No Halo-Halo or Balut For Me

When I arrived in Dumaguete I figured it would be appropriate to at least sample some of the native foods and take in an extra bit of culture. Admittedly, I am a food wimp and am easily scared off by food that has a face or in any way resembles the intact, living animal from which it was derived. In the same way, I tend to also steer clear of foods which, oh, I don't know, try to combine corn and gelatin and ice chips and beans. This is precisely the sort of concoction you'll find in halo-halo, which is a very popular cold dessert in the Philippines. Honestly, when I saw my first bowl of halo-halo I thought it was an art exhibit of some kind. Of course, if I was forced to choose between eating balut or halo-halo I'd certainly choose the latter. For those who don't know, balut is a fertilized duck egg with a nearly-developed embryo inside that is boiled and eaten in the shell. This most certainly falls into the first category of foods that I avoid (i.e. intact animals). Suddenly, beans and ice chips don't sound so bad :) Of course, if I had my choice I would just stick with the mango shakes at South Seas resort in Dumaguete.