Friday, August 15, 2008

Shopping in PI

Cooking in the Philippines is different than cooking in the states. Oh really? How could cooking in PI be different that cooking anywhere else you ask?
Well there are several reasons, from shopping for the basics, to shopping for kitchen equipment, to buying chicken at the public market, or trying to get specific cuts of meat, like pork ribs, or a pork shoulder, or a nice beef roast, and it never stops, the reasons that cooking here is different.
One of my friends in Olongapo got me interested in baking bread several months ago. So I started shopping for flour. Yup, flour. Well I found soft wheat flour, hard wheat flour, cake mix, rice flour, and a few other flours that I had no clue as to what was what. Well I wanted some Whole wheat flour, some corn flour, some WW pastry flour, a little of this, a little of that, you know, just basics for the states. So I spent a few days checking out the duty free stores on the near by old Clark AFB. Well the first flour I see is Pillsbury bread flour, only $7.50 for 5#s. Hmmm, do I want some WW bread that bad? Didn't find anything else there so I called it a day and went home, without the gold plated flour. I was telling my friend as too my problem, and he tells me that Royal duty free store on the old Subic Naval Base carried a lot of US products, so the next day off I go. The Philippino Government just completed a new 4 lane freeway to Subic, and I decided to try that. Hmmm, an hour later I still haden't gotten on as they only had one entrance up north of where I live. Man oh man, traffic you wouldn't believe, after about 45 mins I found the on ramp...., but it was going in the wrong direction. What now coach? Stopped and ask some PNP for directions (Philippine Nat'l Police). After about 5 mins of practicing english, I was instructed to get on going in the wrong direction, and to go down the road, but stay in the left lane (fast lane that is) and make a U-Turn at the first paved area I come to. OK, that was easy. Sucess!!! on the road to Olongapo. As we traveled thru the old Clark AFB we (wife and I) came to the southern limits of CAFB and we knew exactly where we were at, in our own neighborhood. A few mins more and we see a sign "off ramp planned for this location", hey that will be nice if and when it ever gets done I tell my wife. Only 10 mins. from my house I'm thinking, instead of the 1 hr. of traffic to get on the "Freeway" actually "Tollway" that was encoured today. So anyway we keep going, and several miles later another sign saying the same, but this one had more on it, "GMA cares" (GMA being the President). No problems, beautiful country side, pristene hills, coconut trees swaying in the breezes, ahh I'm in heaven.
But onward we go, SBMA here we come. We see two or three more of these strange signs about on-off ramps to be constructed, and GMA cares, NO, can't be, a friggin off ramp, no town that I can see, but a off-ramp never the less. I take it just to see where it goes, and guess what? It takes you about 15 miles from the nearest town in that area. Hmmm, what gives here? To hell with this, back on the tollway, headed to Olongapo, sucess, a toll stop, only $2.25 no problem. Take off again, What? Two mins. later another toll stop. OMAA (Oh my aching ass), but I will have to say, there was no "GMA cares" sign. By this time I'm getting tired and a little cranky, but Royal DF store was in range, 5 more mins and we woulf be there. So I thought anyway.
Tollway remodeling now in progress the sign said, GMA cares. OMAA, gotta go pee, need to buy some stuff, knowing GMA cares is going to cost me some money, whats a guys to do? Keep on going, thats what. So about 45 mins later (remember Royal DF was 5 mins away 45 mins ago) we enter the parking lot. Big sign: out of stock. No, just joking.
We enter the store and asked where was the baking section, and I have to say, service in the Philippines is the best in the world, every clerk, butcher, employee has a "good morning sir" can I help you? We where escorted to the baking section, I had the pleasure of a young lady taking my hand and leading me as if I was blind, which I didn't mind at all. I didn't even get a cheap feel, but what a difference from Kroger. Any way we found some corn meal, some bread flour that wasn't gold plated and 10#s of WW flour, made my day I'm telling you. We stopped by the meat section and I was able to buy 6 whole tenderloins(beef) Two whole rack of pork ribs, and the guy cut them on a saw the way I wanted. Hmm This is taking the ache out of my ass fast. No beef roast tho, that will be another excuse to return again later.

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