One night, my Filipina girlfriend Baby and I were heading back to her house from the Florida Club. We were strolling down Magsaysay Drive (the main strip) and I was a little hungry so we went over to a street vendor's barbecue pushcart. For 25 pesos, which back then was about three dollars in American money, we started chowing down on pork and chicken teriyaki sticks the little Filipino vendor was grilling on his pushcart. I clearly recognized one of the grossest P.I. delicacies, which was barbecued monkey meat but I didn't feel curious enough to eat Curious George!

When he enticed me to try different items on his cart, I indulged into what I thought was barbecued spareribs and they tasted pretty good. At least I thought that until the little Filipino guy enlightened me to what I was eating. I must have been eating with gusto because as I chowed down on that sparerib, the Filipino pushcart guy exclaimed with amazement, "Aaaahhh, Joe, you like dog meat?!?" Now I don't know for sure if this guy was serious or just pulling my leg but I believed him! I stopped dead in the middle of a chew, totally paralyzed with disgust. Needless to say, I ejected all unconsumed K-9 flesh from my mouth immediately! Aaaaaggghh!!! Baby was practically going into cardiac arrest, laughing hysterically! I learned a valuable lesson that day. No matter how good the cuisine is in the country that you’re visiting, always ask what the item is first and don't let hunger decide!