Filipinos are great carnivores. They are not great lovers of vegetables. After spending three days with the fisheries guys on Siquijor with barely a fruit or vegetable in sight (on the third morning I politely declined the fish and rice for breakfast and bought mangoes and coffee), I was desperately craving vitamins. After kitting myself out with some pots and pans, I trotted of to the supermarket eagerly anticipating a few days of detox, nothing but fruit and delicious fresh veggies for me!
I was dismayed to find the ‘vegetable’ isle practically empty - I couldn’t even find any local tinned tomatoes, only ones imported from the US in what appears to be the ‘expensive expat’ isle! This single, manky piece of broccoli cost more than 60 pesos. To put that in perspective, 30 pesos will get you a bottle of beer, 48 pesos will do a weeks’ laundry (including towels) at Wishy Washy* and 100 pesos buys half a BBQ chicken, rice and a buko shake at Jo’s Chicken!
Today I shopped at the public market, which was a much more satisfying experience. Still not much in the vegetable department, but I picked up some yummy mangoes and bananas, fresh noodles and a half a chicken at bargain prices.
*Wishy Washy is my new favourite laundrette. In addition to washing your stuff, they sell the best brownies in Dumaguete and bottled water called ‘The Unthirstable Pure’. Perfect!
Becks is a marine ecology PhD student, living in Queensland (Australia), Dumaguete (Philippines) and London (UK). Marinegirl is her online alter-ego. She dreamt her up as as super-gorgeous superhero saving the underwater world (if you've seen Captain Planet, you get the idea). She is not, and never will be, in the marines.
…sounds like someone needs a care package….
You know, a long time ago, I remember a certain person, who has now morphed into ‘Marinegirl’, saying “I’d like to be a vegetarian, but I don’t like vegetables”. How tastes change!
I’m just nipping out to get some stuff from Waitrose.