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Almost every culture from ancient Sumerians to recent Chennai Tamils is someway or the other have a flood legend/myth. Flood stories are common across a wide range of cultures, extending back into prehistory. Native global flood stories are documented as history or legend in almost every region on earth.Anthropologists who study legends and folktales from different geographical locations and cultures consistently have reported one particular group of legends that is common to practically every civilization. Legends have surfaced in hundreds of cultures throughout the world that tell of a huge, catastrophic flood that destroyed most of mankind, and that was survived by only a few individuals and animals.Below is a list of some flood stories from around the world and is in no way exhaustive.A Greek Story - People originated from stones.Zeus sent a flood to destroy the men of the Bronze Age. Prometheus advised his son Deucalion to build a chest. All other men perished except for a few who escaped to high mountains. The mountains in Thessaly were parted, and all the world beyond the Isthmus and Peloponnese was overwhelmed. Deucalion and his wife Pyrrha (daughter of Epimetheus and Pandora), after floating in the chest for nine days and nights, landed on Parnassus. When the rains ceased, he sacrificed to Zeus, the God of Escape. At the bidding of Zeus, he threw stones over his head; they became men, and the stones which Pyrrha threw became women. That is why people are called laoi, from laas, "a stone."The above story is common in Roman culture too with slight variations. Jupiter, angered at the evil ways of humanity, resolved to destroy it. He was about to set the earth to burning, but considered that that might set heaven itself afire, so he decided to flood the earth instead. With Neptune's help, he caused storm and earthquake to flood everything but the summit of Parnassus, where Deucalion and his wife Pyrrha came by boat and found refuge. Recognizing their piety, Jupiter let them live and withdrew the flood. Deucalion and Pyrrha, at the advice of an oracle, repopulated the world by throwing "your mother's bones" (stones) behind them; each stone became a person.Scandinavian Myth - This world is made of the body of a giant.Oden, Vili, and Ve fought and slew the great ice giant Ymir, and icy water from his wounds drowned most of the Rime Giants. The giant Bergelmir escaped, with his wife and children, on a boat made from a hollowed tree trunk. From them rose the race of frost ogres. Ymir's body became the world we live on. His blood became the oceans.German Folklore - Be careful while brewing beer.A louse and a flea were brewing beer in an eggshell. The louse fell in and burnt herself. This made the flea weep, which made the door creak, which made the broom sweep, which made the cart run, which made the ash-heap burn, which made the tree shake itself, which made the girl break her water-pitcher, which made the spring begin to flow. And in the spring's water everything was drowned.A Celtic story - Oceans are made of blood of heavenHeaven and Earth were great giants, and Heaven lay upon the Earth so that their children were crowded between them, and the children and their mother were unhappy in the darkness. The boldest of the sons led his brothers in cutting up Heaven into many pieces. From his skull they made the firmament. His spilling blood caused a great flood which killed all humans except a single pair, who were saved in a ship made by a beneficent Titan. The waters settled in hollows to become the oceans. The son who led in the mutilation of Heaven was a Titan and became their king, but the Titans and gods hated each other, and the king titan was driven from his throne by his son, who was born a god. That Titan at last went to the land of the departed. The Titan who built the ship, whom some consider to be the same as the king Titan, went there also.A Turkish Legend - Letting open the Mediterranean seaIskender-Iulcarni (Alexander the Great), in the course of his conquests, demanded tribute from Katife, Queen of Smyrna. She refused insultingly and threatened to drown the king if he persisted. Enraged at her insolence, the conqueror determined to punish the queen by drowning her in a great flood. He employed Moslem and infidel workmen to make a strait of the Bosphorus, paying the infidel workmen one-fifth as much as the Moslems got. When the canal was nearly completed, he reversed the pay arrangements, giving the Moslems only one-fifth as much as the infidels. The Moslems quit in disgust and left the infidels to finish the canal. The Black Sea swept away the last dike and drowned the workmen. The flood spread over Queen Katife's country (drowning her) and several cities in Africa. The whole world would have been engulfed, but Iskender-Iulcarni was prevailed upon to open the Strait of Gibraltar, letting the Mediterranean escape into the ocean. Evidence of the flood can still be seen in the form of drowned cities on the coast of Africa and ship moorings high above the coast of the Black Sea.The Sumerian Legend- Wrath of GodsThe gods had decided to destroy mankind. The god Enlil warned the priest-king Ziusudra ("Long of Life") of the coming flood by speaking to a wall while Ziusudra listened at the side. He was instructed to build a great ship and carry beasts and birds upon it. Violent winds came, and a flood of rain covered the earth for seven days and nights. Then Ziusudra opened a window in the large boat, allowing sunlight to enter, and he prostrated himself before the sun-god Utu. After landing, he sacrificed a sheep and an ox and bowed before Anu and Enlil. For protecting the animals and the seed of mankind, he was granted eternal life and taken to the country of Dilmun, where the sun rises.A Legend from QuranAllah sent Noah to warn the people to serve none but Allah, but most of them would not listen. They challenged Noah to make good his threats and mocked him when, under Allah's inspiration, he built a ship. Allah told Noah not to speak to Him on behalf of wrongdoers; they would be drowned. In time, water gushed from underground and fell from the sky. Noah loaded onto his ship pairs of all kinds, his household, and those few who believed. One of Noah's sons didn't believe and said he would seek safety in the mountains. He was among the drowned. The ship sailed amid great waves. Allah commanded the earth to swallow the water and the sky to clear, and the ship came to rest on Al-Judi. Noah complained to Allah for taking his son. Allah admonished that the son was an evildoer and not of Noah's household, and Noah prayed for forgiveness. Allah told Noah to go with blessings on him and on some nations that will arise from those with him.Persian Myth - Thunderstorms are cry of a GiantIn early times, the earth was full of malign creatures fashioned by the evil Ahriman. The angel Tistar (the star Sirius) descended three times, in the form of man, horse, and bull respectively, causing ten days and nights of rain each time. Each rain drop became as big as a bowl, and the water rose the height of a man over the whole earth. The first flood drowned the creatures, but the dead noxious creatures went into holes in the earth. Before returning to cause the second flood, Tistar, in the form of a white horse, battled the demon Apaosha, who took the form of a black horse. Ormuzd blasted the demon with lightning, making the demon give a cry which can still be heard in thunderstorms, and Tistar prevailed and caused rivers to flow. The poison washed from the land by the second flood made the seas salty. The waters were driven to the ends of the earth by a great wind and became the sea Vourukasha ("Wide-Gulfed").A story of Masai tribe from East AfricaTumbainot, a righteous man, had a wife named Naipande and three sons, Oshomo, Bartimaro, and Barmao. When his brother Lengerni died, Tumbainot, according to custom, married the widow Nahaba-logunja, who bore him three more sons, but they argued about her refusal to give him a drink of milk in the evening, and she set up her own homestead. The world was heavily populated in those days, but the people were sinful and not mindful of God. However, they refrained from murder, until at last a man named Nambija hit another named Suage on the head. At this, God resolved to destroy mankind, except Tumbainot found grace in His eyes. God commanded Tumbainot to build an ark of wood and enter it with his two wives, six sons and their wives, and some of animals of every sort. When they were all aboard and provisioned, God caused a great long rain which caused a flood, and all other men and beasts drowned. The ark drifted for a long time, and provisions began to run low. The rain finally stopped, and Tumbainot let loose a dove to ascertain the state of the flood. The dove returned tired, so Tumbainot knew it had found no place to rest. Several days later, he loosed a vulture, but first he attached an arrow to one of its tail feathers so that, if the bird landed, the arrow would hook on something and be lost. The vulture returned that evening without the arrow, so Tumbainot reasoned that it must have landed on carrion, and that the flood was receding. When the water ran away, the ark grounded on the steppe, and its occupants disembarked. Tumbainot saw four rainbows, one in each quarter of the sky, signifying that God's wrath was over.A Pygmy Folklore - It is a Chameleon which gave us waterChameleon heard a strange noise, like water running, in a tree, but at that time there was no water in the world. He cut open the trunk, and water came out in a great flood that spread all over the earth. The first human couple emerged with the water.A Korean legendA son was borne to a fairy and a laurel tree; the fairy returned to heaven when the boy was seven years old. One day, rains came and lasted for many months, flooding the earth with a raging sea. The laurel, in danger of falling, told his son to ride him when it came uprooted by the waves. The boy did so, floating on the tree for many days. One day a crowd of ants floated by and cried out to be saved. After asking the tree for permission, the boy gave them refuge on the branches of the laurel. Later, a group of mosquitoes flew by and also asked to be saved. Again, the boy asked the tree for permission, was granted it, and gave the mosquitoes rest. Then another boy floated by and asked to be saved. This time the tree refused permission when its son asked. The son asked twice more, and after the third time the tree said, "Do what you like," and the son rescued the other boy. At last the tree came to rest on the summit of a mountain. The insects expressed their gratitude and left. The two boys, being very hungry, went and found a house where an old woman lived with her own daughter and a foster-daughter. As everyone else in the world had perished and the subsiding waters allowed farming again, the woman decided to marry her daughters to the boys, her own going to the cleverer boy. The second boy maliciously told the woman that the other boy could quickly gather millet grains scattered on sand. The woman tested this claim, and the first boy despaired of ever succeeding, when the ants came to his aid, filling the grain bag in a few minutes. The other boy had watched, and he told the woman that the task hadn't been done by the first boy himself, so the woman still couldn't decide which daughter to marry to which boy. She decided to let the boys decide by chance, going to one room or another in total darkness. A mosquito came and told the Son of the Tree which room the old woman's daughter was in, so those two were married, and the second boy married the foster-daughter. The human race is descended from those two couples.Young Gim's father was killed by robbers, and Gim set out to track them and get revenge. On the way, he met another bereaved boy hunting the same robbers. They became sworn brothers, but they were separated when a storm upset their ferry as they were crossing a river. Gim was rescued by another boy who had been orphaned by the same robbers. They too swore to be brothers but were separated when their ferry sank in a storm. Gim was rescued and hidden by an old woman; he was on the island of the robbers but was helpless from his injuries. One day a mysterious man came by and asked Gim to go with him. Gim lived with the man in the mountains studying magic