Hey Joe Author:Ted Lerner Hey, Joe, you like snake? Hey, Joe, welcome to Tondo! Hey, Joe, whats your name? Hey, Joe. Its the phrase that greets every foreign guy in the Philippines on a daily basis. And perhaps nobody personifies the meaning of this moniker better than Ted Lerner, an American whose popular, freewheeling column, Hey, Joe, appears weekly in Manilas Bu... more »sinessWorld newspaper. Here, in his new book, aptly entitled Hey, Joe, with the subtitle, a slice of the city -- an American in Manila, Ted presents a collection of his best Manila stories, a kaleidoscope of funny and bizarre incidents, offbeat characters and keen observations dished up by a wide-eyed foreigner living in a city exploding with life, unfathomable urban chaos and a story around every corner. Readers will hitch a ride with the author and spend a night at the cock fights -- the Philippines violent and gentlemanly national pastime. Walk through bustling, colorful markets that turn the senses on full blast. Experience the harrowing thrill of riding a bicycle through some of the worlds worst and wildest traffic. Visit a secretive girlie bar reserved mainly for foreigners. Enjoy the party-like atmosphere in the cemetery of one of the worlds most unique observances of the dead. Lounge in the authors very own urban nipa hut. Hang out with the rather laid back and care free folks on Manilas lively and teeming streets. Simple daily living also provides material for fascinating and humorous reading. From his run ins with mangy Filipino mutts, to everyone asking him Wheres my Christmas?, to the characters who peddle every product under the sun through his neighborhood, the author captures perfectly the ups and downs of everyday life experienced by the foreigner living in one of the worlds largest and most chaotic cities. In all, the 33 short stories in Hey, Joe paint a multi-colored portrait of this imposing Asian metropolis, a third world, urban travel adventure as told not only through the foreigners eyes, but also through his ears, nose, fingers and mouth. Indeed, like the city he lives and writes in, Ted Lerners Hey, Joe, is a full body experience.« less
Reminded me of my time I spent there and confirms the odd events I had experienced. Good to read if you are thinking about staying there for an extended period of time.