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Shopaholic March 26th, 2007

There is another exotic food that is found (but not only) in the Philippines, famous with the Visayans, Cuyunons, Bicolnons and those from Mindoro and Marinduque. It looks like a newborn’s umbilical cord, yucky and slimy, bluish and translucent. It is eaten raw (Yekkk!!) but may also be stewed in vinegar and salt plus some spices.

Ah, but the taste… Just like the well-known durian of Davao, the tamiloc may look terribly unappetizing, but when tasted will make the eater an aficionado in no time. It tastes like raw squid mixed with raw oyster, spiced with the sea’s salt plus a pinch of soy sauce. It is very difficult to describe, and will not appeal to everyone (as do all foods).

The tamiloc is obtained from rotting fallen trees in the mangrove swamps, as it is a form of marine boring worm, a distant relative of the barnacle. The tree trunk is hewed open and the worm pulled by hand from its hole. It ranges in size from pencil-like to as big as the thumb; as short as a pencil but may be as long as half a meter. The color can be more brownish than bluish, though the bluish predominate. It depends on the species of tree the tamiloc is found.

I’m sure the tamiloc also exists somewhere else. It is a tropical organism, and probably can be found in the countries near and along the equator where there are mangroves, and called by some other names. Whatever it is called, it will probably be as tasty here as everywhere.

If you want to know what it is really, come to Palawan.

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Shopaholic March 19th, 2007

The island nation of Taiwan may be small, but the impact Taiwanese culture has had on the world has been large. That impact is accurately reflected in the diverse mix of products made in and inspired by Taiwan housed here on the Taiwanese Market section of Asian Shopping Online. While Taiwanese culture has its roots in Chinese culture, it has incorporated other influences as well, ranging from Japan to the United States. That rich mixture is reflected here in the various Taiwanese shopping categories we have designated.

One of the biggest statements Taiwanese culture has made on the world stage has been its movie industry, producing both superb local films and worldwide films that have had immense crossover appeal. You can experience some of these films for yourself through our Taiwanese DVDs and Taiwanese VHS sections devoted to films from and about Taiwanese culture. From legendary Ang Lee to others, the best in Taiwanese cinema is here and ready for your Taiwanese shopping excursion.

While Taiwanese food uses a great deal of Chinese ingredients and techniques, it has been increasingly modified to give it a more modern feel, incorporating aspects from the west and other Asian regions. Because of its uniqueness, the Taiwanese groceries and Taiwanese cookbooks sections of the Taiwanese Market here on Asian Shopping Online offer a great introduction to Taiwanese culture. That introduction can be followed up by a more complete review of Taiwanese history through our Taiwanese books section complete with some exhaustive explorations into the roots of Taiwanese culture.

For these products and many more, the best in Taiwanese shopping is available right from your home computer thanks to the Taiwanese Market portion of Asian Shopping Online. We have compiled some of the finest Taiwanese products to delight you as you search through them for the perfect product for yourself or gift for a loved one. Thank you for visiting and enjoy your trip through the best products Taiwanese culture has to offer.

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Shopaholic March 19th, 2007

Thai culture remains one of the most interesting and exotic culture in the Asian region, captivating the hearts and minds of all those that come across Thai culture. While some of the aspects of Thai culture have not been publicized as much as some of the aspects of Japanese or Chinese culture, there is a great depth and breadth to what Thai culture can offer, ranging from aspects like Thai music and Thai books to Thai furniture and Thai apparel. All of it can be found right here in the Thai Market section of Asian Shopping Online.

One of the most interesting aspects of Thai culture has long been the Thai music the country has produced. You can now experience that phenomenon in the comfort of your own home through our Thai music section that features some of the most popular Thai artists to give you a diverse set of options whether the music you’re looking for is for you or the Thai music enthusiast in your life.

Of course, Thai food is perhaps the fastest growing section of Thai culture in prominence around the world as more and more consumers are discovering the flavor and exotic ingredients found in Thai food. Through our Thai cookbook and Thai groceries section, you can buy authentic Thai ingredients to combine into equally authentic Thai dishes. You can quickly and simply become the envy of all your friends with expert Thai cooking talent.

Thai clothing is also one of the most distinct markers of Thai culture and has been increasingly adopted around the world. In particular, Thai silk fashion is among the most beautiful fashions in the world and our special section on Thai silk fashion can help you adopt that look for your own wardrobe. You will gain a distinct and beautiful look based on Thai fashion.

No matter what your Thai shopping needs, the Thai Market section of Asian Shopping Online can fill those needs. We have special gift sections available to help you find the perfect gift for the person in your life that loves Thai shopping. No matter what you need, use our simple shopping process to land the perfect Thai item for any occasion.