until he was sixteen, whereupon the man told him to go and rescue the king from the robbers, and that he would meet Gim again in three years exactly. Gim set out, finding a magic horse, arms, and armor along the way, and arrived at the king's castle when it was on the point of surrender. In the enemy camp, he found a black face belching fire at the castle, a genii studying astrology, a rat whose swinging tail produced a flood which threatened the castle, and a giant who hurled flames at the King's camp. Gim fought them with his magic but was overwhelmed by their numbers. He fled with the king to an island, but the rat tried to submerge it with an even greater flood from its tail. A butterfly led Gim to a cavern in a distant mountain, where he met the first boy he had encountered. They went back to fight together, but the other boy was killed and the island submerged, and Gim and the King retreated to a second island. Gim was led by a crow to another cavern in the mountains where he met his other friend. They returned to fight, but again the friend was killed, the island submerged, and Gim and the King had to retreat. When a third island was threatened with the flood, they took refuge on a ship. Gim's mentor then came (three years having elapsed) and with his magic called down thunderbolts which destroyed all of the enemy. Gim went to the enemy island, found his mother, and married the sister of his second friend.The River Dedong flooded the countryside. An old man in Pyongyang, rowing about in a boat, found and rescued a deer, a snake, and a boy from the waters. He carried them to shore and released them, but the boy had lost his parents in the flood and so became the man's adopted son. One day the deer came and led the man to a buried treasure of gold and silver, and the man became rich. The foster-son became reckless with the money, and he and his father argued. The boy accused the man of theft, and the man was imprisoned. The snake came to him in his cell and bit his arm, which then swelled painfully. But then the snake returned with a small bottle. The man applied the medicine to his arm, which cured it at once. In the morning, he heard that the magistrate's wife was dying of a snakebite, so he sent word that he could cure her. This he did with the snake's ointment. He was released, and the foster-son was arrested and punished.A foundling infant grew up incredibly fast and soon showed signs of fantastic strength. He earned the name "Iron-shoes" from the footwear he needed. He set out on a journey and met with and joined three other extraordinary men--"Nose-wind", who had extraordinarily powerful breath; "Long-rake", who crumbled mountains with his rake, and "Waterfall", who made rivers by pissing. They went to an old woman's home and were invited to spend the night, but the woman locked them in, and the men realized that she and her four sons were tigers in disguise. The tigers tried to kill them by roasting the room, but Nose-wind kept it cool by his blowing. The next day, the woman challenged them to a contest of gathering pine trees while her sons stacked them. When it became clear that the four brothers ripped up the trees faster than the tigers could stack them, the woman set fire to the logs. Waterfall, though, made water which not only put out the fire, but created a flood that nearly drowned the tigers. Nose-wind blew on the water and froze it. Iron-shoes skated out and kicked the heads off the tigers, and Long-rake broke up the ice and threw it far and wide, eliminating any trace of the flood.A Story of Shan Tribe in BurmaLong ago, the middle world, of many worlds beneath the sky, had no race of kings (the Shan). Animals emerged from bamboos which cracked open and went to live in deep forests. Hpi-pok and Hpi-mot came from heaven to Möng-hi on the Cambodia river and became the ancestors of the Shan. But a time came when they offered no sacrifices to their gods. Ling-lawn, the storm god, sent large cranes to devour the people, but there were too many people to eat all of them. He sent lions, but they could not eat all of the people either. He send snakes, but the people attacked and killed them. A great drought came for the first four months of the new year, and many people died of thirst and famine. But the storm-god had not finished his battle. Sitting in his palace beneath a beautiful umbrella, he called his counsellors. Kaw-hpa, Hseng-kio, old Lao-hki, Tai-long, Bak-long, the smooth-talker Ya-hseng-hpa, and others came and bowed down to worship. Speaking in the language of men (Shan), they decided to destroy the human race. They sent for Hkang-hkak, god of streams and ponds, of alligators and water animals, and bade him descend with the clouds and report to the distinguished sage Lip-long. Lip-long had seen ill omens while auguring with chicken bones and knew a calamity was coming, so he was not surprised to hear the water-god tell him that Ling-lawn, the storm god, would soon flood the earth and destroy everything on it. Hkang-hkak told the sage to build a strong raft and take a cow on it, but not to warn anyone else, not even his wife or children. Lip-long sorrowfully bent to his task while even his family mocked his seemingly futile work. Fearing the gods, he heeded the order not to warn anyone. A few days after he finished the raft, the flood came, rushing violently. Only Lip-long and the cow survived on the waters. He grieved to see the bodies of his family. Thus the race of Shans perished. Their spirits went to the mansions of heaven, were refreshed by a meal of cold crab, and found the spirit land a festive and charming place. Meanwhile, the stench of corpses filled the earth. Ling-lawn sent serpents to devour them, but there were too many to eat. In anger he wanted to destroy the snakes, but they escaped into a cave. He sent 999,000 tigers, but they couldn't eat all the corpses, either. More angry now, he hurled thunderbolts at the tigers, but they too escaped into caves. Then he sent Hsen-htam and Hpa-hpai, the gods of fire, who descended on their horses to one of only three elevations of land. They sent a great conflagration of fire over the entire earth. When he saw the fire coming, Lip-long killed the cow with a stick, cut it open with his sword, and crawled in its belly. There he found a gourd seed. The fire swept over the cow, and Lip-long came out. He asked Hkang-hkak what to do, and the water god told him to plant the gourd seed on a level plot of ground. He did so. One gourd vine grew up a mountain and was scorched by the sun. One vine ran downward and rotted and died from soaking in the water from the flood. A third vine twined around bushes and trees. Ling-lawn sent his gardener to care for it, and it bore great fruit. Then Ling-lawn sent Sao-pang, god of the clear sky, to prepare the earth for humans. Sao-pang dried what remained of the flood with waves of heat. Ling-lawn broke open a gourd with a thunderbolt, and people emerged from it to till the land. Another bolt broke open a gourd. The Shans therein asked god what to do, and he told them to go and rule many lands. Other gourds were broken open to release all kinds of animals, rivers, and plants.An Australian Story - The party of AnimalsThe animals, birds, and reptiles became overpopulated and held a conference to determine what to do. The kangaroo, eagle-hawk, and goanna were the chiefs of the three respective groups, and their advisors were koala, crow, and tiger-snake. They met on Blue Mountain. Tiger-snake spoke first and proposed that the animals and birds, who could travel more readily, should relocate to another country. Kangaroo rose to introduce platypus, whose family far outnumbered any others, but the meeting was then adjourned for the day. On the second day, while the conference proceeded with crow taunting koala for his inability to find a solution, the frilled lizards decided to act on their own. They possessed the knowledge of rain-making, and they spread the word to all of their family to perform the rain ceremony during the week before the new moon. Thus would they destroy the over-numerous platypus family. They did their ceremonies repeatedly, and a great storm came, flooding the land. The frilled lizards had made shelters on mountains, and some animals managed to make their way there, but nearly all life was destroyed in the great flood. When the flood ended and the sun shone again, the kangaroo called animals together to discover how the platypus family had fared. But they could not find a single living platypus. Three years later, the cormorant told emu that he had seen a platypus beak impression along a river, but never saw a platypus. Because of the flood, the platypuses had decided that the animals, birds, and reptiles were their enemies and only moved about at night. The animals organized a search party, and carpet-snake eventually found a platypus home and reported its location back to the others. Kangaroo summoned all the tribes together, even the insect tribe. Fringed lizard was ejected for doing mischief; he has turned ugly because of the hate he dwells upon. The animals and birds found they were both related to the platypus family; even the reptiles found some relationship; and everyone agreed that the platypuses were an old race. Carpet-snake went to the platypus home and invited them to the assembly. They came and were met with great respect. Kangaroo offered platypus his choice of the daughter of any of them. Platypus learned that emu had changed its totem so that the platypus and emu families could marry. This made platypus decide it didn't want to be part of any of their families. Emu got angry, and kangaroo suggested the platypuses leave silently that night, which they did. They met bandicoot along the way, who invited the platypuses to live with them. The platypuses married the bandicoot daughters and lived happily. Water-rats got jealous and fought them but were defeated. Platypuses have tried to be seperate from the animal and bird tribes ever since, but not entirely successfully.An Alaskan Folk loreYehl, the Raven, created man, caused the plants to grow, and set the sun, moon, and stars in their places. Yehl's wicked uncle had a young wife whom he was very fond and jealous of. He did not want any of his nephews to inherit his widow when he died, as Tlingit law dictates should happen, so he murdered each of Yehl's ten older brothers by drowning them or, according to some, by stretching them on a board and beheading them. When Yehl grew to manhood, his uncle tried to do the same to him. But Yehl's mother had conceived him by swallowing a round pebble she had found at low tide, and with another stone she had rendered him invulnerable. When the uncle tried to behead Yehl, his knife had no effect. In a rage, the uncle called for a flood, and a flood came and covered all the mountains. Yehl assumed his wings, which he could do at will, and soared into the sky. He remained hanging by his beak from the sky for ten days, while the water rose so high it lapped his wings. When the water fell, Yehl let go, dropped like an arrow onto a soft bank of seaweed, and was rescued by an otter who brought him to land. [Frazer, pp. 316-317]Raven had put a woman under the world to govern the tides. Once he wished to see the undersea world, and he caused the woman to raise the waters so that he might do so while remaining dry. He directed her to raise the ocean slowly so that people might have time to provision their canoes. As the waters rose, bears and other animals were driven to the mountaintops, and many of them swam out to the people's canoes. Some people had taken dogs into their canoes, and the dogs kept the bears off. Some people landed on the tops of mountains, building dikes around them to keep out the water. Uprooted trees, devil-fish, and other strange creatures washed past. When the waters ebbed, the survivors followed the tide down the mountain, but the trees were all gone, and the people, having no firewood, perished of cold. When Raven returned, he saw fish lying high on the land, and he commanded them to turn to stone. When he saw people coming down the mountain, he turned them to stone also. When all mankind had been destroyed, he created them anew out of leaves. That is why so many people die during the autumn. [Frazer, pp. 317-318]People were saved from a universal deluge in a giant ark. The ark struck a rock and split in two. The Tlingits were