Where are the smiles

At one time, in the past, our tourism come-on was "The Philippines, where the sun wears a smile". Indeed we are a smiling people, a gracious, hospitable people. In glory and in pain, somehow we always manage to laugh. But things have apparently changed, and some of us have lost that smile and some have even become indifferent. This is sad.

On a recent trip to Cebu, we found a lot of people not smiling anymore. In the course of going around the malls and dining out, we noticed cold and indifferent store and restaurant staff turning their backs on customers, not responding to queries, hardly paying attention. In one of the bigger chain outlets we had to shout at the top of our voice to get the sales girls to attend to us. Perhaps they need some motivation, some encouragement.

In Tabo-an we found some smiling young ladies and they brought the smile back on our faces. Even after so many trips to the "Queen City of the South", this was the first time, courtesy of a resourceful niece, that we visited this market, a place exclusively for dried fish and squid. It was amazing to see hundreds of kaings laden with mounds of dried fish, ranging from the familiar danggit to lapu-lapu and other species. They have two types of danggit, salted and unsalted, the former selling at P360 a kilo and the other P20 more expensive. They have shredded squid for sautéing with vegetables. Since we were never able to fry squid to its ideal crispiness, we asked for the secret–the oil should be nearly boiling and it must be on fire very quickly.

Rosita’s on Puente Osmena is perhaps Cebu’s oldest one-stop store. Today it has a new section, the wet market which sells Monterey fresh and seasoned meat from P140 a kilo, onions in pairs for P20. Also a first-time discovery is the Makro-type wholesale store in Manalili Street called Colonnade; the big difference is it does not sell by volume. This is the outlet for the housewife who wants to keep to her budget. Prices are much lower, such as Cook’s corned beef at P99.70 a kilo, tocino at P138, stuffed crabs at P7 per, pork chops at P125. Cabbage is tagged at P20 a kilo, eggplant at P25 and white onions at P46. Lechon is available at P260 a kilo, Purefoods roast chicken at P125, pan de sal at P3 each. The store needs better maintenance, as the wet section is a bit untidy and smelly.

Cebu has invented another way of vending the poor man’s meal. This is what they call "pungko-pungko" and "ducu-ducu", which have sprung up on many sidewalks (Cebu seems to allow them to flourish). Food is displayed on benches and the diner simply dips his hand into any basket containing the food he/she desires, like lumpia or whatever. Plastic gloves are provided for each customer. Small Chinese stores also produce ngo hiong, rolls similar to lumpiang ubod, selling from P8 each depending on the size.

Along Ana Gan Street in Banilad is a row of fruit vendors. Mangoes, of course, abound, but they are as pricey as in Manila, from P50 a kilo. Pineapple costs P30 each, durian goes for P100 a kilo, chico at P80, mangosteen at P150 and watermelon at P60. It is therefore not wise to bring home fruits from Cebu. Rosquillos, otap and the crunchy paper-thin galletas are the biscuits we don’t fail to bring home. They now have Cebu polvoron. There are a lot of brands to choose from, just as you can get longganiza produced by different manufacturers. Virginia is a good brand, but you can buy the local sausages in the market for P180 a kilo. They are, however, too fatty for today’s diet.

We found more smiling faces among the travel industry ladies we always meet whenever we are in the city. A sister always makes it a point to take us along on their many events, such as the Thai International cocktails at Waterfront where the sushi and sashimi were great, and the dinner hosted by the visiting Queensland tourism executive at the Khru Thai in SM Cebu which had the familiar phad thai and crispy catfish (among others).

One can live in Cebu and not cook at all. Restaurants, grand ones and small holes in the wall offering a wide variety of cuisine make life much easier for the busy worker. They are spread out in the many malls and along the city’s major streets. And for ambiance, there is always the Laguna Garden Café in Ayala Center, where during this visit we savored a Tagalog merienda of puto bumbong and bibingka capped with Café Gulaman (coffee jelly) with ice cream.

Inspite of some non-smiling faces, Cebu is still a fascinating city.

* * *

Email comments and questions to: [email protected]