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That’s right. So far, in all the markets I’ve visited, only the vendors (particularly the young assistants of the stall owners) in Mandurriao market address their customers as “Tito” or “Tita” or “Tits” for short. “Ano aton Tits?” (What will we have for today Tita?)

I find that rather amusing. I tell myself, “Is the “Tito/Tita” endearment the reason why goods esp. veggies in Mandurriao market are priced higher than in other markets?”

In colonial times, Mandurriao used to be an independent town until it was absorbed by Iloilo City along with Jaro, Molo, Arevalo and La Paz.

This morning, I went a-marketing at Mandurriao market. Bought two medium-sized lapu-lapu at P150 a kilo, grated coconut, balagay (winged beans), and spices for Papa On’s bicol dish.

Then, I dropped by this corner sari-sari store run by a friendly, elderly, Chinese-looking woman (got to get her name). I checked out her bread selection. Now, in a public market, the breads sold are by pack, usually at P5.00 or P6.00. (With the planned increase of flour prices, I don’t know how long they can keep it at 5 or 6. It’s either the price increases or the bread, like pan de leche, gets even smaller).

Okay, the topic for today is pan de leche. I got into a friendly chat with the owner. Several bakeshops consign their goods to her store. I saw among the happy disarray of tinapay the labels of small bakeshops like JUNNIE’S, BREAD NI JOSH, LOLLY’S.

She said that pan de leche is the best seller. With one brand alone, she can sell 400 packs a day. I asked her which bakeshop carries good-tasting pan de leche. “Junnie’s,” she says. “They have a new baker. Their pan de leche has gotten delicious.”

I forgot to ask her why pan de leche is a best seller. In my observation, pan de leche with kape is the easiest and cheapest breakfast to have. No more palaman necessary. Just plain bread and coffee.

You can actually look at this Ilonggo practice from two angles. That we Ilonggos are content with a simple lifestyle. On the other hand, it can be seen as a reflection of how difficult life has become.

P.S.

JUNNIE’S BAKESHOP
DE LEON ST., MANDURRIAO, ILOILO CITY
TEL.NO. 500-9483
CELL NOS. 09202023677 / 0928758740

BREAD NI JOSH
331-01-53

Not sure if my English translation is correct. But before the clock strikes twelve and manic Monday begins, i’d like to document our Sunday lunch.

Found really fresh, plump tilapia at SM Supermarket Jaro last Saturday afternoon. Without hesistation, I bought eight pieces.

This noon, I decided to cook the four pieces in coconut milk. Actually, the dish is something like adobado (I think we have an Adobado nga Alimusan post here) except that this dish is sans vinegar.

Ok, here goes the recipe.

INDAY HAMI’S GINAT-AN NGA TILAPIA

You will need:

4 medium sized tilapia, each cut in half
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
1 small chunk of ginger, minced
2 cups gata or coconut cream/milk
2 cooking peppers
1 stalk green onions
black pepper
salt
1 bunch of pechay
atchuete seeds to color

How to prepare:

1. In a kalaha or wok, Spread about 4 wide leaves of pechay on the wok’s base. Be sure to cut off the pechay’s base(?).
2. Place the tilapia pieces on this pechay bed. (Prior to this, place a little salt on the tilapia’s mouth and belly.
3. Add the spices–garlic, onions, ginger, black pepper. Distribute evenly over the tilapia.
4. Add the gata.
5. Cook over medium fire.
6. When it starts to boil, it’s time to color the dish with the atchuete seeds. (Instead of the usual kutaw or extracting the color by squeezing the seeds in 1/2 cup water, I came up with an efficient method. Just place about a tablespoon of istiwitis on a metal strainer, preferably a small one, and dip it on the gata. You can use a spoon to help extract the orange color).
7. Cover for a few minutes. When the sauce starts to thicken, add the cooking peppers and green onions and layer the rest of the pechay over the dish. Cover again.
8. When pechay turns bright green, mix them around a little.
9. Taste and adjust accordingly. If you find it las-ay or bland, add a little patis or fish sauce instead of salt.

That’s it! ‘Won’t even take an hour to cook this spicy dish. Pair with rice. Namit!

Which do you like better– alimango or kasag?

Alimango is the mud crab while kasag is the regular crab which can be the langwayan, the lalaki nga langwayan, the kurusan, the pintukan. That’s all I know so far. Actually, I saw a fisheries poster showing these commercial seafood and their locations in Panay. Hopefully, I’ll find time to list them down and share with you.

Alimango is cultured in brackish ponds while the kasag are caught in the sea. Dumangas is popular for crabs specifically the place of Lamintaw. We had an “excursion” there once. We ordered fresh crabs from a fisherman. He paddled some 100 meters from shore to get the crabs he kept in a cage underwater.

Another town famous for crabs is Tigbauan. Ooh fat crabs I should say, heavy with the yellowish aligue. If you want big fat fresh crabs, it’s best to find a contact in Tigbauan. We once ordered through a colleague’s brother-in-law. Definitely worth the price. Of course, you can also purchase your crabs at the Central Market although more often than not, the best ones are already at Breakthrough and Tatoy’s.

Still another place rich in crabs is Guimaras island. The choicest ones also end up in Iloilo City.

This is becoming a treatise on crabs. How about alimango? When you see a passenger with a libon (a narrow woven bag of rough pandan leaves) getting off a Ceres liner, for sure its alimango.

Call it the shy banana. (Am having trouble uploading images again. Grr!)

The manang at Jaro Market calls this masbate. It’s something like a cross between the sab-a and the latundan varieties. Actually, I haven’t tried this yet.

Food rekindles our connection with the past. It brings back fond memories of our simple and carefree childhood. No, I don’t mean that one has to be sentimental when eating these mamon. All I want to say is that traditional food is delicious not just because of the traditional ingredients and the cooking method. We find them delicious for the memories that these evoke.

Take the care of these mamon. . Practically every bakeshop carries the mamon but few are able to capture the traditional mamon flavor. Perhaps, the recipe has changed from one baker’s hands to another so many times that the mamon has evolved in taste.

Of course, this is just my opinion. If many others share the same view, then we can conclude that this observation is true.

So much for that treatise. That’s the mamon of Kimfred’s bakeshop. Although his shop is at Gen. Hughes St., Iloilo City, Kimfred’s sells his mamon as well as delicious banana cake/muffins, soft pandesal and cheeseroll at the sidewalk of J.M. Basa close to Aldeguer Street.

Last time, these mamon cost 12 pesos per pack of 4. Really cheap I should say for such traditional-tasting mamon.

That’s what the manang at San Miguel market called these glistening uga or dried fish.

I know that many Ilonggos love tabagak. Tabagak and kan-on. Of course, not to forget the sinamak. It’s a full meal already. Our household however patronizes the gumaa nga pinakas more.

Tabagak has often connoted poor man’s fare but that may no longer be true as a kilo of tabagak now costs more than a kilo of pork!

Art is a reflection of society in which it operates.