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Shopaholic March 18th, 2007

If you are looking for great bargains when are in Manila— I mean really bargains— check out Divisoria, Manila, Philippines. In it you will find all sorts of products and produce that are 10-60 percent lower than in the malls or elsewhere, except, of course, the source. From personal items like clothes, fabrics, makeup kits, shoes, hats, handbags… to school supplies such as pens, notebooks, schoolbags, books… groceries and processed foodstuff of giant manufacturers and homescale industries… to hardware items and small industrial goods: engines, chainsaws, nails, power tools… to fishing needs — reels, hooks, floats, weights, nets, sinkers and plenty of others besides…you can find virtual steals if you look hard enough.

Divisoria is located in western part of Manila City, near the piers. It is bounded by the C.M.Recto Avenue in the north, and Chinatown in the south. Eastwards is Reina Regente Street, that branched off from Juan Luna Street at the junction of Plaza Goiti. Of course, businesses have spilled over, some north towards Blumentritt Street, eastwards to Sta. Cruz District, and south to Escolta Street. Sometimes Divisoria is meant to include even the whole of Binondo and Chinatown, because commerce in these areas are closely linked to Divisoria.

In that small enclave is located thousands of trading companies and small firms, some just holes in the wall, that deal in all sizes and forms of commerce. There are multi-million dollar corporations that hold office in tall buildings, while there are the hundred-peso-a-day ambulant hawkers who hide or run each time the police shows up.

Divisoria is also the goods emporium of old Manila of the Spanish times, being near the sea, is beside Pasig River, and adjacent to Chinatown. It is therefore the best place to conduct the retail trade, which was then and now dominated by the Chinese traders. So today the traders from the provinces shop in Divisoria for goods they sell in their respective places; the producers from the provinces sell their goods in Divisoria as the fastest way they can dump their goods and go home again; the Chinese traders —big and small— wait for products to trade in Divisoria, and the consumers and buyers enjoy what they have learned long ago: the greatest bargains are in Divisoria.

In Divisoria you can buy almost anything. If you know how to haggle, you can get almost everything at a bargain. Divisoria. Heaven for the miser as well as the bargain shopper.

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Shopaholic March 15th, 2007

Japanese culture has long been an interest for those around the world looking for something unique and complex in any facet of the product they might be looking for. The Japanese Market section of Asian Shopping Online has a slew of such products for you or the person in your life interested in Japanese culture. With a variety of sections like Japanese jewelry, Japanese beauty supply and Japanese cookbooks, anything can be found in the Japanese Market.

Japanese electronics have long been the class of the electronic industry and that reputation continues today for many consumers. The Japanese electronics section of the Japanese Market showcases many of the products coming fresh from Japan that redefine the electronics industry and put you at the cutting edge. Of course, there is more to Japanese shopping than Japanese electronics.

Japanese DVDs have long been sought after by fans and collectors alike for their distinct visual style that has yet to be copied by American firms or others worldwide. Asian Shopping Online is your destination for Japanese DVDs, Japanese VHS tapes and even Japanese video games to showcase that Japanese visual style in your own home.

One of the best ways the Japanese Market can satisfy your needs is through the difficult process of selecting a gift for the person in your life that loves Japanese culture and Japanese products. We have a variety of Japanese gift categories that you can use to get ideas for that person in your life, even corporate gifts for all of your work functions.

These categories only scratch the surface of what can be found through the Japanese Market section of Asian Shopping Online. We have provided simple, easy-to-use Japanese shopping that you can utilize from the comfort of your own home to select a whole range of products. Join us and satisfy your interest in Japanese culture and Japanese products today.

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Shopaholic March 10th, 2007

Indian culture is a beautiful collection of images and thoughts and the Indian Market here at Asian Shopping Online offers some of the best web-based Indian shopping online. Divided up into distinct categories, you are able to sample some of the finest Indian movies, Indian music and Indian jewelry, among a variety of other things.

Perhaps one of the most celebrated aspects of Indian culture is the literature that has been developed by Indian writers to capture the Indian philosophy and way of life. These Indian books range in topic from modern topics like the rise of India has a major world power to the ancient origins of India and its unique sense of culture. These themes are also served by Indian movies and other items that can be found here at Asian Shopping Online, bringing to your home the vast history and exciting future of India.

One of the most accessible ways to experience Indian culture is to take part in the Indian clothing and Indian jewelry posted in our Indian Market to give your wardrobe a sense of the exotic. Indian fashion has long been respected for its vibrant colors and refined accessories and now that can be a part of your own sense of style through the Indian Market section of Asian Shopping Online.

Perhaps the most famous aspect of an Asian culture is the profoundly unique food that has come from the people in the region. Indian food and health items communicate this exotic and unique aspect of Indian culture through the flavor of the food and the effect of the health care items developed in and inspired by the region. No matter what your interest in Indian culture, the Indian Market on Asian Shopping Online is full of options to have those interests shipped directly to you to enjoy and explore Indian culture.

