Gentleman farmer

Mariano ‘Ning’ de Vera has his farm in Bucal, Calamba, Laguna, an expansive area atop a hill, giving visitors a beautiful panoramic view of greater Manila on one side and Laguna de Bay and Mount Makiling across. The hospitable host prepared lunch–shrimp ukoy done with what our mothers and grandmothers used for thickening sauces, Liwayway gawgaw, and patis. Simple, crispy and tasty as a starter. He harvested some kuhol (snails or escargot for the more sophisticated) from the swimming pool at his house in Makati and cooked them in coconut cream. He did tinolang manok, not with sili leaves but with malunggay. Great innovation. You read right– he raises kuhol in his swimming pool!

He has some unusual things, like pandan and other plants grown on water with fingerlings to drive away the flies. He has this miracle berry, red and tiny, which takes away the acid from sour fruits and vegetables. True, we never enjoyed manggang hilaw until we tried this. It turned sweet! He has the 1,000 finger bananas, meaning there are nearly 1,000 fruits in a buwig of his honey variety with velvety skin, plus the unusual sweet kamias. Truly a paradise in the middle of a busy town.

Back in Manila we were fascinated by American and Filipino food products at two separate events. The US Department of Agriculture mounted "All American Favorites 2004" which was launched in all SM supermarkets, on until the end of this month. What’s new? A lot–canned food, frozen stuff, fresh fruits, desserts. Take your time and check the gondolas. Tyson canned broth (P31), beef or roasted chicken, is versatile. You can add vegetables (we did with fresh asparagus) or even fish balls as you boil it. The new Spam comes in different flavors, garlic or cheese (P88). To-die-for dessert is the Baked New York Cheesecake by Jon Donaire (P800 plus). This is pre-sliced into 12 servings and ideal for small parties. Bars honey batter-dipped corn dogs are on special at P499 for 16 sticks. No one could explain how Fruit by the Foot got its name, but kids with a sweet tooth will love the Betty Crocker punch-flavored Berry Twists (P159.50). Fresh fruits include black and red plums, cherries, seedless grapes, Washington apples. Frozen US meat (available in the Makati store) and Alaskan salmon are also on offer.

We went through SM’s local supplies as well. Mangosteen is in season and you can ask the staff to help you choose the good ones.

On the other side of town, at the World Trade Center (why they closed the road leading to Macapagal Avenue from the domestic airport is beyond us) was the Sixth International Food and Beverage Exposition organized as part of the Young Hoteliers’ Expo (no wonder there was a competition on cake decoration by De La Salle students). Aside from industrial food equipment on display, we found some tasteful discoveries.

Lola P’s Deli has frozen blocks of haleyang ube which will keep for a month in the freezer. It will give the competition, including the famous Baguio product, a run for the money. She also has chicken longganiza at P150 a pack and the authentic tablia (chocolate balls) a la Batangas. A gentleman who calls his company On The Go Ventures sells half-foot long sausages (P65 each) which he also mixes with the bangus when he makes relleno (P170). It gives this traditional dish a different flavor. For the more exotic, there’s Labrador Trademaster, Inc. which has durian preserves and the much publicized coconut oil (P75 for a bottle of 300 ml and P100 for 400 ml). Marsman Drysdale Foods Corp. has fruit juices (mango, calamansi, orange) in bottles and stand-up pouches, as well as jams. Available in supermarkets, the jams at P75 a bottle and the juices at P90 each. Shelf life is between 9 and 12 months.They can take pride in that their products have less calories than other brands.

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