Filipinos generally don't use spices, especially that are hot. When we lived there for a while, my friend was one who had a lot of connections. Once his friend Mary, a Korean lady- who worked at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) invited him to lunch at the ADB. I went with him. Her husband Joseph also had come. On Fridays, the employees could bring family or friends to the bank's dining hall. They had cucines from all over the world. You could eat anything for free. It's been perhaps two years since I had eaten Kerala Porotta and nice and hot beef. Therefore I thoroughly enjoyed it. And had some fried rice too.

Later on I thought about it. What a fool I was. When there were so many different cucines from all over the world, I just ate Porotta and beef!

Most of us are like that. We love what is familiar. And it's hard to get out of it!

"The Accidental Tourist" (1988) was nominated for academy awards that year.

At one instance we will hear a line this way:

"While armchair travelers dream of going places, traveling armchairs dream of staying put."

At another instance we will hear:

"It's not by chance you write books telling people how to make trips without a jolt so they can travel to wonderful, exotic places and never be touched by them. Never feel they have left home. That traveling armchair isn't just your logo. It's you"