traveling salesmen

She greeted me not far from my gate, bottles of shampoo piled in a box she clutched,

wondering if I would like to buy some?

Shampoo.  

Just what I was hoping to buy out on the street in front of my house.

Then again, maybe not. 

I'm ceaselessly amused by the items sold on the streets in this town.

Bottles of water, sunglasses, oranges, jewelry, stick brooms - 

I saw all of these being sold on the street just this morning.

The neighborhood corner (above) became a casual jacket shop for about a week.

It's gone now. Maybe next week they'll be selling stainless cookware.

But then, I guess could just visit this new neighborhood lot full of stainless kitchenware for sale...

Vendors (above) walk the streets daily from early morning til late at night,

 hawking food like rice porridge, sweet corn, balut and pandesal, or bread.

These venders (above and below) strategically park their ice cream carts

right outside of schools at the end of the school day.

Every American kid's dream;

an ice cream man at the school gate.

We've seen many like these sales guys above (and below).

They are selling...shoes.

Yes.  Shoes.

Bet you could get a good deal - 

though whether they have your size or not is debatable.

 Or need those shoes repaired?

Sit down and visit awhile as they get stitched at the side of the road!

No city would be complete without 

a street vendor of saint dolls.

Forget your mattress at home?

No problem! 

This guy has got you covered.

 Family movie night?
I'll bet you could find Frozen for 50 cents here.

Yo ho ho...yes, they are pirated.

And if you need a quick snack after all that shopping,
you can buy a bag of boiled peanuts (above)

or pick up a fresh coconut or a sweet pineapple in a bag

at a portable storefront.

Who needs Walmart?

going like hotcakes

Don't plan on eating breakfast at this IHOP.

plenty

As I set out for the grocery store today, I found myself more aware of how different all this is from what I used to do.  Somewhere, in my distant past, I’d get up early, like at 5:30 or 6, push my garage door opener, hop in our minivan, and drive five minutes to our local Walmart so that I could get the grocery shopping done before breakfast.

Not here.  Instead I wait until afternoon.  The shops don’t open until 10 a.m., and by then we’re deep into our homeschool day.  So I wait until I’m not needed around home as a teacher.  Then I walk through the hot midday sun a couple of blocks up the dusty street where I wait for an available taxi.  The taxi I took today was a nice minivan-ish sort of vehicle. 

 It’s a ten-minute ride to the store, and eight minutes into the ride, the driver mumbled something I didn’t fully understand and pulled to the side of the road.  He then said another phrase, and I finally understood.  It was time for a pit-stop.  “Okay-lang!” I said.  There’s no way that I’m going to put up a fuss about the call of nature.  He hopped out, and walked somewhere behind the taxi, off to the side of the road, I presume, to do his business.  Not that I was watching.  That’s just the normal taxi-driver routine ‘round these parts.  I restrained a chuckle when he climbed back in the taxi and pulled a filthy rag out of the glove compartment with which he meticulously wiped his hands.

Back in the US, I’d pull into the quiet Walmart parking lot, hop out of my van, dart through the doors and grab a huge cart.  Not here.  Instead I hop out of the taxi at a busy mall.  Yes, a mall.  That’s where all the grocery stores are.  I run up the stairs while I zip open my purse for the guard at the door to peek inside, and I pause for her to pat my backside, presumably checking to see that I’m not armed.    Then I wend my way through the mall, down a narrow stair case and through vendor’s stalls where the mixed pungency of lots of people, durian, and fried squid greets me, until I reach the grocery area.  

A guard stands at this entrance too, making sure I don’t bring any other packages into the store, like the computer paper I stopped to buy at the mall’s bookstore on the way in.  He sends me to take that package of paper back outside to a package holding area before going through another guard check to get back in the mall to go to the grocery store.  That done, I grab a small-ish cart and begin my shopping.

