We passed by a souvenir shop along Hang Dao Street in Hanoi where an array of doll displays could be found. I remember whenever someone from the office would travel to Vietnam, they always bring home this figurine dolls as pasalubong (presents/keepsake). I bought one for myself. I was torn between the pink and the blue doll. I chose the latter. I am forever blue. ;-)
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I don't need to explain this, do I?
With the popularity of Sidney's My Sari-Sari Store, and the almost (always) featuring it in Mike's The Fiery Scotsman, I have no doubt that most bloggers already know what sari-sari store essentially and culturally means to us, Filipinos.
Sari-sari literally means "various kinds". So, in essence, it is a store that sells various kinds of goods, mostly food items and other basic necessities (sugar, salt, candles, matches, detergent, etc.) and others (cigarettes, alchohol, etc.).
Economic importance: instead of buying the whole pack, you can buy in units (tingi system) therefore it's much cheaper!
Social and cultural importance: a place to socialize and meet people, better than staying inside the house, cheaper than hanging out inside Starbucks (the store sells instant coffee too!).
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My trip to Liliw would not be complete without visiting Badong Footwear Factory, one of the famous and oldest footwear shops along Gat Tayaw Street. You won't miss it. As soon as you set foot on Liliw, the store will immediately catch your eyes. It's always filled with customers. My mother loves this shop. It's the only store where she bought a pair of sandals and slip-ons among the many stores we've visited that day.
The shop sells an assortment of footwear, from slip-ons to leather shoes, slippers to high heel shoes and sandals. There are also those for men and children. I took a shot of one of the workers at the shop. He was making an inventory.
Salvador “Badong” Monteiro, was the owner of Badong Footwear. He established the shop in 1962, when he was only 16 years old. The man on the right was the brother of Mang Badong. I had a chat with him while my mother was busy looking for shoes to fit. The lady on the left was a customer, buying a bunch of slippers for her business.
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Briefer:
It’s been a long time since I passed by this town. I used to go here a lot. The last time I was here was three years ago, if my memory serves me right. It was during the wake of Crackhead’s grandpa. Last weekend, together with my mother and my cousin, we went there all because my mother wanted a new sandals and slippers. She even has this notion that Liliw is just a few streaks away from Los Baños (which is NOT). It was a 6-8 hour drive from our place. The travel was hefty and exhausting. The weather changes from humid to rainy. It rained when we left Liliw, it was scorching hot when we passed by Sta. Cruz.
I was amazed by how this place changed, in just a few years. Maybe to attract more tourists, the city mayor decided to aim for uniformity and aesthetics. Most of the stalls there are newly-built and neatly painted, with all the footwear stores running across the long street of Liliw. They now have a McDonalds. (ahh, why it has to be McDo?)
A footwear and bag store around the corner, with its huge window glass. You need not enter the store to see what they're selling.
A huge slipper on-display. The largest I've seen. Too bad, the owner won't sell it to me.
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I saw Ratatouille the other day. I had fun watching the movie. My favorite Janeane Garofalo did the voice of Collete, the only lady chef in the brood. I hate rats but the movie was cute. It was meant to be cute so people won't feel squeamish about the rats. But I still quirked everytime a horde of rats comes into the scene. Watching the movie, I realized one thing. I still hate rats! Argh.
I found this sari-sari store (an all kind, small food store) along a private subdivision. It caught my interest because the structure of the store is very unlikely of the usual one (at least from the one I usually see). This store is square and made of hollow blocks with a very little window for display. One needs to poke his/her head inside to see the goods. Sari-sari store is perhaps one of the most ubiquitous establishments here in the Philippines. It's a good way to start a small business. It's also considered a good business because a sari-sari store usually have everything and one can buy it by pieces unlike in the grocery stores where one has to buy it by packs. And since these little stores are almost everywhere, housewives need not to go back to the grocery stores in case they forgot to buy the soy sauce or some salt. Nowadays, sari-sari stores are not limited to selling foods, most often they'll have everything, from medicine to needles, from a stick of cigarettes to a pack of coal (for the barbecue). From batteries to a plastic cover for your book. Even 7-11 couldn't beat that.
No wonder Sidney used the name for his blog. Awesome choice.
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Last night was perhaps the busiest sky I've seen. Such an immense gathering of stars, and the moon, god, have you seen the moon lately?
