Bus Lines. Then rent from the many cheap accommodations.
