AS A young boy, I would accompany my Lola Abing, my grandfather’s older sister, to the market at least once a week.
If I remember correctly, there used to be a playground in front of the San Nicolas Church where I played while she went inside Pasil to buy fish. I’d have a blast going down the slide, hanging upside down from the monkey bar or getting dizzy from the miniature merry-go-round, while our driver Sindoy looked after me.
In Carbon, I would hang on to the side of her dress for dear life while she made the rounds of her suki, who made a fuss over me and gave me treats.
As I got older, grocery shopping, usually at Rosita’s Fuente, became a family affair.
The giant, colored TV by the entrance was a marvel to behold when colored TVs were rare and considered luxuries. I would sneak away from my parents and siblings to catch a glimpse of what was showing, and usually it played the Japanese anime “Mazinger Z.”
When we left the country after elementary school, my mother would sometimes send me to do the groceries alone. It wasn’t long before I knew the store layout like the back of my hand. I could close my eyes and zero in on the aisle where so and so could be found. The store clerks, the merchandisers, the cashiers became familiar faces.
And so throughout high school and college, the chore became mine and mine alone.
Until now, many, many, many years later, I still go out and buy whatever it is that is needed in the house.
Although I enjoy the sight and smell of Carbon—not so much Pasil—I don’t go there as often as I should.
First of all, it’s just too hot. And now that it’s the rainy season, the streets can get really muddy. Also, the vendors there don’t accept credit cards. And I usually don’t carry that much cash around. Especially not in Carbon.
With that said, I am familiar with the prices of goods, whether dry or wet.
They’re usually cheaper in the public markets like Carbon, although the prices tend to fluctuate depending on the supply or the time of day you go there. But it’s definitely the go-to place for fresh produce. Plus, you can haggle.
And yet, for someone who has spent a lot of time in markets I have to admit I’m not very good at it. Bargaining, I mean. I know it’s encouraged of shoppers, but I just never had the patience, which is why I’m more at home in groceries.
Things may cost just a tad more, but groceries offer a greater variety of products.
By the way, did you know that the price of chicken has risen considerably since the beginning of the year? The thighs, which used to sell for P124 per kilo, now cost P170. Just imagine the breasts.