Since it’s summer break, I can imagine how a lot of viewers are now glued to travel shows that feature local and sometimes even foreign destinations. My favorite segments in these programs are those that feature the local cuisine — and where to get the best pasalubong.
If I had my own travel show (my ultimate wish — but I think I’m forever destined to do showbiz), maybe I would do an entire episode on pasalubong. Yes, in this country people expect pasalubong when you return from your destination. While that can be a burden to the traveler, it is already imbedded in our culture.
In my case, I don’t worry much about bringing pasalubong from the province back to Manila because that isn’t very hard to do. Yes, even durian I will bring home from Davao because it’s aplenty at the Durian Park there (depends also on the season) and you check it in when you get to the airport and claim it here in Manila — ready to be given to people back home.
What’s more troublesome now is packing pasalubong for friends in the US because the customs there is getting stricter and stricter all the time. In the past, I was able to bring in Tita Paring’s suman (I don’t know if they still have that in Shoppesville in Greenhills). Another favorite pasalubong for relatives in the US was this canned laing that carried the brand name Moonbake. I know of people who would have laing cooked here, have these canned, but would have trouble with customs because they want proper labels now. Moonbake would have been the perfect pasalubong, but I don’t see that in the supermarket shelves anymore. And now I bring other pasalubong and let me share with you my list.
Hopia — If you are just flying to the West Coast, I recommend hopia from Glo-Bake (with outlets in Kapitolyo in Pasig and in EDSA Crossing. It’s cheap, but delicious. But it can’t hold if you go to the East Coast because it easily turns rancid. My other bets are the Po-land/Ho-land brands, but the best is still Eng-bi-tin. Sorry, I don’t think I can spell these brand names correctly. I can only pronounce them — and certainly can eat them.
Goldilocks polvoron — These are easy to pack because they come in boxes. Just don’t tell US customs people these are dairy-based or you’ll be in trouble.
Pei Pa Koa candies — I swear I had to make a special trip to Mercury drugstore in Wilson in Greenhills (the staff there are the friendliest and most efficient) to get a pack of Pei Pa Koa candies to get the correct spelling. But that makes for great pasalubong because it helps cure sore throats, especially during the cold months in the US. My Aunt Dolly Lim always asks me to send her Pei Pa Koa and it is always a pleasure for me because it is readily available, easy to carry and is safe with the US customs.
Belo Essentials — Although there are countless brands of soap and lotion in America, Belo Essential products are for the Pinoy skin. They have pore minimizing (and whitening) face wash and the soap bars actually make the skin soft and serve as moisturizer, especially in the US where people have to apply tons of lotion to avoid dryness. If you want whitening, Belo Essentials also has bar soap for that. What I like about the Belo Essentials soap is the easy grip — it doesn’t slip off your hands while you shower. Also, it’s very affordable and won’t hurt your pocket much when you bring these products to the US for your pasalubong.
Iskin (pronounced I-skin) — A lot of balikbayan now make a visit to the Belo Medical Centers and Flawless clinics for their beauty regimen before flying back to America. But to those who can’t fly to Manila, but still want great skin, Iskin is best recommended because, again, it’s for Asian skin. Iskin has several products: Deep cleanser, toner and sun blocks. But the best are the radiance — it really makes the skin look radiant — and the renew, which takes out all the skin imperfections, but without making your face very red and dry (the skin peeling is very fine). Oh, Iskin also has products that minimize eye bags and help reduce the dark circles under the eyes. Iskin is available in Flawless outlets.
Metathione — Still on the subject of beauty (big among Pinoys here and abroad), this is the soap brand endorsed by Ruffa Gutierrez and I think even brother Richard. It’s made in Japan, but is readily available in the Philippines and you can send this abroad because it helps reduce dryness and makes skin soft and silky. The product doesn’t come cheap, but it’s very effective and you use one bar for a long time, so it’s not such a bad investment.
Pili — These are top favorites among Pinoys and you can only get these nuts from the Bicol provinces. They’re safe to bring to the US because the customs people mistake those for nougats, which they are I guess.
Broas — For all delicious sweets they have in America, some Pinoys still hanker for our broas and the best are found in Quezon Province. My favorite brand there is Cadiz.
Dried mangoes — These are safe to bring because of the packaging. And your friends and relatives will love you because it’s their most favorite pasalubong in the US.
Supermelt/Megamelt ensaymadas — They’re light to bring, but again, don’t tell US customs that they have cheese.
Paradise Mango Rum Liqueur — From Destileria Limtuaco, I discovered this first when I attended the Paris Cinema International Film Festival last year. It was served during the cocktails hosted by the Philippines for the foreign guests during the festival and was an idea of Christine Dayrit, chair of the Cinema Evaluation Board and travel columnist of this paper. Mango-based, it was a hit in Paris and everyone loved it. And they should have seen the packaging — a nice tin canister with beautiful prints and makes for safe packing. It tastes so good (I checked Ralph’s store in Wilson and it’s very affordable) and I believe it is one of the Philippines’ best export products. Yes, it makes for really great pasalubong.