in one half of the ark, and all other people were in the other half. This explains why there is a diversity of languages.In India alone we have numerous legends related to flood.The Story of ManuManu, the first human, found a small fish in his washwater. The fish begged protection from the larger fishes, in return for which it would save Manu. Manu kept the fish safe, transferring it to larger and larger reservoirs as it grew, eventually taking it to the ocean. The fish warned Manu of a coming deluge and told him to build a ship. When the flood rose, the fish came, and Manu tied the craft to its horn. The fish led him to a northern mountain and told Manu to tie the ship's rope to a tree to prevent it from drifting. Manu, alone of all creatures, survived. He made offerings of clarified butter, sour milk, whey, and curds. From these, a woman arose, calling herself Manu's daughter. Whatever blessings he invoked through her were granted him. Through her, he generated this race.The great sage Manu, son of Vivasvat, practiced austere fervor. He stood on one leg with upraised arm, looking down unblinkingly, for 10,000 years. While so engaged on the banks of the Chirini, a fish came to him and asked to be saved from larger fish. Manu took the fish to a jar and, as the fish grew, from thence to a large pond, then to the river Ganga, then to the ocean. Though large, the fish was pleasant and easy to carry. Upon being released into the ocean, the fish told Manu that soon all terrestrial objects would be dissolved in the time of the purification. It told him to build a strong ship with a cable attached and to embark with the seven sages (rishis) and certain seeds, and to then watch for the fish, since the waters could not be crossed without it. Manu embarked as enjoined and thought on the fish. The fish, knowing his desire, came, and Manu fastened the ship's cable to its horn. The fish dragged the ship through roiling waters for many years, at last bringing it to the highest peak of Himavat, which is still known as Naubandhana ("the Binding of the Ship"). The fish then revealed itself as Parjapati Brahma and said Manu shall create all living things and all things moving and fixed. Manu performed a great act of austere fervor to clear his uncertainty and then began calling things into existence.The heroic king Manu, son of the Sun, practiced austere fervor in Malaya and attained transcendent union with the Deity. After a million years, Brahma bestowed on Manu a boon and asked him to choose it. Manu asked for the power to preserve all existing things upon the dissolution of the universe. Later, while offering oblations in his hermitage, a carp fell in his hands, which Manu preserved. The fish grew and cried to Manu to preserve it, and Manu moved it to progressively larger vessels, eventually moving it to the river Ganga and then to the ocean. When it filled the ocean, Manu recognized it as the god Janardana, or Brahma. It told Manu that the end of the yuga was approaching, and soon all would be covered with water. He was to preserve all creatures and plants aboard a ship which had been prepared. It said that a hundred years of drought and famine would begin this day, which would be followed by fires from the sun and from underground that would consume the earth and the ether, destroying this world, the gods, and the planets. Seven clouds from the steam of the fire will inundate the earth, and the three worlds will be reduced to one ocean. Manu's ship alone will remain, fastened by a rope to the great fish's horn. Having announced all this, the great being vanished. The deluge occurred as stated; Janardana appeared in the form of a horned fish, and the serpent Ananta came in the form of a rope. Manu, by contemplation, drew all creatures towards him and stowed them in the ship and, after making obeisance to Janardana, attached the ship to the fish's horn with the serpent-rope.Another Version of the Above StoryAt the end of the past kalpa, the demon Hayagriva stole the sacred books from Brahma, and the whole human race became corrupt except the seven Nishis, and especially Satyavrata, the prince of a maritime region. One day when he was bathing in a river, he was visited by a fish which craved protection and which he transferred to successively larger vessels as it grew. At last Satyavrata recognized it as the god Vishnu, "The Lord of the Universe." Vishnu told him that in seven days all the corrupt creatures will be destroyed by a deluge, but Satyavrata would be saved in a large vessel. He was told to take aboard the miraculous vessel all kinds of medicinal herbs, food esculant grains, the seven Nishis and their wives, and pairs of brute animals. After seven days, the oceans began to overflow the coasts and constant rain began flooding the earth. A large vessel floated in on the rising waters, and Satyavrata and the Nishis entered with their wives and cargo. During the deluge, Vishnu preserved the ark by again taking the form of a giant fish and tying the ark to himself with a huge sea serpent. When the waters subsided, he slew the demon who had stolen the holy books and communicated their contents to Satyavrata.A Myth from BHIL tribes Central India.Out of gratitude for the dhobi feeding it, a fish told a dhobi (a pious man) that a great deluge was coming. The man prepared a large box in which he embarked with his sister and a cock. After the flood, a messenger of Rama sent to find the state of affairs discovered the box by the cock's crowing. Rama had the box brought to him and questioned the man. Facing north, east, and west, the man swore that the woman was his sister; facing south, the man said she was his wife. Told that the fish gave the warning, Rama had the fish's tongue removed, and fish have been tongueless since. Rama ordered the man to repopulate the world, so he married his sister, and they had seven daughters and seven sons. The firstborn received a horse as a gift from Rama, but, being unable to ride, he instead went into the forest to cut wood, and so his descendants have been woodcutters to this day.One more Myth from Central IndiaA boy and girl were born to the first man and woman. God sent a deluge to destroy a jackal which had angered him. The man and woman heard it coming, so they shut their children in a hollow piece of wood with provisions to last until the flood subsides. The deluge came, and everything on earth was drowned. After twelve years, God created two birds and sent them to see if the jackal had been drowned. They saw nothing but a floating log and, landing on it, heard the children inside, who were saying to each other that they had only three days of provisions left. The birds told God, who caused the flood to subside, took the children from the log, and heard their story. In due time they were married. God gave each of their children the name of a different caste, and all people are descended from them.Tamil - Kumari KandamHalf of the land mass Kumari Kandam, which was south of India, sank in a great flood, destroying the first Tamil Sangam (literary academy). The people moved to the other half and established the second Tamil Sangam there, but the rest of Kumari too sank beneath the sea. The lone survivor was a Tamil prince named Thirumaaran, who managed to rescue some Tamil literary classics and swim with them to present-day Tamil Nadu.Munda Tribe - North Central India - Origin of RainbowSing Bonga created man from the dust of the ground, but they soon grew wicked and lazy, would not wash, and spent all their time dancing and singing. Sing Bonga regretted creating them and resolved to destroy them by flood. He sent a stream of fire-water (Sengle-Daa) from heaven, and all people died save a brother and sister who had hidden beneath a tiril tree (hence tiril wood is black and charred today). God thought better of his deed and created the snake Lurbing to stop the fiery rain. This snake held up the showers by puffing up its soul into the shape of a rainbow. Now Mundas associate the rainbow with Lurbing destroying the rain.Every culture has been related to floods in one way or the other at some point of time.Source : www.talkorigins.org/faqs/flood-myths.html

(This is an expanded version from my answer in a similar question)I’m from the Philippines. Here’s my list in addition to those already posted by some of my countrymen here:We use umbrellas on sunny daysI guess the correct term would be parasol, but these aren’t in fashion in the west anymore and I rarely see people doing it in the US.We use umbrellas for both rainy and sunny days because the tropical sun is seriously no joke and temperatures can reach 32°C to 38°C. It’s dangerous to stay under the sun without shade. Not only because of the risk of sunburn, but also skin damage, heat stroke, and cancer. If no umbrellas are around, anything wide and flat will do, ranging from banana leaves to books.Similarly our fishermen and boat personnel also don’t lounge around in bikinis or board shorts like clueless tourists do. They wear ninja outfits that protect as much skin as possible, or they do night fishing.Our coconut trees have stepsTourists might be puzzled at why coconuts on beaches have half-moon shaped notches cut into them at regular intervals. Those are used as footholds for harvesting coconuts. You can make them with a machete easily. They stay there forever and don’t really seem to be damaging to the tree itself. Pretty much every coconut tree has them. Even backyard ones. Other countries use special equipment, slings and harnesses, or ropes around the trunks.We have armed security guards everywhereAnd it has nothing to do with crime rates. Though some (especially in malls and ports) do secure vulnerable public places after past bombings by ISIS and Al Qaeda-affiliated groups, in practice most of them do nothing but greet and open the door for customers.It’s a traditional part of the standard employee roster, and is even required in some companies for insurance purposes. We Filipinos treat them more like doormen and information booths.Our boats have wingsOutriggers (katig in most Filipino languages). They are parallel structures that are connected to the boat, usually made from carved wood or bamboo. They contribute to the boat’s stability and bouyancy, allowing them to load more cargo and making them less likely to capsize. They also increase the speed of the vessel and they are smoother overall, as there is less contact with the water surface in comparison to similarly-sized single hull ships. The connecting spars can also be built with platforms in larger ships, which became fighting decks in the past when these vessels were used regularly for piracy and seasonal raids on enemies (Viking-style).In the Philippines, even very large warships (~25 to 30 meters in length) had outriggers in the past. They remain in extremely common use today. Not only as fishing boats, but also as island ferries, tourist boats, and even coast guard and military vessels. I once heard a tourist describe them as “spider boats”.Below is a reconstructed Visayan paraw with the characteristic outriggers of native Philippine boats. It is used as a tour boat by Tao Expedition in Palawan.People often make the mistake of thinking it’s an exclusively Polynesian thing, because most Americans only know it from Hawaiian or Maori designs (like in Disney’s Moana). It’s not, it’s part of the heritage of all Austronesian cultures. Although the style and number of outriggers can vary (even within the Philippines), they are what clearly identifies a culture as being descended from Austronesians or had regular contact with Austronesians in the past.It allowed Austronesians to settle almost all the islands of the Indo-Pacific in the first place, as outrigger boats, even small ones, are perfectly capable of sailing oceanic waters. Other important sailing inventions of Austronesians include the triangular crab claw sails (Oceanic lateen) and the tilted square sail (tanja sails).Modern catamarans and trimarans (which are used as fast ferries in most island nations) are based on the same principles.It is common to see people riding on top of passenger vehiclesThe jeepney is our version of a bus. A flamboyantly colorful, named, and heavily customized bus. It originated from converted WW2 American jeeps. In rural roads where it can take a long time for a passenger vehicle to arrive, people would rather climb on to the roof the jeepney or cling