In the US, I’d sail down the wide aisles of Walmart, finding every item on my list, shopping all the sales.  Not here.  Sales are virtually unknown.  Except for the one rack of imported goods that have reached their expiration date.  But who cares about expiration dates?  I can find some great deals there…like a rare box of crackers for 80 cents, and diet lemonade mix for 50 cents, and here’s a box of granola for two dollars!  Yay!  Availability is always hit or miss.  Today there’s no packaged meat that I recognize.  There’s also no vanilla flavoring, no cream cheese, and no dried legumes besides lentils.  I haven’t seen cheese for weeks.  Oh!  But look!  They have IBC ROOTBEER!!!  Amazing!  One precious bottle goes in the cart as a surprise gift for Mark on Father’s Day.  (Don’t tell!)

Sigh.  No carrots in the produce section today, and no red tomatoes.  I’m so spoiled to even expect those things.  But the red papaya looks great!  I check the pasta bag for bugs, side step the cockroach in the aisle, and pretend not to see the mouse that just darted under the produce shelf.

It’s time to check out.  At Walmart I’d load the groceries onto the automatic belt, swipe my debit card and walk away in a few minutes with bagged groceries, extra cash, and all with the help of just one employee.  Not here.  

I load the groceries onto the belt, but it may or may not work.  So I push food up toward the checker as she tallies my items.  I hand her my Visa card, and she carries it off to the next register, where there’s a card machine.  After a few minutes she comes back to hand me a receipt in duplicate to sign.  Then she writes down my Visa number on a recycled piece of paper that is at the checkout presumably for that purpose. That feels just a little sinister, but we haven’t had any Visa problems as a result…yet.    

Meanwhile at least one, sometimes up to four other employees help to bag my groceries.  One saunters off to get a cart for my bags (the cart I used for shopping doesn’t fit through the narrow checkout lane to the other side) while another leaves to check a price for the cashier.  Two more are loading my purchases into sturdy bags, talking and laughing together about the strange items I’ve bought.  I’m glad I can bring some smiles to their day.

It’s finally time to go.  Back at Walmart I might have stopped at McDonald’s for a coffee on my way out the door, then smoothly pushed my cart straight to my van, where I’d load the bags in the roomy trunk, ditch the cart in its corral, and be home in another five minutes.

Not here.  Here I have another couple of stops to make.  I need bacon, so I go down the mall a couple of doors to the bakery.  Yes, this is where I can find bacon.  And sometimes deli ham, too.  I also grab a loaf or two of French bread.  I check out, and the cashier doesn’t have change for a 500 peso bill (worth just over $10), so I give her the last 3 hundreds I have, first making sure that I have enough small bills for taxi fare home.  Then I head back down the mall to the meat store, since I couldn’t find meat in the grocery.   Only to find that the meat store is closed for renovation.  Wasn’t it closed last year at this time for renovation?!?  No meat.  Oh well.  Meat’s over-rated anyway.

Before I head out the door I grab a 10 peso coin from my wallet – I want to be prepared to tip the porter who always loads my groceries into the taxi.  He looks like he could really use the extra money.  I head toward the exit where yet another guard checks my receipt.  The porter hurries over to usher my cart toward a cab, where he pops open the front door and loads my bags inside.  I slip him the tip, hop in, and I’m on my way home.  In the taxi, I text a family member to let them know I’m coming, since I’ll need help when I arrive to unload the groceries at the gate so the taxi can be on its way.

 Yes, this is a little different than what I used to do.  But I have it so very good.  Plenty of food, provision from God to feed our family.  I have fully stocked shelves with more than we need.  How many people are praying each day for their daily food, and mine is so easily obtained?  May I not forget God’s goodness in all of my plenty.

not your average kitchen ware

 I went looking the other day for a new dish rack,

since ours is beginning to rust.

I think dish racks must not be common commodities in the average Filipino home.

I found this green one for about $25.

Only I couldn't figure out how to make it stay upright.

 

 My other choice was this very creative pink house version.

I think I'll live with the rust for a while...

