Tuesday is the day I restock the larders here Casa Rosenda. That means taking a ride out to the Royal Duty-Free grocery store on the old Navy base. I was in for a couple of surprises yesterday. The first was discovering that after more than a month, shredded cheese was back in stock. Here was the second surprise:
Luckily for me, they had an off-brand available for half the price of Kraft, so I bought four bags of that. I was also pleased to discover that the long-absent tortillas were back on the shelf. I snatched four packs of those as well.
The shopping excursion wasn’t a total success though. No fresh milk, so I had to buy the Filipino brand that sits on the shelf unrefrigerated. Truthfully it tastes fine, but I just can’t get my mind around milk that hasn’t been kept cold. I have no idea why it doesn’t spoil. I don’t think I want to know.
I was also disappointed that my favorite brand of cornbread mix was not in stock. Hell, I searched and searched and couldn’t find ANY cornbread on the shelf. I was about to give up when I turned the corner in the baking goods section and spotted two lonely bags sitting on a shelf with unrelated items. I carted them both.
And that’s the way it pretty much goes here. I’ve learned to buy in quantity when something is in stock because invariably it will all be gone on a subsequent visit. So yeah, I’m lucky to have a supermarket nearby that even carries these imported goods. That doesn’t mean I can’t bitch and moan when they can’t seem to have the foresight to order fast-selling items far enough in advance to keep them in stock. And yes, I’m living a blessed life if I can devote a blog post to my disappointments at the grocery store.
Anyway, I was finally able to enjoy one of my favorite treats for lunch today:
Yesterday’s walk took me out near Easter mountain:
And here’s my submission for the “interesting” photo from that hike:
And finally, I’m glad to have found some confirmation that the brain exercises I perform on a nightly basis have some scientific foundation. Cliff Claven can’t be wrong! I used to be a mailman too after all.
Cheers!
In France (and in Switzerland, too), it’s common to buy “une brique de lait,” i.e., a “brick” of milk, which is to say, milk sold in a brick-shaped cardboard carton. The milk is shelf-stable because it goes through a heavy-duty pasteurization process. Perfectly safe to drink. There might be a very slight difference in taste, but I’ve found it to be negligible. Most of Europe sells milk in “bricks” like this, if I’m not mistaken. Once you open the carton, though, it’s a good idea to refrigerate the milk.
Thanks, Kev. Good to know. I suspected that most of the world drinks milk this way. I know my Filipino friends think it is weird that I want “fresh” milk from the dairy case.
And you are right, the taste is fine. The “brick” milk seems a little thinner, so I assume that the enhanced pasteurization you mention removes some of the fat. I’m getting used to my new normal and it is cheaper, so it will work.
Can anyone go to the duty free store?
Yes, it’s a public store. I guess it’s called Royal Duty Free because it is in the freeport zone and their imports are not subject to duty. Presumably.
Is it better than S and R?
Yes and no. I used to go to S&R in San Fernando once a month. They have a much better selection, especially in frozen foods and meats. But it seemed that every time I went the item I most craved was out of stock. Finally, I just gave up (it was an expensive trip paying my driver). I do like the store though and would like to go back once in a while. Maybe in conjunction with a trip to Angeles City…
Yes, same problem with Rustan’s where I live. There is a new store called Landers in my area but, i think it is just in Manila for now…. some different stuff. Always cold beer though!
That’s the important thing! Although it may come as a surprise that I very rarely drink beer at home. I keep some in the fridge for the occasional guest but that’s it.
If I recall correctly, Reekay had a post about Landers in Cebu City. Never been to one though.