Vendors with conscience

We found them at Farmers’ Market in Quezon City and this made our long drive most satisfying. To start with, the place is comparatively clean, no litter; wet section has very little water, clear as against the muddy liquid one finds in other wet markets. The rest is dry, one just needs to be careful as there are steps, every so many feet, which we nearly missed. We were in the course of monitoring prices and what a pleasant surprise that we found vendors who were not obsessed with huge profits but with a conscience to consider that most of us Filipinos are having a difficult time stretching the peso. Indeed there are still Filipinos, if very few, and not in high places, who are ‘worth dying for’.

Our first encounter was with a lady selling vegetables. Kangkong still goes for P5 a bunch, but she said she could not help adding at least P5 to the former cost of onions, white and red, cauliflower and cabbage, because the suppliers have upped their cost. Relevant to this, we find it strange that vegetables have been rotting in Baguio due to the cold!

We moved on to the tinapa section and this was where we found the vendors with conscience. One gentleman volunteered the information that his prices have remained steady for the last three years. He, the other gentleman and a lady, revealed they have not increased the price of their wares because if they did, they’d lose their customers. "Hindi na po makakabili." That’s heroic, if you ask us, and worthy of being named "Filipinos of the Year".

You don’t buy tinapa by the kilo as that would be too much, thus their prices are based on one fourth kilo packs (from P40 each). Our ate got kabase tinapa. This is very tasty but with a lot of ‘tinik’. Danggit is rather pricey as it has always been at P450 a kilo. A few steps down is the seafood section, where there is an abundance of fresh catch– bangus at P90 a kilo (medium size), dulong at P30 for a quarter kilo, squid at P150, kandule at P80 and shrimps, depending on the size, from P360 to P580. There’s a lot of fillet, including tuna sashimi (P280). King crabs sell for P350 a kilo.

Pork is at least P5 pesos cheaper–kasim and chops at P145 and lomo at P190. Tenderloin, semi-trimmed goes for P450 while the fully trimmed is at P480. One cut you must consider (if you are not too conscious about fat) is the neck meat (P220 a kilo), ideal for cooking like bacon or you can wrap asparagus with it, then stir-fry with teriyaki sauce. Let them slice it for you, they have the best carver to do this. Monterey is at the end of this aisle. Their sirloin is at P310 kilo while a vendor, not too far from them, offers the same cut at P210.

We found the price of rice rather reasonable–sinandomeng at P20 a kilo, dinorado at P27 and long grain at P24. At the end of the aisle mangoes from Zambales are sold at P70, solo papaya at P25, mangosteen at P180 and pineapple from P25 per.

With an attractive and extensive selection of goods and friendly vendors, plus a ‘timbangang bayan’ we did enjoy ourselves at Farmers’ and will certainly be back.

The owners of Bangus restaurant continue to surprise their regular diners with their delectable concoctions. In Greenhills they have adopted a brighter, more artistic décor. We should really give a 10 to their bangus salad. It has sweet potato (yellow and violet) thus you get extra texture and flavor. Bangus fillet cubed is the main element with the usual tomatoes and shallots, laid out on a bed of lettuce. What makes this truly refreshing is the old-style vinaigrette dressing. They have other new dishes, like tofu steak with bangus sisig. Those living in Alabang will be happy to note that the first Bangus franchised outlet will open sometime this month. Within the last 22 years, Bangus Restaurant has indeed evolved into the Bangus Republic Inc. that it is now.

Purefoods has come up with Best Bake Baking Powder, aimed at helping bakers cut their costs. It is double acting, meaning it releases carbon dioxide not only during baking but partially while mixing.

The 12% VAT will hit only the rich? That’s a myth. Shall we define what the Middle Class is? That’s the sector that is bearing the brunt of all these taxes.

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