A morning at Farmers

This place in Cubao never disappoints us: Farmers’ Market on the fringes of The Gateway, at the Araneta Center. Pleasant blooms of all colors and scents greet shoppers and bring out a woman’s best mood. A word of caution: one must not, yes not, have money to spare, meaning don’t bring more than what you budgeted for, or you will be going home with nary a cent in your wallet/pocket. That’s because the place is neat, with wide aisles, vendors are considerably gracious and the food stuff on offer are always looking fresh, especially the seafood, fruits and vegetables. If one is residing a distance from the market, it is advisable to bring a styrofoam bucket with ice, so the fish and crustaceans, and even the meat, will not spoil in the course of traveling back.

A sibling commented the pork and beef are more expensive (compared to where she gets her normal supply) but adds that they are of premium quality. We got pork chops (a little marbled) at P140 a kilo and bulalo (with marrow and litid) at P190. The sirloin looked so good, but as mentioned we went there on a strict budget. The guy was offering tenderloin at P380 and P460, the latter has been trimmed, we surmise.

The fresh catch. We did not make it to the giant tanks where the live fish are because immediately we found what we went there for—squid (of a good size) at P180 (we were able to bargain from the original P200) , shrimp suaje at P360 a kilo, apahap (seabass) for P260 and the fleshy tuna panga at P120. We are happy mangosteen is now in season and therefore they are less expensive (P160 a kilo), just as mangoes range between P70 and P80. The strawberries looked luscious as well and a pack (maybe less than 200 gms) cost us P40. Onions are cheaper by a few pesos at P40 for the white and P50 for the red. Tomatoes go for P36 a kilo.

Our morning was nearly spoiled when we tried to get a shopping cart each from a market staff who asked us for our IDs, explaining this is required of all shoppers wanting to use their carts. It appeared odd, weird even, but then thinking how Filipinos are, our sibling opined this might be due to some losses incurred. Indeed when we checked, management confirmed that because there are many entrance and exit points, they needed some control system since their carts were fast disappearing! Oh well, when would people learn to be more trustworthy? Anyway, it was a morning well spent, even if we had to travel a distance.

This brings us to what we experienced on the pavement along Quezon Bridge in Quiapo. Because of the bad habit of some members of the senseless male populace, this place stinks and the stench is unbearable. Maybe MMDA’s Bayani Fernando should severely punish these people who are a disgrace to our country.

Back to our tuna panga, because we were going to grill it, we had to go to a supermarket for the marinating mixture and decided on Shopwise in Alabang. Tried and tested about enhancing meat and seafood, we got our favorite Kikkoman Teriyaki Sauce with Roasted Garlic (P74.75). Get a bottle and be free from the hassle of crushing garlic, mixing seasoning and spices. We found a new 3-in-1 coffee mix carrying the label Klassno, manufactured in Singapore. Each box contains 8 sachets and is tagged at P47.50. The variants are Original, French Vanilla, Sugar Free and Hazelnut. We’ll try and let you know. This supermarket has one of the best-tasting (and tender) beef tapa, under their own label (P43.75 a pack).

Everybody must now know that Krispy Kreme donuts are available at The Fort. It might interest those who have not gone there that while standing in line, you are given a free sample of their signature item, Original Glaze. Good gesture, so no one gets irritated no matter how long the queue is.

It was good to see that the Duty Free shop on Ninoy Aquino Avenue is again well-stocked, especially the supermarket. Good as well that their exchange rate has remained low. Among those we put into our basket were Nissin’s Teriyaki flavored noodles that come in packs of 8, in three flavors, beef, chicken and shrimp. We, however, laced it with lemon juice before serving.

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