:)

say cheese

I picked up three Red Lady papayas 

in the produce section of our local supermarket 

and carried them to the station where items being purchased are weighed and labelled.  

As I waited, I noticed a young store employee standing next to my cart,

which I had left behind at the papaya display.  

He was peering with curiosity at the items inside.  

By the time I returned, I found him holding the small block of mozzarella that I'd chosen,

reading the label to figure out what this mysterious American planned to purchase.  

I smiled at him, 

and he smiled at me as he placed the block of cheese back in my cart, 

probably wondering what in the world I'd do with such strange food. 

“The poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese.”

-G.K. Chesterton 

Delectable Cheese Rolls:

Roll out 1/2 of the bread dough from this recipe for Yeasty Once-Rising Rolls as if making cinnamon rolls.

Spread lightly with softened butter.

Top with :

              a dusting of Parmesan,

              a scattering of grated Mozzarella,

              a sprinkling of powdered garlic,

              and a few dashes of Italian seasoning.

Roll it all up, and cut it just like you would for cinnamon rolls.

Rise for 1/2 - 1 hour on a greased cookie sheet, or in a 9x13 pan.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, or until golden on the top.

Serve with salad for lunch or with spaghetti for dinner,

and top it all off with one of those Red Lady papayas for dessert.  

what did you expect?

It's been a busy day! So while I was running errands I stopped at a little stand like this one to pick up some lechon manok (otherwise known as rotisserie chicken) for our dinner tonight. With some rice and green beans, it will be a great quick meal.

 Rotisserie stands are all over this town - you don't have to go too far to find one.  I always make sure to ask for my chicken not chopped, because otherwise these birds are mercilessly hacked into random chunks of bone, sinew and meat before being wrapped up in a banana leaf to take home. 

But I don't take these banana-leaf wrapped rotisserie chickens for granted.  I remember all too well when Manila was flooded in late 2010, and very few chickens were to be found for sale. Circumstances shift rapidly in a developing country.

Because so many products and goods are available to us here (like the Jolly Ranchers and Stubbs BBQ sauce I saw at the grocery today!) it's sometimes easy to forget that we are living in a developing nation.  I very quickly slip into this crazy American consumer frame of mind where I expect that just because G-mall had Chai tea for a whole year, I will always be able to find Chai tea on their shelves.  But it's just not so.  A common phrase used by helpful sales personnel here is, 'Sorry ma'am, not available.'  If there's no chicken, then there's just no chicken.

As Anne of Green Gable's neighbor Mrs. Lynde says,

'Blessed are they who expect nothing 

for they shall not be disappointed.' 

 -L.M. Montgomery

 So as I head to the grocery store next time, I'll expect no Chai, no chicken, no cream cheese.  And if I find one of them, well then I'll just be delighted!

corner store

Our fruit supply is low, 

so I slip on my shoes and take a stroll down the street

toward the corner fruit stall.

The mid-day sun is blistering hot, and I wonder

if I should adopt the local custom of carrying an umbrella for shade.

I see our neighbor Ken,
 running down the street
trying to recapture his run-away chicken.
(sorry I didn't capture a photo of that one!)

 I pass the bakery where I see a tiny kitten guarding the door.

 

Two children come tearing around the corner of the store

in a noisy game of chase,

only to come to an abrupt halt when they see me.

My greetings don't bring the usual smiles...

I guess the surprise was a little too much.

 

On to the fruit stand,

a fabulous addition to our neighborhood!

This shanty houses a varying selection of local produce at great prices.

Though I rarely find the vegetables I hope for,

I always come home laden with fruit.

This was today's haul...a whole 250 pesos worth

(roughly $6)

for two pineapples, two papaya, three oranges and 7 mangoes!

Delectable.

It will be gone before I know it,

and I'll take another walk to the corner.

escalator

Have you ever seen an escalator like this one?

It's a nifty design, allowing customers to take their grocery carts

down a level to the parking garage below.