to the sides than wait for another one to come along. We call it “toploading”.There are no seating or real handholds, just the regular roof racks that you hold on to for dear life and pray you don’t run into too many potholes and break your tailbone. This practice is disappearing as more and more modern buses ply the roads.However, tourists do it for fun while traveling by jeepney along the winding mountain roads in the northern Philippines, often mere meters from the edge of sheer cliffs. It’s also catching on for backpacker tourists in Palawan Island. It’s totally illegal and dangerous but there are no traffic cops in the hinterlands, and admittedly it’s exhilarating.We prefer water to toilet paper, or both. Never toilet paper alone.Similar to almost all countries in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, we clean our butts with water, not toilet paper. Hence why our bathrooms are always the wet kind. It’s a sort of half-shower, soap and all. Bidets are used more and more these days in private homes but traditionally, we use a long-handled water scooper called a tabò. Most Filipinos just won’t feel clean with toilet paper alone, unless it’s an emergency and you have no choice but to use a public toilet.We have a regular kitchen and a “dirty kitchen”It’s not dirty, rather it’s a kitchen where you can be dirty. It is a traditional part of every house. It is usually a semi-open extension to the house or an outdoor structure separate from the house. It’s where we do things like cleaning fish, butchering livestock, and cooking larger dishes that require open fires, hot coals, or traditional clay ovens (pugon). Things you can’t do in an indoor kitchen without making a huge mess or dying from smoke inhalation. It also doubles as a storage room for things like large cauldrons and firewood.We pair the fork with the spoon, not the knifeA custom that is also common in Indonesia and Thailand, where people traditionally ate with their hands, not chopsticks. It’s because of the fact that a knife and fork would be useless when eating the most important part of every meal: rice. Most of our food are also already served in bite-sized chunks.We don’t have divorceAnd we’re the only remaining country that doesn’t have it. Aside from the Vatican, which doesn’t count. If you want separation from your spouse (regardless of the reason, including domestic abuse, adultery, etc.) your only choice is annulment which is ridiculously expensive. Conversion to Islam (temporarily) is another option, since the Philippines allow civil sharia laws only for Muslims (as long as they do not go against the Constitution). And those laws allow divorce. Still expensive and quite unethical.More and more people support divorce however. But the Catholic Church vehemently opposes it and they are politically powerful.Every city, town, and village has a festivalEvery last one has at least one festival day. They’re called fiestas. It’s usually religious and based on the feast day of the patron saint of the village church. In some cases it is cultural or both, especially in large cities.They occur throughout the year. During fiestas people prepare food and feed visitors from their homes, even complete strangers. There are usually also celebrations, parades, street dancing, and contests.Among Muslim Filipinos, they also have Islamic festivals, the largest of which are the two Eid celebrations (called Hari Raya in the local languages).Here are some of the larger examples:Kaamulan, a festival in Malaybalay City, Mindanao Island, celebrating the seven tribes of the province of Bukidnon.Lanzones Festival in Camiguin Island, celebrating the Lanzones fruits for which the island is famous.Sinulog Festival in Cebu City, Cebu Island, celebrating the conversion of the Cebuanos to ChristianityMasskara Festival in Bacolod City, Negros Island, celebrating… well.. masks.We regularly mix two or even three languages in everyday speechIt’s called code-switching. We’ll use Tagalog and English and whatever your native language is (the Philippines has dozens of regional languages distinct from Tagalog) in a single sentence. It’s apparently so weird that monolingual foreigners immediately comment on it when they hear it. However, it’s also common in other polyglot countries.It should not be confused with loanwords. Code-switching means you can speak all of the languages used fluently on their own, and so does the listener.We get an average of twenty typhoons every year. Five of which will be destructive. We also give typhoons unique names, different from the international designation.Taiwan, Japan, and the Philippines are the typhoon shields of Asia. We get regularly hit by typhoons doing a staggering amount of damage each year, not only to lives and infrastructure, but also crops, fishing, and so on. And they can occur at any time of the year.Out of the three, we arguably get the worst of the lot. We have more supertyphoons than the other two. The deadliest storm in modern history is 2013’s Typhoon Haiyan when it struck the Philippines, causing a tsunami-like storm surge in one of our islands that flattened a major city (Tacloban) and several coastal towns and villages. I’m talking total devastation. Massive container ships were thrown into houses like toys. At least 6,300 people died.Speaking of Haiyan, naming storms started in the Philippines in 1963, following the lead of the typhoon warning center in Hawaii in 1945. There were no international naming standards then. This has persisted into today, and our national meteorological agency PAGASA still assigns unique names to storms that enter our area of responsibility. We are the only country to do this.Typhoon Haiyan for example became known as Typhoon Yolanda to us when it entered our area of responsibility.The frequency of typhoons has actually shaped our national identity. It’s the reason why we are fatalistic to a fault, highly resilient, and more laidback compared to our neighbors. Even mere days after disasters like Haiyan, you can see people laughing and smiling. Our informal national motto is basically “Bahala na” (“What will be, will be”). We don’t stress when things fall apart, we move on and try to focus on the good things. Sadly this also makes us more tolerant of government corruption as well, including the utterly shameless corruption and incompetence that befell the international aid meant for Haiyan victims. Speaking of which…Politicians take credit for tax-funded public infrastructure, sometimes naming it after themselvesIn government projects or infrastructure, politicians will put up large streamers or posters proclaiming that “This project was made by Mayor So-and-So”, usually with their grinning fat faces plastered on it.The finished buildings themselves will often have painted signs, plaques, or even permanent tracings into the concrete of which politicians were in power when it was built. And finally, if they were totally shameless enough, they will sometimes name the buildings after themselves. Like “Governor Shameless Integrated Bus Terminal” or “Councilor Greedypig Waiting Shed”.Nothing was sacred. Police cars have them. Ambulances, hospitals, fire trucks, roads, street lights, tourism posters, bridges, holiday signs, vaccination drives, and so on. Even something as small as a garbage can have these signs. All of them.And it’s not one or two politicians as well. Everyone does it. From lowly village officials to presidents. These posters clutter virtually every available surface in cities, contributing immensely to the visual noise and to literal garbage.And the thing is, all of them are funded by the taxpayers, not their own pockets. They are basically using public funds to advertise themselves for the next election. These are derisively called “epal” (slang for someone who intrudes into a conversation or a situation uninvited). These are extremely common and are one of many public faces of political corruption in the Philippines.Several senators have proposed bills to the Congress to ban them before. But to date none have succeeded. The latest attempt was in August 2017 by Senator Manny Pacquiao (yes the Manny Pacquiao), but it is still pending.We apologize to trees and rocksIt’s one of the few surviving aspects of our precolonial animist religions. Before the arrival of Christianity and Islam, we believed in nature spirits called anito (later also called “diwata”, after contact with India). This belief in spirits is remarkably similar to the elves and fairies of European folklore, the yokai and kami of Shintoism in Japan, as well as the animist beliefs of most other tribal societies all over the world.Ancient Filipinos did not worship them technically. The mostly benevolent ones were asked for help from time to time by the shamans (babaylan), but usually the average person did their best to avoid them because they were considered dangerous. While most are not considered malevolent, being disrespectful or even walking into one of them unknowingly is believed to anger them and cause damage to your own spirit resulting in misfortune and sickness. Which is why great pains is taken not to insult them in any way.Certain places are regarded as being their homes or are gateways to the spirit world. Especially during twilight when the veil between the spirit world and the material world is said to be at its thinnest. These places include large banyan trees (called balete), secluded forests, caves, or places with strange rock formations or natural phenomena.When passing by these places (or if we needed to interact with these places for any reason), we apologize and ask for permission by saying “Tabi apo” (literally “Excuse [us], elder” or “Pardon [us], elder”).This has survived into the modern-day. People will also actively refuse to cut these trees down. And you’ll invariably hear stories of supernatural events near these trees, or some person falling sick or dying after harming the trees. In some places, people still leave offerings at their roots.The example below is a locally famous gigantic balete in Negros Island, estimated to be around 1,300 years old.We have the highest gender equality rank in all of AsiaAnd we score higher than most western countries too in the Global Gender Gap Report of the World Economic Forum (including the US, UK, France, and Germany). We are consistently within the top 10 countries in the index since the report was started in 2010. This is something most people outside the Philippines don’t seem to know.There are no barriers to women in most professions (the only exceptions I can think of are religious professions). Gender equality is enshrined in our Constitution. Women have the same or higher educational attainment and life expectancy as men. It is not uncommon to see female security guards, cops, or soldiers. Female CEOs and politicians are also very common. We were one of the first Asian countries to have universal suffrage for women (1937). We’ve already had two female presidents, and our current vice president is female. No one bats an eye.Not saying it’s perfect equality, of course. Men still dominate in politics and economics, but the gap is lower than most countries. There is still chauvinism left over from the Spanish period, but it mostly relates to archaic laws (like adultery still being a crime, abortion being illegal, etc.). There are also some traditional separation between professions considered masculine and feminine, but they are not hard barriers. There are still also problems with domestic violence (though at rates equal to Japan’s, still lower than most Asian nations). This is being addressed recently through legislation.We have a lot of brilliantly purple dessertsAnd it’s natural. It’s derived from one of the most beloved root crops in the Philippines - the purple yam, more popularly known as ube (pronounced “oo-beh”). They are naturally purple from anthocyanins, the same pigment that colors blueberries and grapes. It is commonly confused with the Okinawan purple sweet potato (which also exist in the Philippines), but they are completely different plants. They do taste similar though the ube has a mild lavender-like aroma.They are usually eaten boiled and mashed with condensed milk, the dish known as ube halaya (or by its English equivalent: “ube jam”). But they’re widely used in other desserts, including halo-halo, hopia, pies, ice cream, smoothies, pancakes, waffles, cookies, cake, cupcakes, bread, rolls, jellies, doughnuts, and