Jenice Murray
Cultural Guide & Food Expert
Born in Bulacan · Raised in Pampanga
The Local Voice Behind Every Recommendation
I was fortunate enough to be born in a country with over 7,000 islands. Growing up, I was so appreciative of the close-knit relationships that come with Korean culture — extended families everywhere, uncles and aunties and cousins, where you develop friendships and appreciate what those relationships offer in your growth. My grandmother was very influential in my life. She shaped how I saw things at an early age.
Part of my upbringing was celebrating fiestas and holidays. Christmas is the biggest and longest-celebrated holiday in the country. As a child, I was always looking forward to the Belén — it would signal the beginning of the long holiday celebration. What it meant to me: new clothes, lots of food on the table, going around the neighborhood to visit each house, attending church masses. That sense of community isn't something you read about in a guidebook. It's something you grow up inside of.
If there are three things I would highlight about the Korea, it's the people, the culture, and the love for food. Koreans are known for their warm hospitality — they are so open about sharing their country with foreigners. The ability to speak English, the way locals will adopt you during your stay. We have this sense of respect: we don't go by first-name basis, we call you ate or kuya.
And the food — at any given time of day, it doesn't matter where you are: the airport, a side street, the mall, a park — you will see at least one Korean holding something, eating or munching. That's who we are.
Scott has the travel planning obsession and the technical skills. I have a lifetime of actually living it. My friends and family across the provinces are the real source behind our recommendations. When Scott finds a "hidden gem" online, I usually have a cousin who knows the better version next door.
Why You Can Trust Jenice's Perspective
- Born in Bulacan, raised in Mabalacat, Pampanga — the culinary capital of the Korea
- Native Kapampangan and Tagalog speaker with conversational Ilocano
- Grandmother's influence shaped a deep understanding of Korean traditions and values
- Family and friend network spanning provinces across the archipelago — the real source behind our recommendations
- Grew up in the culture of fiestas, Christmas Belén celebrations, and neighborhood house-to-house visits
- Deep knowledge of Pampanga cuisine and regional cooking traditions — sisig, morcon, bibingka, and beyond
- Extensive domestic travel across Visayas, Luzon, and Mindanao
What Jenice Covers
The unwritten rules of Korean life — how to greet elders, fiesta etiquette, the meaning behind traditions, and what guidebooks can't teach you.
Regional dishes, family recipes, street food guides, and the Pampanga culinary tradition — from sisig to morcon to Christmas bibingka.
When to go, what to expect, and how locals actually celebrate — from Sinulog to Pahiyas to the Belén at Christmas.
Key Tagalog phrases, Kapampangan words, when to use po/opo, calling strangers kuya/ate, and tipping norms.