Food Diary: Banaue, Philippines

Vistrey Dumawol grew up on a rice farm in Banaue and spent his childhood tilling the fields with an ox and scaring off birds with a slingshot. Today, he is a guide, who goes by the name Elvis, who takes tourists to the region's famed terraced paddy fields. In the future, he says he must make up his mind whether to stay and take over the family farm or to travel and try his luck in the city.

MondayBreakfast: Sayote (vegetable) tops, rice, coffee. Cost this year: 120 pesos (last year: 90 pesos).Lunch: Rice, cabbage. Cost this year: 90 pesos (40 pesos)Dinner: Rice, sardines (from a can). Cost this year: 70 pesos (45 pesos)

Vistrey used to have enough money to buy fish and sausages all the time but because the price of rice increased so quickly, he now has to budget more carefully. TuesdayBreakfast: Rice, pakhuy (watercress). Cost this year: 60 pesos (last year: 30 pesos)Lunch: We didn't have lunch, just bread. Cost this year: 35 pesos (15 pesos)Dinner: Chicken, rice, sayote. Cost this year: 250 pesos (185 pesos).

Vistrey was really thankful today because a French visitor bought him chicken for dinner.WednesdayBreakfast: Bread and coffee. Cost this year: 70 pesos (last year 50 pesos).Lunch: Chicken and rice. Family reared.Dinner: Chicken and rice. Family reared.

Vistrey bought bread for his younger brother, sister and uncle who live with him because his father brought six chickens for a Baki ritual asking the gods to bless his family. They ate the leftovers for dinner and breakfast the next day.ThursdayBreakfast: Leftover chicken and rice.Lunch: Rice and pechay (Chinese cabbage). Cost this year: 60 pesos (last year: 40 pesos).Dinner: Cabbage and rice. Cost this year 70 pesos (45 pesos).

A day after the Baki ceremony, the elders say Vistrey and his family are not allowed fish or anything that lives in water or the gods will not bless his family.FridayBreakfast: Rice, coffee, amat (a special plant that grows at the side of the field). Cost this year 80 pesos (last year 60 pesos).Lunch: Rice, pechay. 50 pesos (30 pesos).Dinner: Rice, pork, cabbage, coffee. 200 pesos (135 pesos).

Vistrey and his family usually only eat vegetables apart from special occasions when they have pork, chicken or fish. Today he says he was fortunate because he took some guides up to see the terraces and used some of the money to buy pork.

SaturdayBreakfast: Coffee, rice and dried fish. Cost this year: 65 pesos (cost last year 50 pesos).Lunch: Bread and juice. 50 pesos (35 pesos).Dinner: Sayote tops, rice.

Vistrey's younger brother wanted Dilis ( dried fish ) in the morning so he bought half a kilo for him. It was market day so he and his sister bought bread and juice for lunch and then sayote tops for dinner. The food is cheaper at the market because may traders from the lowlands come to sell their produce on Saturday.SundayBreakfast: Coffee and pandesal bread. Cost this year 55 pesos (last year 30 pesos)Lunch: Rice, pork, pancit (dried noodles).Dinner: Rice, leftover pork.

Vistrey was invited to a wedding because his uncle was a relative of the bride. They butchered a pig and a buffalo so he didn't have to buy lunch and dinner.