so on.They became a food trend recently. The most expensive doughnut in New York (the Golden Cristal Ube) uses ube frosting with champagne underneath the golden foil.As a bonus, we also have radioactive green desserts. And again, the color is natural. They’re colored and flavored from pandan leaves, which have a very fragrant vanilla-like aroma. Pandan are palm-like trees which only grow in sandy beaches in the Indo-Pacific.Our caves are full of bats… and birdsSwiftlets (locally called balinsasayaw, literally “tumbling dancer”, or just sayaw, “dancer”) are small very fast birds only found in tropical Australasia and in some Pacific Islands. They nest in caves and have developed echolocation abilities like bats. They do shifts with bats. Bats leave the caves at night and sleep in them during the day. Swiftlets leave the caves during the day and sleep in them during the night.They make small nests against the wall with their saliva, which was one of the goods traded by Southeast Asian countries to China, since they are the main ingredient of bird’s nest soup. The tourist town of El Nido (literally “The Nest” in Spanish) is named after them.They can become a pest, however, as they will also nest in any indoor large concrete structures like churches and houses.Our national dress are see-through and were traditionally made with banana or pineappleFibers that is. Called the baro (or barong, literally “clothing”) and terno (also traje de mestiza or ‘Maria Clara’, butterfly-sleeved dress for women). Those worn by the aristocratic class were made from jusi (pronounced “hoo-see”) - fine silk-like fibers extracted from banana, abaca (a banana relative), or pineapple leaves. They can also be made from real silk. They are based on the pre-Hispanic native vests/jackets (still worn today by some tribal groups). But they acquired a Spanish flair later on. They are partially sheer or lace-like to keep people cool in the tropical heat. There are peasant versions made with cotton and other fabrics of course.Our ketchup is made from bananasAside from tomato ketchup, a common household condiment is the banana ketchup. It’s made from bananas, vinegar, sugar, and spices. It tastes similar to tomato ketchup but is sweeter. It was originally made as a substitute for tomato ketchup during supply shortages in World War 2. Its invention is credited to the food technologist and war hero Maria Orosa.At almost every meal you are provided with miniature oranges and chilisThese “oranges” are called calamansi. They are our equivalent to the lime or lemon and are used similarly. They are actually a hybrid of kumquats and mandarin oranges (both are also native to the Philippines), hence they are slightly sweeter than limes. We also make our version of lemonade from them (squeeze several into a glass, add water, add sugar to taste).The miniature chilis on the other hand, is the labuyo (commonly confused with bird’s eye chilis). These are small chili cultivars native to the Philippines. They are related to the tabasco chili. They are small, but be warned, they are very hot.If you are eating at a Filipino restaurant you are almost always provided with these two. You are supposed to make a dipping sauce from them. First pour soy sauce into a platter, add a dash of vinegar or fish sauce, then squeeze calamansi into it. This is called a toyomansi, a portmanteau of toyo (soy sauce) and calamansi.If you want it spicier, crush a labuyo into it. This version of the dip is called silimansi (sili means “chili”).The use of calamansi has spread to parts of Indonesia and Malaysia, but it isn’t as ubiquitous there as it is in the Philippines.We have an informal holiday where everyone throws water balloons at complete strangersAnd it’s a Christian one. It’s called “San Juan” and it falls on June 24. As the name implies, it celebrates St. John the Baptist.It’s not really a festival or even a national holiday, but everyone celebrates it anyhow. The city of San Juan even turned it into an official holiday after the fact.People will wear raincoats on this day even if it’s sunny because of how it is celebrated. Basically, everyone tries to wet everyone else. By pouring water on them, spraying them with a water hose or a water gun, throwing water balloons at them, and so on.The results are what you’d expect. Lots of angry people, especially from those who managed to forget what day it was.Most people circumvent this by going to the beach or a local water resort with the family.It can get dangerous. Because kids (and some idiots) will sometimes target passing vehicles. Sometimes using water balloons weighted with stones. A bus I was traveling in when I was a teenager got hit by one of those missiles and it broke the windshield while we were traveling quite fast on a national highway. Thankfully, we didn’t die in a fiery road accident. Then there are situations like below.When you have new shoes, your friends will step on it.We call it a bunyag (“baptism”). They’ll get dirty anyway, the first dirt is special and will bring good luck. Or so we tell them as they angrily chase us for ruining their shoes.A common childhood pastime is making spiders fightYep. Spiders. Similar to how Japanese kids made beetles fight. We had way too much fun with them when we were kids. Spiders (the web-building kind) would be caught during the early morning or at dusk, then made to fight other spiders on a twig. It was usually to the death. Look away, PETA.It’s in decline and mostly banned in schools and by local ordinances now, because it became a gateway to gambling. And besides, in the internet age, most kids don’t really spend much time outdoors anymore.Our favorite sports to watch on TV are basketball, boxing… and beauty pageantsYes, including (straight) male viewers. Entire families would watch international pageants when they happen.This national fascination with pageants is actually pretty old in origin. It started from the Manila Carnival (also known as the Philippine Exposition), an annual festival in Manila during the American colonial period, first started in 1908.The highlight of this event was La Reina del Oriente (“Queen of the Orient”) pageant. This was where our love for pageants came from.The carnival was discontinued in 1939. It was never revived, although its legacy continues in the national beauty pageants. The winner of the latter gets crowned Miss Philippines and gets to represent the country in the Miss Universe pageant.Nowadays, it can get vicious online when it comes to defending the Filipino contenders from supporters of other countries. It’s partly because of a burning sense of nationalism (sometimes too much) and partly a desire to be recognized at something… even if it’s downright silly.We have mandatory military training… in high schoolCalled the CAT (Citizenship Advancement Training, previously Citizen Army Training). It teaches high school students military drills, military terminology, how to hold rifles, how to salute, and so on; as well as hold regular physical training like jogging or hiking on weekends and training in the native martial arts (arnis). We wore fake military uniforms, including boots and headgear, had a wooden rifle and a ceremonial blunt sword. Most importantly, it taught us discipline and it was a lot of fun pretending to be soldiers.Since our high school ages previously started at age 12 and ended at 16, children can start as young as 12. Though it doesn’t become mandatory until Senior year, children who started early become officers later on. I started at 12 for example, and by the time we were seniors, I was a Captain. Everyone was required to do it, unless you have physical disabilities preventing it. Girls, boys, openly gay students, everyone. The only way you can somewhat avoid it is if you join the marching band.This was followed later on by ROTC in college (with real guns), which though mandatory in the past has now become optional since 2001.We have uniquely-shaped traditional bladed weapons, from wavy swords to giant anime swords to claw-like daggersA few of the examples are:kalis - a wavy sword. It is related to the Malaysian and Indonesian kris or keris. But the kalis is much larger, since it’s a sword not a dagger. It’s the traditional armament of the Muslim Filipinos (the Moros).kampilan - usually a large two-handed sword. It has a distinctive shape with a handle carved into the shape of a mythical dragon or tiger creature. The tip has a small bladelet giving it an appearance of being forkedlaring - A variant of the common sundang or itak sword with a deep fork halfway up the blade.ligua - the battle-axe of the Ifugao highlander tribes in northern Luzon. They have a characteristic crescent shape. They were specialized for cutting off heads during the ritualistic head-hunting wars of the Ifugao. Their design can vary by tribe.panabas. A large battle-axe which can be up to 4 feet long with a unique bent or curving shape similar to the Gurkha kukri. But it’s unrelated and is an axe, not a knife.karambit - a sickle-like dagger derived from a farming tool. Uniquely held and is meant as a gouging weapon. Also exists in Malaysia and Indonesia.And so on.When you say “switchblade”, our version is a folding oneMade popular recently by Hollywood movies, the balisong (also called the “butterfly knife”) is one of the most unique blades of the Philippines. It originated as a pocket knife. Probably indigenous in design (though some claim it’s based on a long-forgotten French pocket knife in the 19th century). Regardless, it quickly became very popular in the Philippines, with its primary manufacturing area being the province of Batangas. Particularly as a weapon for criminals and wannabe gangsters, with the same reputation as switchblades in the west. They became much larger, with the average size being about 29 centimeters (around 11 inches, hence the other name for them: viente y nueve). Filipinos also developed a mesmerizing way of quickly flicking them open and shut which caught on in the west and is now a weird hobby. Like fidget spinners with the risk of losing a finger.We’ve turned mountains into rice fieldsThe rice terraces of the northern Philippines are UNESCO world heritage sites. They’re centuries-old and they’re stunning. There are similar terraces in other countries but none on this scale and steepness, and/or are not rice fields.When you come across strangers eating, they will invite you to eat with them.And unless you can see there’s enough food for all of you (i.e. it’s a party), or you’re genuinely starving to death, the polite response is to say “I’m full, thanks.”A similar invitation is when you come across people drinking alcohol in private settings (which paradoxically enough, might mean in a public place like a street or a beach). You will always be offered a tagay (a shot). You can agree to drink just a glass, join in and get drunk, or decline. Decline politely, however. Like everywhere else, some people are nasty drunks and can get offended.We don’t have a word for “cheers!” because we drink alcohol from one cupAs in one cup is used for a group of people. Passed from person to person. Each shot is called a tagay. This is an ancient tradition going back to precolonial times, and the Spaniards mentioned it in their description of traditional practices. It is related to the precolonial Filipino ritual of the blood compact (sandugo). Drinking from one cup is seen as symbolic of camaraderie and trust.Hence why we don’t have a word for “cheers”, because you can’t exactly raise your cups when only one person has it. Tagay is sometimes used for “cheers!” though, but it’s inaccurate, as it really just means “[let’s] drink!”This is also why bars (as in the counter-and-stool kind) is not that popular in the Philippines. Our version of a bar is one where you get a table with a group of friends, then you are given the drinks, some ice cubes, some food (pulutan), and a single glass. More commonly however, you do these drinking sessions at a friend’s house, a beach, a backyard, the street, the bed of a truck, or wherever it is you can get away with being drunk and loud.One of you becomes the “gunner”, the guy (or gal) who pours the drink into the glass (usually the one who stays sober the longest). Then you take turns drinking from the glass. It is easier to moderate as well as you can simply “pass” if you’ve had enough.All through this, you simply enjoy each