Just Dug Up Gold

For months, my friends have been asking me to go to this Asian supermarket somewhere in the Bronx. I have never gone until today. Thank goodness, my roomie, Tina got me to get up from my nap and go with her and Franny to Chang Li.

For $20, I will be able to feed myself with today's groceries for the next two weeks. We were like kids in a candy store, sorry to use the cliche. But we were delirious with excitement as we saw stuff from the Islands that we used to take for granted: salted duck eggs, bottled tuyo and tinapa, pancit canton, Mr. Chips! I mean, they had a whole section of Pinoy goodies! Someday, I will also take advantage of the Asian eggplants (US eggplants are round and tough), bok choy, and all the other veggies we found there that we can never expect to get at our local grocery store. We used to go all the way to Flushing in Queens to satisfy our cravings for Asian treats.

And I was trying to plan during lunch when I could possibly have my sisig and laing fix again (I had Purefoods sisig and Moondish laing in can). Although Chang Li didn't have my Purefoods de lata goodies (canning sisig and bopis must be the smartest thing they ever did), there are many things from that supermarket that will make up for lack of these Pinoy-in-NY pantry standards.

This may sound absolutely shallow and funny to those who have never been away from the Islands long enough, but you have to understand, when you're missing Ate Luz and Nanay's cooking so badly, these canned and bottled stuff just hit the spot.