Market Manila

I only had 10 minutes to run through one or two stories of a cramped and almost claustrophoic Laoag city market. It wasn’t even clear if this was the main market, but it was a relatively large one near the center of town, also on Rizal Street, I think. I managed to hurry through one of the most amazing dried fish and shrimp sections I have ever seen, smaller than the Tabuan dried fish market in Cebu, but the variety of goods on offer in Vigan was nevertheless quite impressive. I would have loved to stop and chat and ask vendors precisely what several of the bilaos or sacks contained, but the self-imposed timer was ticking. Besides, I couldn’t buy any of the dried fish or other goods as we were still heading up to the Northernmost tip of Luzon, rather than sprinting back home to Manila.

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After spending less than 24 hours in Vigan, we got back into the car and drove leisurely up to Laoag, which took roughly 2 hours, if I recall correctly. We passed the self-proclaimed garlic capital of the Philippines in one of the towns along the way and the roadside vendors had thousands of cloves of garlic and red shallots on offer. When we got to Laoag, a quick drive around town confirmed why nearly all the guide books irreverently suggest skipping it entirely, but we did want grab some lunch, and several sources suggested we should try a restuarant called La Preciosa, on Rizal Street, though I have to admit I was a bit worried after the disappointing lunch we had the previous dayat Cafe Leona in Vigan…

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My wickedly overpriced mini-tarte tatin (PHP150) from Diamond Hotel Bakery a few weeks ago reminded me to make a normal sized tarte tatin at home. I have made this delicious dessert several times before, but oddly, I don’t think I have written a post about it. It is so incredibly simple to make, so beautiful to look at, and almost always, simply delicious. If you dress it up with some whipped cream or good vanilla ice cream, it ranks up there in the top 10 global desserts, in my book anyway. A couple of years ago I featured an even more stunning pineapple upside down cake which is worth a re-visit, here, if you are into these caramelized fruit and pastry desserts…

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There seem to be an abundance of birds on, around and near our home in Batangas. In the adobe crevices of our walls, we have provided “apartments” for several different species and they happily leave us constant clues as to their comings and goings, and even an occasional eggshell, just to let us know a new member has joined the family. I have done a post on the birds before and have found several nests and eggshells within 10 meters of our dining table which is in a wall-less veranda all year long… So this morning, sitting at the dining table, enjoying some sweet pomelo and staring at nothing in particular, this little blur zinged past me and smacked straight into a glass sliding door to the living room and promptly bounced into the pool. It was like a scene from a cartoon. A split second later, realizing it was a bird, we tried to fish it out of the water and it was okay enough to flap itself out of the water and it then flew straight into another nearby glass door… a bit low I.Q., but frankly understandable, as I have smacked into a door or two in my day. Then again, the little birdie may have had a hangover.

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You would think that after my recent episode with “explosive clams,” I would shun shellfish forever. Not quite. I look at it as having to get right back on a horse after taking a nasty spill. If you don’t get the nerve back immediately, you may never try it again. But I wasn’t going to take many chances, these are New Zealand green lipped mussels, a source that has proven impeccable to us at least 2 dozen times in a row, without a single problem. So when I spied about a dozen of them leftover int he freezer, from a paella we made last night, I decided to try and grill them on the barbecue. In a medium sized sauté pan on medium high heat, add lots of olive oil. Next I added ½ of an onion, chopped. Add some chopped garlic, some chopped tomatoes, salt and pepper, and a dash of hot chilli pepper flakes. I spooned this mixture on top of each mussel (try to thaw them before cooking, but mine were still a touch frozen) and carefully put them on a very hot grill to cook for about 5-6 minutes…

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That is The Kid in the photo up top, trying to mitigate the effects of the worst smell you can inhale inside a vehicle, according to her and Mrs. MM, and I have to totally agree. I kid you not, she reflexively covered her face with a Kleenex as a natural reaction to the horrible odor. I had the camera out for another reason and quickly turned and snapped this photo. Anyone who has experienced “road kill” in a temperate country that has skunks would claim that the intense waft of “skunk” that permeates the car is just awful. But oddly, I think it is bearable, and it dissipates relatively quickly. So what is the cause of this stinker…

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I have featured several “beauties” from my sister’s extensive collection of silver and have learned a bit from the pieces and makers that she collects. Since we entertain extensively at home, we do use our silver (mostly plated that is) fairly often. For serving pieces at a buffet, we often use sterling silver or plated silver that we purchased at flea markets around the world. These are typically unmatched heavy pieces, often from closeouts at hotels, restaurants, garage sales, etc. They are only worth a few dollars a piece but they add that special glitter to a buffet. So I do occasionally have my antennae out for second hand silver… While shopping on Calle Crisologo in Vigan, I came across an antiques shop that stocked extensive pottery (probably 60% fake or replica types), old coins and bills and crystal. The Kid has taken to collecting coins/bills so I was looking at their money counter…

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Calle Crisologo is one of the main tourist attractions in the city of Vigan. A fairly well-preserved cobblestone street, a few hundred meters in length, and lined with many old buildings (that are intact, restored or in disrepair), it certainly takes one back a century or more to Vigan at its peak. It was interesting to see the names on several of the old buildings, as they obviously referred to the families that owned them or lived in them at some point. I didn’t realize the Syquia’s had a base in Vigan, for example. Or there were several other prominent names in mortar. Calle Crisologo is now lined with handicraft and curio shops and some furniture and antiques dealers. We purchased a few touristy items here and there and even browsed through several of the antiques shops. Much of the furniture on offer is new, and some that are passed off as real antiques are sometimes a bit questionable, at best. However, there WERE finds. And while early in the trip, Mrs. MM and I managed to acquire several pieces at unbelievably reasonable prices. What clinched the deal was promised delivery to our home in Manila for free within two weeks from the time of purchase!

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