Monday, June 18, 2007

This blog's is still 'under construction' (may igaganda pa ba?! haha!) but I can't help but write about what happened to me today. I had a funny experience with BALIGANG - a sour fruit that grows in Bicol - it belongs to family of berries or syzygium fruits. It looks like these blueberries but they're darker:



Anyway.. to continue...

I had a very tiring day today. Before I went out this afternoon to go to the Church and the mall, I washed my clothes, cleaned my room and the CR. As usual, I only had biscuits and a mug of Nesvita for my breakfast. I ate lunch after the mass, which is around 4:30 pm, so I was starving.Just outside the Church there were many vendors selling fruits and all sorts of food. I saw two stalls selling baligang. I love eating balgigang - its sour and sweet taste is just so addictive! Well, you bet upon seeing them here in Cebu I longed to buy and eat some. But since I still had to eat lunch at a nearby mall and go to Ayala, I looked past the baligang and hurriedly rode the jeepney.

So, I ate at Robinson's Place and right after I finished eating, I hurried off to the jeepney stop since it's already 5pm. I wanted to be back home by 6:30pm, at least. Unfortunately, I got caught in a heavy traffic buildup caused by a VERY LONG procession. While waiting inside the jeep, I saw fruit vendors along the street and yes you guessed it right, i saw the baligang again! I was so tempted to go off the jeep and buy some baligang but decided not to be so impulsive for that damn fruit!

Okay then, never mind that baligang, I said to myself and patiently waited for the procession to end. Few minutes later, I was in Ayala. Apart from the fact that it's Sunday, there's a sale so it's so crowded. It's a nice place to shop but I just went to the adjacent Metro Gaisano-Ayala mall. Strolled there for about two hours looking for a nice piece of skirt I needed for - never mind, it's another story.

By the way, in Ayala...I saw this girl dancing on top of a box near the display window. I thought she was a manequin. I really got scared thinking that the manequin moved - thank God, I soon realized she's an albino and her skin is as white as a manequin! (FYI, i'm scared of dolls - especially moving dolls and barbies - anyway, this again is a different story.)

So that makes up Wow Mali # 1.

After finding a nice skirt, I decided to go home. While finding my way towards the mall's exit (near the Jeepney terminal), I passed by a food stall selling Shawarma. I bought one as I was starving again. All the nearby benches were occupied; I had nowhere to eat my Shawarma so I decided to take it home instead.

On the way home, my baligang mania started to bug me again. To cut a long story short, I went back to Sto. Rosario Church again and bought baligang. FINALLY, i'm gonna taste baligang again! I was like a preggy woman craving for a particular kind of food, or rather, fruit (sabi nga sa bikol, garu ako nagalihi!).

I bought a cupful of baligang for only P10. The little girl who was tending their food stall was so nice that she gave me extra baligang - you bet I was so happy! :-D

I was smiling while I was walking towards the jeepney. I had a very long day - a fulfilling day, i thought. I accomplished what I intended to do early that day and bought baligang, which I have been itching to do since I saw them! I was about to cross the street when I realized I forgot to ask for salt. My baligang isn't complete without salt! But it's almost 8pm and I was already so tired so I rode the jeepney, thinking I can just buy salt from the nearby karinderya (eatery).

The Church is just a few blocks away from where I live so it didn't take long before I reached the karinderya. I asked the 'boy' tending the store "may asin kayo?" He stared at me as if he can't understand what I was saying so I asked again, "may asin kayo?" He said, "naa" - that's bisaya word for 'meron' (yes, we have). So, I said "pabili ako ng asin." Then he said, "ha?" - he looked puzzled again as if he did not understand what I said. So I asked again "may asin kayo." Then he said "wala" - grrrrrr! haaaay...

I left the karinderya and went to a canteen within the nearby dormitory. Unfortunately it was already closed. I was already so tired - I have a plastic bag and the shawarma in one hand and my handbag and the baligang on the other. But I need to buy salt or else I won't be able to eat my baligang, so I went to another karinderya, just a block away.

Finally, they have salt and they gave it for free! I walked home so happy and very excited to eat my baligang. When I reached home, I immediately ate my sharma and prepared the baligang. I placed them on a bowl, sprinkled enough salt, covered it with a small plate and began shaking it. After a minute of shaking, I took one fruit not minding the dripping violet-colored juice and tadah........... it didn't taste like what I expected. It wasn't sour and it wasn't sweet either. When my mom called, I told her my 'baligang story' and she laughed. She said it must be duhat (java plum or black plum). I searched for it online and yeah, they look almost the same. It was so frustrating but I couldn't help but laugh at myself when I remember all that I've been through just for that fruit!

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