These smooth escalators are common in other areas of S.E. Asia, 

but it's the first one we've seen here in Davao.

ukay-ukay

For some of you it would be the ultimate garage sale.
Ukay-ukay literally means "dig, dig."

It's what happens when an enterprising Filipino spends a few dollars to ship a crate of American left-overs to the Philippines for resale. And ukay-ukay is the name for the Filipino tradition of digging through those piles of clothing, shoes, linens, etc., hoping to find some buried treasure for a few pesos. (The clothes typically sell for between 10 cents -$2 or so.)

These left-overs (items you gave to Goodwill along with seconds that didn't sell at Old Navy) are tossed in piles; on tables, on the ground,or sometimes they are hung on hangers for easier browsing. (Though those ones tend to cost more.)
These ukay-ukays are all over the city - sometimes stretched out for a block on the sidewalk for a weekend sale, other times in their own shop space.

As you dig through your own closet today,
hoping to unearth that perfect something to wear,
remember with me that the most valuable clothing of all
is that which is too precious to be bought;
yet free to those who believe...

I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God,
for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation;
He has covered me with the robe of righteousness
Isaiah 61:10

I know it will severely disappoint some of you to hear that no, we haven't gone digging yet.
Ya'll know I'd rather do my ukay- ukaying at the used book-store, digging for treasures to read!

good things come in small packages

Many people here have small living accommodations.
Many shop daily for necessities, instead of stocking up in bulk like we would in America.

Here is a sampling of 'small packages' available here:

a single roll of TP
1 serving pizza sauce
single serving crackers, cookies, and drink mix
mini Crisco can
single use packs of shampoo, toothpaste and moisturizer
single wrapped carrot, etc...



Even the watermelon (yellow!) comes in small packages.
(We can get red watermelon here, too!)



Here is some of the largest celery I've found yet, in contrast to some regular-sized green onions. Most celery bunches we've seen have stalks 1/2 this size!

Unlike what we're used to, it's not more cost efficient to buy larger quantities here. Two small units are even sometimes less expensive than buying the same amount in one larger package.

just my cup of tea

One luxury I was prepared to do without in the Philippines was my morning cup(s!) of tea. I was under the impression before we arrived that Filipinos were typically coffee drinkers, and I knew that my options might be pretty limited.


So when I walked into Gaisano Grocery Store and saw this display, I was speechless. This is more tea than I've ever seen in any one grocery store in the U.S.
Stash. Lipton. Good Earth. Tazo. Twinings.
What an unexpected blessing!

“You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me”

C.S. Lewis

amen.

off to the mall again

Grocery shopping is a different experience here in the Philippines. To begin with, the major grocery stores are actually anchor stores in the malls. There are several malls in town, so when we arrived I began asking people which one they preferred to shop at.
I didn't get straight answers, and I've learned why.

At one store I can buy chocolate chips (yay!) and whole wheat flour and tea.
At another I find tomato soup, spreadable margarine, and english muffin-type bread.
A third carries great produce and juice concentrate.
So we have on-going lists for various stores as we learn what is exclusively available there.

,
I haven't brought myself to buy the meat in the regular 'bag it yourself' bins yet. The smell alone has been enough to quell any faint-hearted attempts to explore the unusual options.

Instead I rely on Lisa and her pre-packaged, familiar meats.

Rice is a real staple in the Filipino diet, as are noodles of various sorts.

Here's a wall of dried fish - a few more varieties than you'd find at Publix or Safeway!

Time to check out. The grocery baggers are truly gifted young men. They can neatly pack and fit more groceries in a bag than might seem humanly possible. There are fewer bags used, but this also means that the bags are incredibly heavy.

They do offer the option of boxing your groceries, but I made that mistake only once. I'd much prefer to balance two or four heavy bags than one very heavy box on my walk from the service road to our apartment!

We are truly amazed at and thankful for how many familiar foods are available to us here!