Price storms

The “price storms” are upon us. Brought about, undoubtedly, by the recent typhoons that ravaged a vast portion of the country, destroying crops, rendering roads impassable and inflicting much sorrow on those who lost their homes and loved ones. The inevitable aftermath of such occurrences is the escalating cost of prime commodities, sending homemakers and wage earners into a near-desperate situation, as if they are being hurled into a whirlwind of dizzyingly high costs.

By paying attention to price tags, one will still get some reasonable buys. Needless to say, we must, as much as possible, stay within our budget, no matter how difficult this may be. We have not noticed much escalation in the price of meat – pork liempo has stayed steady at P170 a kilo, with beef cuts starting from P238. Look closely in the freezers and you are likely to find, as we did, more conservatively tagged packs of meat, such as the US beef shabu-shabu at P145 for slices of about 500 kgs. Packs of 150 gms of Korean barbecue beef sell at P70 and P75 per. Chicken has become more expensive, at P122 a kilo. More costly still are the special cuts, but you may choose to get the marinated parts to save a little on seasonings and effort. The inasal is at P168 a kilo. This is about the best of the marinated selection.

Seafood is something else. Bangus goes for P160 a kilo, small tinapa at P65 each, the bigger ones at P180. Talakitok is priced at P285, salay ginto at P178, alumahan at P185. Of course we could stay away (for a while) from the premiums – lapu-lapu at more than P400 a kilo and prawns from P500. Vegetables, because of the rains, do not look very good. Calamansi now costs P44 a kilo; squash, P29; cabbage, P80; leeks, P100; broccoli, P300; Taiwan pechay, P280; spring onions, P250, though a bunch of the pechay will be P33.60, the spring onions, P31.25 – good for one or two dishes each. On the average, for vegetables alone, you might need a budget of about P150.

Our market research led us to our former haunt, the BF Parañaque wet market, where we can cajole some old sukis to give us good discounts. From rice dealers Ruben and Carrie, we discovered a new brand, Top Rice, at P34 a kilo. It is tasty and ma-alsa, ideal for fried rice. Extra large eggs are really extra large, a few centavos less than in supermarkets. We found Roger, the bangus tinapa man (two for P130), and fruit couple Ogie and Emily, selling mangoes (kalabaw) at P90 a kilo. They are not the usual ‘lovely-skinned-but-damaged-inside’ fruits.  

Now comes Christmas and thoughts of gift-giving. The Mandarin Oriental went ahead of their peers and launched a collection of their Christmas hampers at an afternoon event at the Tivoli. They come in elegant silver baskets full of homemade specialties, created meticulously by their master chefs Rene Ottlik and Robert Mollerman. They have included new goodies with the old traditional numbers, like their famed duck liver pate, honey-cured ham, English fruit cake and the dresdener stolen. The new tempting items are foie gras terrine, hazelnut pistachio biscotti, pomelo-pineapple jam, mince pie and cheese sticks, among others.

Hampers may also include exquisite wines, olive oil and cheeses. There are four types, each with the Mandarin stamp of excellence. Prices range from P2,500 to P7500, depending on the size – extra small to large. Individually, the duck liver pate is offered in two special packages at P1,500 paired with either fruits or a 750ml bottle of Malbee Argentina.

Advanced orders were made during the launch, proceeds of which will go to the youth of San Antonio Parish projects in aid of victims of tropical storm “Ondoy” and typhoon “Pepeng.” For more information on the hotel’s offerings, contact the Deli at 750-8888 ext. 2415. You may want to ask about their white roast turkey, whole roast US rib eye of beef, baked leg of lamb on the bone and Norwegian salmon fillet. Try their pralines, Christmas cookies, chocolate Santas and gingerbread houses. Looking at these products gave us the feeling of Christmas – something we all need after the storms, natural and man-made.   

For less daunting Christmas baskets, we will endeavor to look around and let our readers in on our discoveries, as always.

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