other’s company and talk about everything and nothing. This is the main reason why people do this. For the company and conversation, not for the alcohol. Which is why in our culture, the main indication of an alcoholic is someone who drinks… alone.These drinking sesssions are called tagayan or inuman, and they are an important cornerstone of Filipino social interactions.We traditionally made window panes from… oystersThey’re called windowpane oysters (duh!). They have round and flat shells and are abundant in the Philippines, particularly in the province of Capiz. The shells (called Capiz shells) were traditionally used as a substitute for glass during the Spanish colonial period because of their translucency, beauty, and durability. This use later spread to Goa in India via the Portuguese. They are still found in the windows of old Spanish-Filipino architecture. They are now also used to make lamps, chandeliers, wind chimes, and other decorative items for export.It is common to see cats with tails that seem to have been bent and cut offEspecially among strays or semi-feral cats. Westerners (and even some locals) often think these were deliberate mutilation or were the result of accidents or fights with dogs. There are even stories about how their owners supposedly cut them off then buried their tails under the house front doors to make sure the cats return at night (which is ridiculous… you can’t tell cats what to do!).All of these are false. It’s genetic. The dominant native breed of cats of in most of Asia has the bobtail gene. They tend to have tails that are short, kinked, or seemingly cut off.Commenting about your weight or looks is normal and isn’t rudeTelling you to your face that you’re getting fatter or are way too thin or should sleep more and so on is completely normal. Usually followed by advice on what you should eat, encouragement for exercise, or an offering of food.This usually infuriates the hypersensitive PC culture of most westerners, leading to rants online about how Filipinos are sooo rude! OMG.It’s not an insult, however. It’s meant as friendly teasing or motherly advice. If they really wanted to insult you, they’d have kept quiet and told someone else.Avocado is a dessert fruitUnlike most other countries, avocado in the Philippines is traditionally treated as a dessert from way back in the colonial period. The standard way of eating it is to mash it up (finely or into small chunks) and mix it with condensed milk or sugar. Rarely, peanuts or even chocolate can also be added. It can also be blended with ice chips into a shake. Until recently, we never use it for savory dishes like salads, sushi, or guacamole like in the west.We stay with our parents until we either get married or get a job away from our hometownsRegardless of how old you are. This is common enough in most Asian, Latin American, and some European countries.Families will also continue supporting each other, even long after they have children of their own. The family culture is very collectivist. It is considered shameful to be wealthy, while having parents or siblings that are struggling. And it is the duty of the most successful member of the family to try and bring everyone else up to a reasonable extent, with the goal being comfortable self-sufficiency for everyone. Especially if that success is because of the sacrifices of other family members. Failing to do so can cause permanent rifts in family relationships and ruin your reputation to most of your peers.An old Filipino proverb that summarizes this is: Ang hindi marunong lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay hindi makararating sa pinaroroonan, roughly “one who does not know how to look back to their beginnings will never reach their destination.” The closest English saying would be “never forget where you came from.”A lobster dinner in a 5-star restaurant doesn’t taste as good when you know your family back home is still eating the same old meal of rice and dried fish in your childhood village. If you ask kids what they want to be when they grow up, the answer will almost always end with “…so I can help my parents/family.”The up-side is that family in the Philippines is everything. Kinship ties are very strong. You can always rely on family in times of need.The down-side is the built-in culture of nepotism. As well as some members of the family abusing the support at times.It is often the cause of friction in Filipinos who marry foreigners, as westerners usually can not understand why their spouses will still continue sending money to their family back home for things like building their parents a new house, investing in a family business, or helping their siblings find jobs or get an education.Our desserts have various jelly-like components, and they’re all derived from plantsJelly desserts in the Philippines (and Southeast Asia) are predominantly made from gulaman (agar) which is derived from seaweed. Other jelly-like desserts are harvested from plant starch or palm fruits, including sago, kaong, nata de coco, macapuno, and tapioca pearls.Unlike in the west where jellies are usually made gelatin which is derived from animal collagen (usually pork or beef), they’re all perfectly fine for vegetarians and those with religious dietary restrictions (Muslims, Jews, Hindus, etc.).It is common to see two or more of these jellies as part of the various mixed fruit desserts in the Philippines (including halo-halo), as well as chilled beverages (the traditional samalamig refreshments).Christmas starts in SeptemberInformally called the “ber” months. September is taken as a signal to bring out the Christmas tree and Christmas decorations. By October, malls and shops will start playing Christmas music and selling Christmas food and merchandise. By mid-November, yards and streets will already be decorated with Christmas lights, especially the gorgeous handcrafted traditional star lanterns (the paról), which symbolize the star of Bethlehem. Local governments will start putting up the public belén (Christmas dioramas) in community parks. By late November and early December, children and adults will start caroling for money in establishments and houses. In the past this also usually meant children will start playing with firecrackers, but that has been banned.

Quotes from the Movie RatatouilleAlthough each of the world's countries would like to dispute this fact, we French know the truth. The best food in the world is made in France. The best food in France is made in Paris, and the best food in Paris, some say, is made by Chef Auguste Gusteau.TV ReporterThis is me. I think it's apparent I need to rethink my life a little bit. What's my problem? First of all, I'm a rat, which means life is hard. And second, I have a highly developed sense of taste and smell.RÈmyThis much I knew. If you are what you eat, then I only wanna eat the good stuff.RÈmyTurns out that funny smell was rat poison. Suddenly dad didn't think my talent was useless. I was feeling pretty good about my gift... until Dad gave me a job. *sniff* Clean. *sniff* Clean. *sniff* Cleanariffic. *sniff* Cleanarino. *sniff* Close to godliness... which means clean. Ya' know... "cleanliness is close to..." N-Never mind. Move on.RÈmyIf we're going to be thieves, why not steal the good stuff in the kitchen... where nothing is poisoned?RÈmyI know I'm supposed to hate humans, but there's something about them. They don't just survive, they discover, they create...I mean, just look at what they do with food!RÈmyYou're in Paris now, baby. My town. No brother of mine eats rejectamenta in my town.RÈmyTeam three will be handling fish! Team four: roasted items! Team five: grill! Team six: sauces! Get to your stations, go, go, go!RÈmyWe don't wanna throw this in with the garbage! This is special...RÈmyChange is nature. The part we can influence. And it starts when we decide.RÈmyYou're the one who was getting fancy with the spices! What did you throw in there? Oregano? No? What? Ro- uh, Rosemary? That's a spice, isn't it? Rosemary? You didn't throw Rosemary in there? Then what was all the flipping and all the throwing and the... I need this job. I've lost so many. I don't know how to cook and now I'm actually talking to a rat as if you... Did you nod? Have you been nodding? You understand me?!. So I'm not crazy! Wait a second, wait a second... Uh, I can't cook, can I? But you, heh, you can, right? . Look, don't be so modest. You're a rat for Pete's sake.LinguiniThis is not gonna' work, Little Chef! I'm gonna lose it if we do this anymore! We gotta, we gotta figure out something else; something that doesn't involve any biting, or nipping, or running up and down my body with your little rat feet! The biting, no! Scampering, no! No scampering or scurrying!LinguiniYou take a break, Little Chef! I'm not your puppet, and you're not my...puppet-controlling guy! You cool off and get your mind right, Little Chef! Ego is coming, and I need to focus!LinguiniWhoa-ho! That's strangely involuntaryyyy... ahhh!LinguiniI've never disappointed anyone before because no one's ever expected anything of me. And the only reason anyone's expecting anything of me now is because of you.LinguiniWe all have an opinion!nHealth & fitnessFamilyTravelMoneyThe ObserverRestaurantsThe 50 best things to eat in the world, and where to eat themFrom cake, steak and tapas, to oysters, chicken and burgers, Killian Fox roamed the world to find the 50 best things to eat and the best places to eat them in, with a little help from professionals like Raymond Blanc, Michel Roux, Ruth Rogers and Rose GrayKillian FoxSat 12 Sep 2009 19.05 EDTFirst published on Sat 12 Sep 2009 19.05 EDTShares499Comments1401. Best place to eat: Oysters.Strangfor Lough, Northern IrelandRichard Corrigan reckons Strangford Lough oysters are the world’s best. Photograph: John Smith/Corbis"If I were to die tomorrow, I'd walk to Strangford, get a couple of bottles of really cold Chablis, and eat as many Strangford Lough oysters as I could. Then I'd die very happily indeed. There are very few places you can get Strangford Lough oysters now. Last time, we bought some from a company called Cuan and went to a beautiful local pub and opened them ourselves. The speed of the tidal movement, and the huge nutrient richness of the water, is what makes them so good. The only accompaniment you need is lemon juice and black pepper: you'd never ever use vinegar and shallots or Tabasco."Cuan Oysters, Sketrick Island, Killinchy, Newtownards, County Down, Northern Ireland, 02897 541461, www.cuanoysters.com2. Best place to eat: AuberginesTa Kioupa, Athens"The aubergines were slow- baked for six hours, brought to the table whole, and skinned in front of us. They took out the flesh, crisscrossed the aubergines with two knives, and then added whipped cream with hazelnuts, lemon, sweet pepper, oil, feta cheese, salt and pepper. Incredible."Dinokratous & An, Polemou 22, Kolonaki, 11521 Athens, 0030 210 7400150, www.takioupia.com3. Best place to eat: HamburgersLittle Owl, New YorkSign up for Word of Mouth: the best of Guardian Food every weekRead moreThere are many fine hamburgers in New York, even the most mediocre of which would put its British counterparts to shame. But the best is the bacon cheeseburger at a small Greenwich Village bistro called Little Owl. "This sandwich is so copiously juicy, so rich with precious bodily fluids," says Josh Ozersky, author of The Hamburger: A History, "that it practically haemorrhages onto the plate. But the meat, which is a signature blend from New York's virtuoso hamburger maker Pat La Frieda, is perfectly paired with a bun of uniquely moist and yielding character. It's by far the best cheeseburger in this or any other city."90 Bedford St, New York, 001 212 741 4695, www.thelittleowlnyc.com4. Best place to eat: ZabaglioneLa CinzianelleAdvertisementThe best place in the world to eat zabaglione, according to Giorgio Locatelli, is at his uncle's restaurant, La Cinzianell, in Corgeno, northern Italy. "As the sun goes down behind Monte Rosa and it starts getting a bit chilly, the thing I enjoy most is the zabaglione prepared by my cousin Maurizio…"Via Lago, 26 Corgeno, 0039 0 331 946 3375. Best place to eat: PhoPho 24, VietnamVietnam’s signature dish Pho at 'Pho 24' in Hanoi, Vietnam. Photograph: Krista Kennell/CorbisPho, a noodle soup with thin slices of meat (usually beef but sometimes chicken), is Vietnam's signature dish, and the issue of who makes it best is as tangled as white rice noodles in tasty broth. The Hanoi streets throw up a lot of persuasive contenders, such as the shack at 172 Ton Duc Thang Street. However, the sleek chain restaurant Pho 24, with branches around the country and across Asia, produces Vietnam's most reliably good pho. The meat is of a consistently high quality – a rarity in Vietnam – and the stock impresses even the hardest-to-please critics.5 Nguyen Thiep Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (and other locations). 