Local Loco Deli

My Local Loco Deli orders are here!  And just in time too since I will be giving most of these goodies for Christmas :)  I really like buying locally made products and it is great that Local Loco Deli offers a nice selection of goodies.  They offer different kinds of coffee beans, vinegar and bottled seafood and longganisa.

Bottles of local goodness

I ordered 3 kinds of Longganisa and since I do not eat pork I decided based on the product description.  The ones I selected are: Cebu (peppery • the oldest city in the country’s mastery of the art of flavorful longganisa-making) , Bulacan (spicy-garlicky • touted by most as the tastiest in the land) and Ilocos (garlicky • packed with wicked Ilocano garlic).  There is also Cabanatuan, but decided not to get that since it says that the meat is on the sweet side.  Nothing wrong with sweet but the longganisa fans here at home are not into sweet meats :D

All homegrown and homemade Ilocos and Bulacan goodness!  Serve it as is or as canape, pizza or pasta topping or sandwich filling.

Yummy Tinapa flakes for meow.  They also have cured baby oysters and dulong.  Will try those next time.

And for the vinegar I got Tuba (maisug {strong!} na tuba: coconut vinegar from the land of the fierce, Samar • naturally fermented and infused with lemongrass and garlic) and Mangga (from the mango farms of Zambales • naturally fermented and infused with lemongrass).  Yum!

Christmas shopping

Have you started your Christmas shopping?  I usually buy my gifts in December (Yes, I cram!) but I started earlier than usual this year because my mother-in-law had a scheduled trip to the US last month.  I wanted to make sure that all gifts for our relatives were with her before she left.  

Philippines in a box!  Gift to my plurk friend in Idaho

I find it a bit challenging to buy gifts for folks living abroad.  For one thing there is a limit on the size and the weight.  Then I worry about the customs.  I remember sending my client a package containing polvoron, dried mangoes and other yummy Filipino snacks but sadly they were all confiscated by the Australian customs.  Boo.  Last year I sent a package via Fed ex to a plurk friend in Idaho.  My stuff had to be quarantined for a day since I sent a few shells and a wind chimes made of Capiz :D  I have no problem with that...  I mean, I understand the need to thoroughly screen in coming items.  I wanted to send more stuff like a nice burlap aisle runner but had to limit the weight since shipping is quite expensive. 

Anyway, going back to this year's gifts...  I got my sister-in-law a very nice Filipino cookbook.  I heard that they have been cooking more often these days so I figured that this cookbook will somehow make them feel a bit closer to home.  The ingredients and processes are thoroughly explained making it easy to find substitutes just in case the ingredient is not available there.

The photos are beautiful too!  All taken by master photographer, Neil Oshima!  I'm definitely getting a copy of this book for myself :)

We got the kids really cool storybooks.  I like that there are both English and Tagalog translations.

And the illustrations are wonderful!  Just look at that Manananggal in the MRT. Haha!  I really hope they like our gifts :)