Taho

There’s this drink in the Philippines known as Taho. I loved drinking it when I was little and when I visited a few years ago, my family bought some everyday from our neighborhood vendor. It’s a very simple drink and lately I’ve found myself making it a lot to stay warm.

I’ve noticed a lot of people get to this site by searching for Philippine related things and I figured I’d post a little tutorial on how to make one of my favorite drinks from my native country. It’s basically just sugar water with tofu mixed in so don’t worry, this will be brief.

Step 1: Heat Water. It doesn't need to boil but if you like watching bubbles pop, it's good to do.

Step 2: Put brown sugar in a cup. 20-25% of the cup's size will do.

Step 3: Fill cup half-full with hot water & mix. If you're a pessimist, fill it half-empty.

Step 4: Open up your tofu and chop it up a bit.

Step 5: Put the tofu in the cup!

That’s it! I like it when it’s really hot so I sometimes stick it in the microwave for about a minute. You can play around with the sweetness by moderating the amount of sugar you use. Also, there’s this stuff called pearl sago that you can add to make it really legit. I’m not a fan so I’m skipping that step. As far as the type of tofu goes, make sure to get the ones that says, “Best for soups, sauces and smoothies.” The “Firm” or “Medium” ones just don’t cut it.

Suitcase - Philippines

This photo was actually taken on our way out of the Philippines. When we got there, my suitcase was nowhere to be found. The airline lost it and I ended up not getting it back until a week into our trip. Fortunately, clothes there were cheap and they came in smaller sizes.

Somebody bought this cake for my mother's birthday...

Philippines

Even in the middle of nowhere, you'd still find one of these.

Philippines

It's a cow on a stick.

Philippines

Philippines

Philippines

There’s this early morning drink in the Philippines called Taho. I grew up loving it and this trip was the first time in over 14 years since the last time I’ve had a sip. You usually buy it off some guy cruising around the neighborhood yelling, “Taho!!!” It’s kinda like the ice cream truck in the US but it’s a dude on a bike. My family’s pretty big and while we were all in town, our house was basically the only house the guy needed to stop at if he wanted to empty out those canisters. Plus, I’m sure the fact that I can easily drink 2-3 cups in one morning helps.

Photography in bed - Philippines

I couldn’t help but notice the finger placement on my left hand in this photo. My pinky’s fully extended and all the other fingers are desperately trying to do the same. The benefits of my surgery hadn’t begun to kick in yet.