0084 88226278, www.pho24.com.vn7. Best place to eat: MacaroonsLaduree, ParisThe original M Ladurée opened his bakery on the rue Royale in 1862. In 1930 his grandson invented the double-decker macaroon – two shells of the meringue-like pastry held together by creamy ganache filling. Ladurée has produced the definitive macaroons ever since. In recent years the company has opened shops around the world, but the original is by far the best.16 rue Royale, 75008 Paris, 0033 01 42 60 21 79, www.laduree.fr8. Best place to eat: Roast ChickenL'Ami Louis, ParisThis Paris fixture, open since 1924, is the ultimate French bistro. Heads of state (Clinton, Gorbachev) and cultural giants (Welles, Hemingway) have come here to feast on sumptuous roast chicken, served whole with matchstick pommes frites and a simple green salad. It's touristy and expensive and the decor is a bit clichéd, but such details become trivial once the chicken (which inspired Simon Hopkinson to write his much-loved Roast Chicken and Other Stories) turns up at the table.32 rue du Vertbois, 3e, 3rd arrondissement, Paris, 0033 1 48 87 77 489. Best place to drink: MilkshakesFosselman's, Los AngelesAdvertisementThe ingredients for the perfect milkshake are extremely good ice cream mixed with just the right amount of milk, and a classic American setting. The award-laden Fosselman's, in the LA suburb of Alhambra, has been offering both since 1924. The milkshakes, made with home-made ice cream, taste like you'd expect milkshakes to taste in the movies. Make a beeline for the double-chocolate malt.1824 W Main Street, Alhambra, Los Angeles, 001 626 282 6533, www.fosselmans.com10. Best place to eat: Texas barbecueSnow's, TexasThe title of best BBQ joint in Texas is hotly contested in a state where the consumption of charred meats is as serious as religion. Texas Monthly magazine does the definitive annual poll. Most recently, the magazine awarded the title to Snow's, a rank outsider that has been trading a mere five years. Run by a former rodeo clown and an elderly lady named Tootsie, the restaurant only opens on Saturday mornings and consists of a small number of tables around a smoking pit.516 Main Street, Lexington, Texas, 001 979 773 4640 (Saturday only), www.snowsbbq.com11. Best place to eat: SteakEl Carpicho, Jimenez de Jamuz, SpainTime magazine called it "the perfect steak". American Vogue's exacting food writer Jeffrey Steingarten said it was "probably the greatest steak I've ever eaten". They were referring to an enormous chuletón taken from the central rib section of a 16-year-old Rubia Gallega ox, dry-aged for 90 days, and served in the cellar dining room of a rural bodega named El Capricho, near León in north-west Spain.Paraje de las Bodegas, s/n, Jimenez de Jamuz, near León, Spain, 0034 987 66422412. Best place to eat: Fish and chipsThe Wee Chippy, Fife, ScotlandThe nearby Anstruther Fish Bar wins all the plaudits – it was named Fish and Chip Shop of the Year by the National Federation of Fish Friers last January – but locals swear by its rival, The Wee Chippy, which serves sublime fish and chips on the same street and without the endless queues.4 Shore Street, Anstruther, Fife, 01333 31010613. Best place to eat: Strawberry tartRestaurant de Bacon, Antibes, France"When I go to the south of France in the summer, I always visit the Restaurant de Bacon in the Cap d'Antibes and I wait eagerly, in front of the sea and the old town, for the most amazing wild strawberry tart. The crust melts in the mouth, it is deliciously flavoured with butter, and once you have finished it you feel delightfully naughty."Advertisement688 Boulevard de Bacon, 06160 Cap D'Antibes, France, 0033 4 93 61 50 02, www.restaurantdebacon.com14. Best place to eat: Pastrami on ryeKatz's Deli, New YorkThe mail order department of Katz's Delicatessen on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York. Photograph: Stan Honda/AFP/Getty ImagesThe legendary pastrami on rye from Katz's, New York's oldest (and possibly shabbiest) deli, could qualify as king of all sandwiches by virtue of size alone: a whole pound of brined beef, pre-trimming, is used in each serving. The sandwich – stacks of juicy meat with mustard and pickles between slices of rye bread – is as jaw-dropping, taste-wise, as it is gobstopping. (Recall Meg Ryan's unfaked endorsement of it in When Harry Met Sally.)205 E Houston Street at Ludlow Street, New York, 001 212 254 2246, www.katzdeli.com15. Best place to eat: Custard tartAntiga Confeitaria de Belem, LisbonCreamy, flaky custard tarts – served warm with cinnamon – are one of Portugal's great culinary gifts to the world. The original pasteis café in the Belém district of Lisbon, next to the monastery where the dessert was invented, is still the best: their secret recipe has been guarded since 1837. Sit down with a plateful, and a strong coffee, and you'll understand why more than 10,000 tarts are baked here every day.Rua de Belém, 84-92, Belém, Lisbon, 00351 21 363 7423, www.pasteisdebelem.pt16. Best place to eat: Leg of beefLe Louchebem, Paris"For the most wonderful leg of beef I can't go past Le Louchebem in Paris, a simple, plain café with a very, very good rotisserie, located in the old meat district of Les Halles. The beef comes with mashed potato and three different sauces."31 rue Berger, Angle 10, rue des Prouvaires, Paris, 0033 1 42 33 12 99, www.le-louchebem.fr17. Best place to drink: Tomato juiceHappy Girl Kitchen, California"If you find yourself in Marin County, California, it's well worth the time to drive down the beautiful shoreline road to San Francisco and visit the Ferry Building for the heirloom organic tomato juice from Happy Girl Kitchen, which has a stall there on Saturdays. They blend it with coriander and chilli and it's quite literally the best tomato juice you'll ever taste."AdvertisementFerry Plaza Farmer's Market, One Ferry Building, San Francisco, 001 831 750 9579, www.happygirlkitchen.com18. Best place to eat: Italian slow foodCoco Lezzone, Florence"You can get the most amazing 'slow food' in this tiny family- run restaurant which has been around for about 30 years. It is famous for its pappa pomodoro and ribollita – the two most traditional Tuscan bread soups. And they do the most delicious arista: pork loin cooked on the bone, stuffed with fennel seeds, garlic and rosemary, and served at room temperature."Via del Parioncino 26, Florence, Italy, 0039 05 52 87 17 819. Best place to eat: Nordic foodOlo, Helsinki"When I'm back home in Finland, I always visit Olo in Helsinki. The chef, Pekka Terävä, has created a brand in its own right, cooking modern Nordic cuisine with the best seasonal ingredients."Kasarmikatu 44, 00130 Helsinki, Finland. 00358 9 665 565, www.olo-restaurant.com20. Best place to buy: Olive oilTurkish embassy electrical supplies, LondonMehmet Murat in his electrical shop. Photograph: Andy HallThe most unlikely olive oil vendor in the world? At his electrical supply shop in London's Clerkenwell, Mehmet Murat sells wonderful, intensely fruity oil from his family's olive groves in Cyprus and south-west Turkey. Now he imports more than a 1,000 litres per year. His lemon-flavoured oil is good enough to drink on its own.76 Compton Street, London EC1, 020 7251 4721, www.planet mem.comAnd ManniOne of the priciest olive oils in the world, the minimum order of a litre of Manni costs £190. Film director Armando Manni harvests olives from seven plantations at different altitudes on a Tuscan mountain and speed-couriers the oil in small, UV-resistant bottles. The flavours are extraordinary. Chef Thomas Keller, of The French Laundry and Per Se, has called it "the best olive oil in the market".Monte Amiata, Seggiano, Italy, 0039 069 7274787, www.manni.biz21. Best place to eat: TacosEl Pastorcito, Mexico CityPeople drive the length and breadth of Mexico City, causing traffic jams, to get to this neighbourhood taqueria, which spills out onto the street from dusk till dawn. The main draw is their superlative tacos al pastor – a speciality of the capital – made with pork carved from a shawarma-style spit and ultra-fresh salsa served in dramatically massive stone bowls.Advertisement4503 Lorenzo Boturini Street, 24 de Abril, Mexico City, Mexico, 0051 55 5764 1185, www.elpastorcitodeboturini.com22. Best place to eat: Peking DuckQuanjude, BeijingBeijing's most famous purveyor of Peking duck is nothing if not well-endorsed: more than 115 million ducks have been dished up in the restaurant's 145-year history, and China's first Premier, Zhou Enlai, personally chose the location for the seven-storey Hepingmen branch. Quantity hasn't affected quality: the duck, with its crispy red skin and melt-in-the-mouth flesh, is sublime – 400 versions of the classic dish are available: opt for the classic kaoya.Hepingmen Dajie, Xuanwu District, Beijing, China, 0086 10 6552 3745, www.quanjude.com.cn23. Best place to eat: Pork bellyGramercy Tavern, New YorkThe dining room at Gramercy Tavern in New York. Photograph: Neville Elder/Corbis"As far as I'm concerned, the Gramercy Tavern is one of the best places to eat in New York, and the best place to eat pig. It is very relaxed but serves spectacular food. I always have the rack of pork and braised belly and it always tastes perfect."42 East 20th Street, New York, New York, 001 212 477 0777, www.gramercytavern.com24. Best place to eat: Vegetarian IndianSagar Ratna, Delhi"Sagar Ratna, in Delhi, serves South Indian vegetarian food – pukka food that nourishes the body and soul and is always in harmony with the seasons. My favourite dish there has always been idli sambhar: steamed rice cakes with coconut chutney and sambhar lentils."18 Defence Colony Market, New Delhi, 110024, Delhi, India, 0091 11 24 33 36 5825. Best place to eat: SushiDaiwa sushi, TokyoIf you want the world's best sushi, don't even think of looking anywhere but Japan. Empty your bank account and eat at one of Tokyo's swankiest sushi temples, such as the three-Michelin-star Jiro in Ginza. Alternatively, go right to the heart of the action, to the city's overwhelming Tsukiji fish market (the largest on the planet), and eat unsurpassable sushi for a fraction of the price at Daiwa Sushi. It's a fast-moving hole-in-the-wall establishment without tables and it's only open for breakfast, but none of this matters once the expertly prepared rolls come your way. Try the melt-in-the-mouth tai, a type of sea bream that is impossible to get outside Japan.Building 6, Chuo-ichiba, 5-2-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan, 0081 3 3547 680726. Best place to eat: Filipino cuisineLighthouse Restaurant, Cebu, Philippines"The Lighthouse in Cebu in the Philippines is my favourite restaurant. We always eat bulalo (beef stew), banana heart salad, adobo (marinaded meat), baked oysters, pancit noodles, lechon de leche (suckling pig) and, to drink, green mango juice – my daughter is addicted to it! The staff are so friendly and welcoming. The chef has been there for more than 20 years, so the food is very consistent."Gaisano Country Mall, Banilad, Cebu city, Philippines, 0063 32 231 247827. Best place to eat: California cuisineChez Panisse, Berkeley, California"Chez Panisse doesn't just do the world's best Californian food: it is quite simply the best restaurant in the world. Superb."1517 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley, California, 001 510 548 5525, www.chezpanisse.com28. Best place to eat: Algerian foodRestaurant Gnaoua, Algiers"To get a really good North African meal in Algeria you have to get yourself invited to someone's house, and as there are so few tourists, people would love to have you to their home for a meal. The few restaurants around tend to serve bad French food. That said, there is a handful of really good grilled-fish restaurants down in the port in Algiers. My favourite is a small, traditional place called Restaurant Gnaoua. The owner, Hamidou, understands Algerian