26 Jan, 2005
When you ask locals where to buy the best fruit, everyone and their mother-in-law(s) points to the San Andres Market. All of the fruit vendors are street side in this market and their colorful displays of local and imported fruit are rather eye-catching. At night, the lights, color…
25 Jan, 2005
There are few things more refreshing and thirst quenching than fresh coconut juice. Some people will think this is like doing an entry on steamed rice but I cannot ignore the simple pleasure of sipping a glass of cold coconut water with chunks of young coconut meat that has sunk to the…
25 Jan, 2005
If your arms weighed 5-7 times their current weight, you would have problems keeping them hinged as well. In the process of catching, sorting, packing, storing and transporting alimango, their claws often fall off or are ripped off by accident. In the wild, these claws can grow back…
25 Jan, 2005
Alimango (Mud Crab) Scylla serrata are originally mangrove dwellers but now widely farmed in ponds with brackish water. They are plentiful in the remaining mangrove areas around the country and range in size from tiny babies to the giants at about 1 kilo a piece. They have medium to firm…
23 Jan, 2005
A few good things make your lips truly pucker. Sinigang made with fresh unripe sampaloc broth is one of my all time favorites in the “pucker” category. Mouthwatering, tart and pulpy, sinigang broth made the old-fashioned way is far superior to the packaged cubes that have become the mainstay of…
21 Jan, 2005
Strawberries from Baguio/Mt. Province are here en masse!!! Run out to the markets and load up! Local berries started appearing just before Christmas but in the past few days a berry flood has begun. This should peak over the next couple of weeks then they will pretty much dry up…
09 Jan, 2005
Marketman in Hong Kong for a bit of post-holiday relaxation. I like nothing more than to explore street markets or street food in foreign cities. It always fascinates me what locals like to sink their teeth into. Imagine my surprise after two hours in the trenches with my wife and…
04 Jan, 2005
Sampaloc (tamarind) is at the tail end of peak harvest season in Southern Luzon! Tamarindus Indica is believed to have originated in Africa but is also considered native to India. Enjoyed both in its unripened and ripened form, tamarind figures notably in the cuisines from India to Thailand and Southeast Asia. …