My secret cravings

I remember each time Ben Chan returned from a trip to Bangkok, he would always surprise me with interesting pieces of clothing from a local shop called Greyhound. These are basic clothing that, upon closer inspection, prove to be everything but. And if they look beautiful to touch and see, they look even better once they hang on the body. I grew more and more fond of the brand with every new piece so much so that on my very first trip to Bangkok, Greyhound was tops in the must-stop-and-shop itinerary.

Time was when it had to take a trip to Bangkok to satiate a Greyhound fashion craving – that or asking a close friend traveling there to please, please bring home some select pieces for me. Not easy. I even tried checking the Net if they had a website where orders could be placed but the only Greyhound that matched my search was that of a travel site.

Little did I know that good news was not far behind. Greyhound opened in Manila this year (in Greenbelt 4 beside Body Shop and across Power Books). It is almost impossible to go in and not find something flattering to wear. They have pieces of clothing that range from luxurious and fluid that move with the body, classics that flatter and hug in all the right places, edgy and trendy styles that can easily update the wardrobe, not to mention shoes and accessories that do not sacrifice fashion for function (or vice versa).

The last time I was there I fell in love with a pair of round-toe pumps done in white and black and candy pink pointy shoes that were sadly not available in my size, a candy pink belt that was just a darling, and jewel -tone silk tops. They also had belt pouches that were adorable. For the man in your life there is an entire section of tops and trousers to choose from. Greyhound is the perfect place to go to when on the lookout for something special to wear. Good taste, after all, even when witnessed in double doses is never cause for an eyesore.

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I remember one afternoon in Japan, a sudden heavy downpour disrupted a day we had set for walking – the clean streets in Japan and the cold climate were very conducive for doing just that. Although we had teeny, weeny tourist umbrellas with us, their disposable nature stood no chance against the heavy downpour and the strong winds.

We sought shelter under the nearest covered walkway, right across the street where there was a small nook almost completely covered by a throng of people. Amused at their patience despite the human traffic and the wet weather, Richard and I allowed our eyes to wander where the crowd started and ended. We were surprised that in addition to the well-behaved mob the line snaked all the way to the next block. What in heaven’s name were they lining up for?

Curious, we joined the bandwagon after seeing the frontliners finally leave with pale yellow boxes preciously tucked in their arms (it was some dessert, we figured out at that point). Because the line moved swiftly, we soon found ourselves burying our lips and teeth into the cool, yummy, creamy mush found within air-light pastry puffs, the likes of which I never thought could taste so good. It tasted as sweet as a beautiful love story. I was thankful for the rain.

And after going many years without it, I was resigned to the fact that those cream puffs would have to remain a sweet memory, perhaps to be enjoyed again on a future trip to Japan.

One evening we went to David’s Tea House in Greenhills this time to satisfy our craving for taosi spareribs and while waiting for the car to pick us up Richard caught sight of a nook alongside David’s that looked like that of the cream puff nook we saw in Japan. Beard Papa it is called. Yes, they were selling cream puffs and upon first bite we realized that we had found "the one." We visited the place for almost a whole week. After that we would send off the driver at two-day intervals to get us a box of 12. Although they come in a couple of flavors (the cream is pumped into the pastry puff only upon purchase so quality is guaranteed all the time) I am partial to the vanilla, which I suppose is their classic. If you are in the Greenhills area, drive by Virramall and treat yourself to some Beard Papa (telephone number 725-9958).

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I recall a time when buying good salted duck eggs (itlog na maalat) was more difficult than buying a box of chocolates. As Forest Gump said ". . . you never know what you are going to get." I have been dismayed, disillusioned, and disappointed many times over when buying itlog na maalat. They are all colored the same and they look perfectly good on the outside but it is only when they are opened that you find out if you had made a good purchase or not. For the longest time I was resigned to this surprise game, it could only go either of three ways – either the duck eggs were good, bad or mediocre.

But not anymore.

Richard came home one day with a basketful of itlog na maalat he said was "the absolute best." The eggs were large, some even had double yolks, and they were naglalangis inside, a telling sign of how well the eggs had been cured.

The person responsible for these perfectly cured duck eggs is Dr. Larry Buenaflor, who said the secret was all in the curing. Larry said he cured the eggs under salted mud for no less than 16-18 days.

If you want to order, contact Doc Larry at Urban Marketing at (044) 927-4325 or call him at 0916-7990787.