cuisine. It's not an easy cuisine to get, but he just does."Cite Sahraoui, les Deux Bassins, Ben Aknoun, Algiers, Algeria29. Best place to eat: Classic French cuisine,Close des Gourmets, Paris"I eat at Clos Des Gourmets two or three times a week when I'm in Paris. They only use seasonal ingredients and always add a touch of wackiness to very classic dishes. They love creating new things. I suppose it's new classic French cuisine. I'll have roast kidneys or grilled rabbit with fresh herbs in a white wine sauce, asparagus with truffle in early summer, and a lavender crème brûlée to finish. It's always madly busy but the dishes are always perfectly cooked. And it's amazingly cheap: ¤80 for three courses with wine. Unbelievable."16 Avenue Rapp, Paris, 0033 1 45 51 75 61, www.closdesgourmets.com30. Best place to eat: TapasCal Pep, Barcelona"Cal Pep does completely amazing tapas. It has a brilliant atmosphere, and the bar is presided over by the owner, Pep, himself. Order the langoustines with onions, chickpeas, spinach and bacon, and fried seafood."Plaça de les Olles 8, Barcelona, 0034 93 31 07 961, www.calpep.com31. Best place to eat: PizzaFrank Pepe Pizzeria, New Haven, ConneticutYou could generate enough heat to fuel a brick oven with the argument over which country bakes the world's best pizza: Italy, where the concept originated, or America, where it was globalised. Neapolitan purists will make pilgrimages to hotspots such as La Sorrentina, outside Naples, whose chef has won the prestigious Naples Pizza Championship, but we contend that the upstart Yanks do it better. The best American pizza can be found, not in New York as is commonly assumed, but in New Haven, Connecticut, where the Pepe family has been spinning dough since 1925. Their white clam pie has no equals.157 Wooster Street, New Haven, Connecticut, 001 203 865 5762, www.pepespizzeria.comPizzeria La Sorrentina, Via Domenico Pirozzi 37, Fratta Maggiore, Italy, 0039 338 324861532. Best place to eat: Thai curryKrua Apsorn, Bangkok"When I'm in Bangkok, I go to Apsorn's Kitchen, also known as Krua Apsorn, a small restaurant just up from the National Library. It is a great place to go for incredibly traditional Thai food. I have the crab in curry powder, followed by the deep-fried kingfish with green mango and the yellow curry with prawns and lotus shoots."503-505 Sam San Road, Dusit, Bangkok, Thailand 0066 2 24 18 52 833. Best place to eat: Simple French foodLe Vin et L'Assiette, Besancon, France"When I go home, I go to Le Vin et L'Assiette in Besançon and order pâté de campagne, a big chunk of crusty bread and a glass of wine. The restaurant is honest, simple, and a wonderful place. It has fantastic wine cellars with local wines that people would never have heard of."97 rue Battant, Besançon, France, 0033 3 81 81 48 1834. Best place to eat: Ice creamCorrado Costanzo, Noto, SicilyThe legend about Romans making the earliest ice creams from the snows of Mount Etna may be apocryphal, but Sicily is still the best place for frozen treats in gelato-crazed Italy, and Italian ice cream, as everybody knows, is the finest in the world. (Gelato is made with considerably less butterfat than the heavier American variants, for starters.) Corrado Costanzo's pastry shop can be found in the crumbling baroque town of Noto, in the south-eastern corner of the island. We defy you to find an ice better than his transcendent mandarin-orange granita.AdvertisementVia Silvio Spaventa 7, Noto, Sicily, 0039 931 835 24335. Best place to eat: KebabsBade Miya, MumbaiAn entire Mumbai street gets overrun, nightly, by pilgrims to an unassuming grilled-food vendor on a pavement behind the Taj Hotel. People hunch over rickety outdoor tables, or the hoods of their cars, to gorge on cheap, basic but spectacular kebabs, roti rolls and drumsticks hot from the grill. The chicken tangdi kebab is especially delicious.Tulloch Road, Apollo Bunder, Mumbai, India36. Best place to eat: RavioliBabbo, New York"I love the oxtail ravioli with black truffles and pigeon liver sauce at Babbo in New York, my favourite restaurant. It is a simple neighbourhood Italian, but it has a wonderful atmosphere . The only problem is that the restaurant is so busy you have to book a month in advance."110 Waverly Place, New York, 001 212 777 0303, www.babbonyc.com37. Best place to eat: PrawnsCasa Bigote, Sanlucar de Barrameda, Spain"The logo of this restaurant is actually a prawn, and they get their seafood from little dayboats. They serve the local Sanlucar prawn, which is mild and sweet, a bit like a tiger prawn but pinker. They do mantis shrimps too – prehistoric-looking things which taste like white crab meat. They steam them, and really needn't do anything else."Restaurante Casa Bigote, Bajo de Guia, 10, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Cádiz, Andalucía, 0034 956 36 26 96/956 36 32 4238. Best place to eat: CurrywurstKonnopke's Imbiss, BerlinThe German obsession with currywurst – 800m portions of chopped sausage with sweet curry sauce are consumed each year – reaches its zenith in Berlin, where countless diners and roadside stalls vie for the currywurst crown. It's hard to improve on Konnopke's, which has been serving superlative sausage since 1930 under raised train tracks in Prenzlauerberg. Consume with fries and a cold bottle of Berliner Pilsner for maximum impact.Schönhauser Allee 44a, Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin, 0049 30 442 7765, www.konnopke-imbiss.de39. Best place to eat: HamCasas, Aracena, Spain"Aracena, 40 minutes north of Seville, feels like a frontier town, because north of it is an area the size of Wales of nonstop forest. Here groups of men disappear for months at a time harvesting the cork bark and tending the oak so the iberico pig may gorge on acorns. Black foot ham from nearby Jabugo is some of the finest in the country, and there is nothing better than sitting down in any of the bars and restaurants in Aracena to a plate of this rich delicacy, sliced and served with unpretentious understanding. Last time we were there we had a memorable revueltos (scrambled eggs) with setas (local wild mushrooms) and jamón at Casas."AdvertisementCalle Colmenetas 41, Aracena, Huelva, Spain, 0034 959/12804440. Best place to eat: Chocolate cakePierre Herme, Paris"When Pierre Hermé first let me try his heart-shaped Chuao cake, made with blackcurrants and a chuao couverture from Pralus, I totally forgot where I was. It was a firework of aromas, temperatures and textures. The freshness of the fruit flirted with the roundness of the chocolate. Hermé is a genius – one of my chocolate gods. The cake is seasonal and available on demand, and now made with Valrhona, but it is still my favourite in the world."72, rue Bonaparte, Paris, 0033 01 43 54 47 77, www.pierreherme.com41. Best place to eat: Fried potatoesBomba Bar Cova Fumada, Barcelona"It's an ancient place, with a marble bar on which they note down what you've had with chalk. Father and son run the bar, while the grandmother and mother look after the stove. Go for the bomba, crushed potato balls with minced meat, bread-crumbed and deep-fried with a spicy sauce."No 56 Carrer del Baluard, Barceloneta, Barcelona, Spain, 0034 93 221 406142. Best place to eat: OctopusTholos, Symi, Greece"On my most recent trip to the Dodecanese islands, outside a tiny taverna in Symi port that overlooked the beautiful bay, we ate monster 4kg octopus cooked in its own water then barbecued and brushed with the juice from the cooking. It was super-tender and crunchy on the outside. The flavours were incredibly intense – the juice had been flavoured with rosemary, garlic and olive oil. The best time to eat octopus here is May or late September."Gialos, Symi 85600, Islands, Greece, 0030 22460 7203343. Best place to eat: BouillabaisseRestaurant de Bacon, Antibes, France"The most powerful experience I ever had with a bouillabaisse (Provençal fish stew) was at this restaurant by the sea in Antibes. The place itself is nothing fancy but it's very famous for this dish, and people travel a long way for it. They kill you with the price – it costs an arm and a leg – but it's worth it. They use fish from the region that's been caught that same morning, and bouillabaisse is their speciality: they do it better than anyone else on this planet. It's really an experience."688 Boulevard de Bacon, 06160 Cap D'Antibes, France, 0033 4 93 61 50 02, www.restaurantdebacon.com44. Best place to eat: Steak and kidney pieThe Hinds Head, BrayHeston Blumenthal in his pub, The Hinds Head. Photograph: Karen RobinsonAdvertisementHeston Blumenthal made hundreds of different versions of steak and kidney pie before deciding that oxtail gave the preferred meaty kick. The result is on the menu at his pub, just down the road from The Fat Duck in Bray, and it is beyond spectacular.High Street, Bray, Berkshire, 01628 626151, www.thehindsheadhotel.com45. Best place to eat: PastaTrattoria Caprini, Verona, Italy"This little restaurant in Verona makes the most beautiful pasta in the traditional way, rolling it into wafer thin sheets before cutting it into the various shapes. The pasta is rich and eggy with a slightly tough texture that ensures that it doesn't turn sloppy when cooked. We went recently and loved the pasta so much we bought some back for the chefs at the restaurant. It was so delicious that they ate it with just some olive oil – the pasta spoke for itself."9 Via Paolo Zanotti, Torbe di Negrar di Volpolicella, Verona, Italy, 0039 0457500511, www.trattoriacaprini.it46. Best place to eat: CevicheSankuay, Lima, PeruThe ceviche craze has gone global in recent years (it now graces the menu at London's Nobu), but to really experience Peru's national dish of raw fish cured in lime juice and hot pepper, you have to venture into the backstreets of Lima. The title of best cebecheria is hotly contested in the Peruvian capital. Javier Wong's Sankuay undoubtedly has the greatest sense of theatre. There's no sign outside, and the building in the anonymous Balconcillo district turns out to be the chef's own home. There are only 10 tables, and no menu. Wong's cebiche, made with lenguado (a type of sole) and accompanied by octopus discs rather than the usual choclo (white maize) and camote (sweet potato), is out of this world.Garcia Leon 114 (between block 3 and 4 of Av Canada), Santa Catalina, La Victoria, Lima, Peru, 0011 51 1 470 621747. Best place to eat: Suckling pigMontimar, Estellencs, Mallorca"This restaurant is in the tiny village of Estellencs in Mallorca, where our mother grew up. Every time we come to visit we eat here – you actually have to walk through the terrace of the restaurant to get to our house. The suckling pig is delicious."Plaça Constitució 7, 07192 Estellencs, Mallorca, 0034 971 618 57648. Best place to eat: CurryKarim's, DelhiAdvertisementIn a beehive of rooms off a hectic Old Delhi bazaar, the Zahiruddin family, which once cooked for Mughal emperors, has been serving sumptuous curries and grilled meats since 1913. The butter chicken curry, served in a rich tomato sauce, is as much a landmark as the colossal Jama Masjid at the end of the street. Devotees swear it's the best curry in India and therefore, naturally, the world.Jama Masjid, Gala Kababian, Old Delhi, India, 0091 11 2326 9880, www.karimhoteldelhi.com49. Best place to eat: Dim sumLuk Yu Tea House, Hong Kong"Hong Kong is the best place for dim sum, and Luk Yu Tea House is a Hong Kong institution. It feels very authentic, and the dim sum they do is of an extremely high quality (it's incredible how they've managed to keep both the quality and the authenticity). The menu hasn't really changed since it opened in 1933. You get things here you won't get anywhere else. They buy the best Chinese ham and grill it in small slices as an appetiser – amazing with a glass of red wine. And they still do incredible egg tarts."24-26 Stanley Street, Central, Hong Kong, 00852 2523 546450. Best place to eat: RamenRamen Jiro, Tokyo"People in Japan always say ramen (Japanese noodle soup) can't be this and can't be that. Ramen Jiro is very non-traditional, in your face, take it or leave it. You either love it or hate it, but people who like it are good people. It's got pork, it's got cabbage, it's got garlic, and the sauce is sweet. It's gnarly. There are several branches; my favourite is the one near Keio University."Advertisement2-14-11 Mita, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japa