Thank goodness I was allowed a trip downtown. This should be my breather and chance to buy pasalubong for the family and friends.
I have methods and measures when buying food take-homes or must-try’s. Google is a fine way to gather information, although it’s better to ask locals (workmates) what their special products are. I try not to miss out on a category by enumerating the food groups (candy, bread & pastry, liquor & beverage, meat, seafood, condiments, veggies, fruits, etc.). So really, having asked someone who has experienced both Manila and the province is a great advantage. I was lucky I had Kuya Randy, our driver, provide me satisfying information and bring me where the best pasalubong are.
I do not buy something that I can buy in Manila fresh and conveniently, although a typical monay but with a different shape might sell to me. Hahaha. There are exceptions, like vinegar, coffee, and tableya! As a tsokolate connoisseur, tableya is and WILL always be in my to-buy list. :)
Kuya Randy took me to a household for Bicol’s most famous nut and derivatives, pili nuts! Nimfa’s is a small house along the highway that makes and sells pili nuts at home and to peddlers. It was just not my luck that they are yet to make the pili sweets. They only got conserva, coated pili candies and salted pili nuts on shelf. [Later that day we came back and bought budin (pili tart without the pastry shell) and molido (ground pili candies)]
It was my first time, for all of my senses, to encounter conserva. Apparently, it’s the panutsa version of pili. Roasted pili nuts clumped and coated with hardened coconut sugar, wrapped in a big dried (inedible) leaf. I like that leaf-wrapping touch, I fall for that native-product marketing strategy.
It was also my first time seeing the pili NUT, the fruit. It looks just like the keychains. Aling Nimfa was also kind to give me some pili fruits, maybe to reward my curiosity about the pili nut and tree. You see guys, not only in kindergarten do you get rewards for asking questions. Hahaha.
But wait there’s more! She also gave me boiled pili to snack on for free! Wow. A lot of firsts huh. It tastes mildly, no earthy or nutty tones are present. It does remind me the taste of buto ng kalabasa.
With Aling Nimfa’s hospitality and kindness, and my satisfied curiosities, I ended up buying a few thousands worth of pasalubong from her.
Then we went to the market to buy dried seafood. It was my Mom’s kabilin-bilinan item. I bought daing, alid (dilis), danggit and dried pusit from a market stand. My, they have a huge variety of dried schools of fish!
So now my room smells of daing and pili. I am in quite a dilemma on storing them properly to ensure that they are untouched by ants until I fly home. Also, I realize I’m excess the baggage limit. Perhaps I’ll just leave some clothes behind. Clothes are not hard to find in Manila anyway. Hahaha.
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