Not enough

Poor homemakers. We have been getting a lot of tips on how to save power. We have switched off one of our refrigerators, desisted from using airconditioning when the weather was still bearable, turned off lights when sunlight would still make it possible for us to read and write and have steadied electric fans. But all that is not enough. We seem to be up against some sort of conspiracy. An announcement was made that the increase in Meralco rates would be reflected in the June bill. Well, we have news for them....our April bill (for March consumption) went up by almost 50 percent with generation and distribution charges topping the list, followed by a list of incomprehensible items which only Meralco can underatand.

Anyway, life goes on. The kitchen needs to be manned, the family must be served three decent meals a day. It must therefore be of some comfort that Makro opened a new outlet in Las Piñas, a few steps away from the Municipal Hall. Because this is a wholesale outlet, most of the merchandise come in bulk, which might still be a problem for some who do not have the ability to buy this way. The meat, prepared food and fresh seafood sections, however, are on tingi. One can also simply get some vegetables in small quantities. Onions go for less than P30 a kilo (against P50 in the markets), but they are lumped into packs of three kilos. We always hesitate getting this because we have often found some spoiled ones in the pack. A discovery is the sisig from Jaro Development Corporation at P99 a pack (good enough for three people). All we needed to do was add chopped green onions. It was good! Meduim-sized prawns are tagged at P369 a kilo and tilapia at P49. The biggest bargain is kangkong at P1 a bunch!!! We foresee a lot of households having all sorts of kangkong dishes on their tables.

The new Sekai building (Center) on Ortigas Avenue houses the showroom of Prestige Plastic Incorporated. For those needing their products this will be a more convenient place to order their supplies.The latest addition in their selection of imported items (from Venezuela and Australia) are the canisters with screw-on lids. They come in different sizes from 250 ml to 2 liters. The Back-To-School drinking bottles come in lovely designs and colors with grippers. There is a selection of insulated thermal food containers with cutlery, from the small single food container (Lunchy Pack) to what they call Executive with two individually insulated food containers with lids (which can be used separately), and one multiple-use tray. Prices range from P279.75 to P849.75. Their products are availble in SM outlets and other supermarkets.

In this new center are three food oulets–Mocha Blends, Subway and Masuki Noodle House. The latter is owned and managed by third generation Ma (as in Ma Mon Luk) descendants who would rather carve their particular niche in the noodle industry, even while maintaining the technique of producing the familiar siopao, mami and siomai. While on the day of the building inauguration we delighted in the fresh and original offerings, we would suggest that the management pay more attention to quality control. Friends who went a second time were a bit disappointed.

At a supermarket in Alabang, where they have the best beef, they also have the highest price for each cut, averaging P300 a kilo. We have now resorted to buying by the piece, per the quantity the family can consume in one sitting. That way, we save on precious pesos and avoid having left overs in the freezer. At any Monterey outlet, such as the one in Makati Supermarket in Alabang, four pieces of the seasoned (Korean) pork barbecue cost us P85.65.

Among the ready-to-cook selections available, we find the lumpiang shanghai produced by BS INN in Davao City considerably tasty. We tried the Pure Lean Meat and Vegetables and the Chicken. They are good lazy day alternatives.

Fruits in Ice Cream (FIC) has slowly crept into favor with a lot of Manilans. Its outlets include supermarkets, membership clubs and restaurants. Likewise there are more than 70 home-based distributors, one of which might be in your neighborhood. It carries 25 flavors, divided into Gourmet, Premuim and Pinoy, plus sugar free and low fat. From P70 a pint and P250 a half gallon. Beat the heat with ice cream.

* * *

Email comments and questions to: [email protected]