Fish? What fish?

Going to market has brought about a new concern. That is, with the recent sea tragedy, we (and surely many others) can’t help wondering what fish is safe to buy and serve to our families. Eating in restaurants and hotels also elicits that certain fear, unless we know where they source their supplies. Thus we started asking fishmongers and outlets where their seafood comes from – the sea or private fish ponds, the latter being much safer. Most of the sellers are honest and would frankly tell us where they get their fish and crustaceans. From information gathered, we figured bangus and tilapia are free of contamination considering their breeding ground. Yet a few days ago we got an alarming e-mail saying hamburgers and meat are healthier than tilapia. Is this a hoax? If it is, some people are simply cruel. As to how long we need to be vigilant is a $64 question, because up to now there have been no assurance of a total clean-up. Hence, consumers’ safety remains  hanging in the balance.

Price watch – mangoes went from P90 a kilo to P78; loaf bread, depending on the brand, starts from P45 per; there are still some buy-one-take-one tocino, etc. (P81.25 a set of 200 gms each) at Shopwise; small tins of sardines at P16 each, pork is sold between P170  and P200 plus a kilo; unbranded chicken at P99 a kilo. Mangosteen has surfaced in the market at P220 a kilo; boneless bangus daing (more than a kilo) for P164; ready-to-fry whole Magnolia chicken at P144.65 each, two pieces of Brazil rib eye for P147; string beans at P24 a kilo; Baguio beans at P64 and squash at P42. We were disappointed with the Fiesta ham ball we got last weekend. Unlike previous times when it was juicy, this one was so dry and tough.

New food products recently discovered – the two-in-one Nestle coffee which means it has no sugar; Dulcelin mango tart of 11 Garfield, Greenhills, tel. 584-1285, garlic bread from United Village Breadhouse, tel. 885-7223; King’s Sundae-licious produced in Malaysia and distributed here by Magnolia in tubs of 800 ml. each at P99 per. The hamburger steak at Pancake House on Madrigal Road in Alabang deserves an 8 on a scale of 1 to10. It is flavorful, soft and served with potato salad and toasted bread, indeed a satisfying meal.

New in Cebu – Figaro at the business center near the Ayala Mall and Breadtalk at SM North Wing. A discovery – Cebu City Mayor Osmeña is a good cook, as attested to by his wife Margot. Given the time, he also buys the ingredients himself.  

Young culinary expert Jay Gamboa, who has led culinary delegations to victory in regional competitions, has a new restaurant, Azuthai, at the ground floor of the Milky Way complex in Makati. It has pleasant interior in dark brown and light peach. Centerpieces are orchids perched on tiny bowls. The same bloom decorates the dishes. The new restaurant adds to the multi-cuisine offerings of the establishment. For authenticity, two chefs from Thailand have been flown in, and judging from the satisfied look on the faces of  the big crowd of diners, the food has quickly gained approval. We enjoyed the pomelo salad with shrimps, the tom yang soup, the phad thai noodles, the crispy apahap, the curried crabs and the minced chicken in curry sauce. Desserts were sticky rice with mango and those tiny pandan squares whose name escapes us at the moment.

It is a relief to see less cars traversing the main highways and avenues of Metro Manila, but the abusive bus drivers are still going about their dare-devil stunts. Why can’t that man on the tarpaulin make them stick to their lanes? They endanger the lives of motorists and pedestrians.

Some saving tips –  make a schedule of the family’s  daily trips. From bringing kids to school and the others to office, pass by the wet market or grocery (some are open by 8:30 a.m.) and do your shopping. If you need to go farther than your base, check if anybody else is headed that way, and car pool. Don’t allow your whims to bring you to places you don’t really have to go to. Avoid food wastage. Closely monitor the little tubs of leftovers in your freezers and refs. Stick a list on the ref door. Schedule a leftover meal. Some dishes – adobo, menudo, etc. – taste better when re-heated. Plan one-dish meals that would combine the nutrients needed. Don’t over shop, buy only the quantity of food stuff your family needs.

E-mail comments and questions to: [email protected]