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Shopaholic March 10th, 2007

The Philippines has been long ago named the Pearl of the Orient Seas. For what, I don’t know. But it seems that monicker is coming true these days because WE GOT PEARLS. South Sea Pearls and similar wonderful things. And we got ‘em cheap to boot.

You see, we have pearl farms all over the country: Sorsogon, Palawan (northern and southern parts), Mindanao, Visayas… and many others besides. The Philippines has so many islands (1,708 and counting) it is difficult to keep track of what’s happening everywhere pertaining to pearls. So naturally many of their products will find their way to the local markets. Just go to Palawan and you will see a good number of people hawking pearls of every conceivable sort in front of hotels, pensions and inns. Some pearls even look so much alike you would think they came from the same lathe machine.

We also have sources of natural pearls and cultured ones, both of the saltwater and freshwater varieties. Some sources are overt and domestic, while others are located beyond the ‘backdoor’. And much of these pearl products can be bought at Greenhills Shopping Center, Metro-Manila.

Greenhills Shopping Center is located just a few kilometers off Makati City, the financial district, and is along Ortigas Avenue, San Juan town. It is easily accessible to any self-respecting tourist or shopper via the bus-and-jeepney route of EDSA-then-Ortigas, or the ubiquitous taxi. The shopping center is a sprawl of commercial establishments ranging from restaurants to hardware stores, computer shop and repair facilities to those selling macrame handicrafts, cellphone exchanges (’we buy defective cellphones’) to shoes.

And in the middle of a large mall is the hundreds of small shops selling a bewildering variety of pearls and pearls and PEARLS! in a hundred and one makes and styles of earrings, necklaces, pendants, charms, brooches, rings, and whathaveyou. So that you will find buyers in all forms and shapes and sizes and nationalities and languages. Some  are local shoppers –from around the area– while others are from the provinces, recognizable by the way they move in company. There are plenty of foreigners shopping — Asians, Europeans, Americans, some Africans and Arabs once in a while. There was even an Australian who regularly comes all the way from Sydney just to shop for pearls. She said she finds them so inexpensive and beautiful she can’t resist the urge every now and then. (Though we suspect she must be selling them there for her to use up so many in so short a time.)

So the next time you are in the Philippines, visit Greenhills Shopping Center at San Juan, Metro-Manila and be prepared to be awed by the sight or pearls and more pearls. Just don’t take a lot of money, so you will be forced to come again, and again.

Pearls. The Philippines. Not very surprising, considering that the largest existing pearl today came from the Philippines. In fact, from the town of Balabac, Palawan. My province. 

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Shopaholic March 6th, 2007

A sandworm is not unique to our province. I believe any tropical sandbeach can hold sandworms in quantity. In fact I have seen a photo of a Polynesian holding a meter-long sandworm as large as your thumb in diameter. The thing is, in our province, especialy in the north, the sandworm –we call it wakwak– is a delicacy savored by many people, including me. I just love it!

A sandworm is that: a worm in the sand. It is round and long, white, and has sand in its innards which is formed by twisted tiny orange and white tubes. I know of several varieties or subspecies, from a very small, yellowish, pencil-like worm found in the strands, to one that is a meter in length, as big as the finger, and is off-white in color, caught in 2-3 fathoms deep water. 

The sandworms are eaten either raw, cut in short lengths and fried without salting, or mixed in soups. We also dry them to preserve them for days before frying; or, if that is not possible, by broiling over charcoal. But it is always best eaten raw, just after drawing them out from the sand and cleaning them. I prefer them that way, while others like dipping the worm in coconut vinegar. Vinegar toughens the worm somewhat, and removes the tang of the salt in the food.

The worm is caught two ways: by impaling it with a rattan stick, or by snagging it with a fork with sharpened tines. In the first, one pokes the stick into the worm’s hole until the stick impales the worm. Then a hole is dug to reach the worm and bring it up for cleaning and eating. In the second, the catcher dives to the sand bottom, looks for the telltale sign of the worm’s hole, and suddenly pushes the fork’s tines below the surface and across the hole. The worm is snagged, the diver digs for it and pulls it out.  If he can’t get it in one dive, he does several until he comes up with the long, white delicacy many treasure because, for one, it goes well with gin and even rum.

Sandworms are also used for bait, and is a good one for almost any fish, especially snappers, grouper, jacks, and even garfish. I have caught all of them with the sandworm. It is tough and smells much, so that it attracts fish like a magnet. And for us native fishermen, if the fish won’t bite it, we will. No one in our town ever goes home with leftover sandworm bait. No one. Absolutely.

Writing this makes me want to eat sandworm again, tasting its salty but delicate flavor of the mussel, squid, clam and fish all mixed up together, with the memories of life in my youth thrown in. Or using it as bait in fishing, one activity I love very much, sitting in the boat all quiet like, waiting for the bite, all the while pondering and learning life’s lessons. But that is another story sometime.

Just watch these posts and you’ll read them sometime sooner or later.

 

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