You might find it weird when I say that grocery shopping is one of the guilty pleasures in my life. Of late, since I’ve been hospitalized again last May, I seldom go out except when I visit my doctors and attend Sunday masses. I do get tired easily, can’t even exercise because of the DJ stent, I am ever so careful of doing household chores that tax my strength.
Anyway, after a few hours finding that much-needed dress for next Sunday’s reunion, I accompanied my daughter and the hubby to do the grocery. I always enjoy grocery shopping – reading labels, finding new items to buy, searching for a lower-priced commodity, and looking at expiry dates . I am very particular about this since I found out that some of those that they place on their ON Sale bins are actually a few days short of reaching the end of its shelf life. Believe me, don’t ever buy those Buy One, Take One items that you see without checking them first . You might just go home with a dented can of sardines or an about to expire item.
A few days ago, I was looking at the neatly arranged shelf of one of the branches of Mercury Drug Stores while the hubby was in line buying my medications. Imagine that silly grin on my face when I saw a box that reads Tancho Pomade. And I asked myself, “buhay pa eto?”. The last time I saw a jar of that brand was way back in high school because my Dad used it to keep his short hair in place. Time changes things though, because the now generation uses all sorts of hair treatments – from gel to anti-frizz spray to hair mousse to styling wax. But Tancho, yikes, I didn’t even like the greasy feel of it.
And going back to my foray at the grocery store shelves, I found these packs of Tarzan and Judge. Oh come on, don’t tell me you didn’t grow up munching on Tarzan Bubblegum. Wow, after all these years, these childhood favorites are still here. Mom used to bring home bubblegum for us kids every time she does the weekly marketing. My brothers and I even had that sort of contest as to who could produce the biggest bubble and outlast the others. Choc-nut, who could forget these delectable and delicious peanut and chocolate bars of old? Nobody told us that it was bad for the teeth and too much sugar is also bad for the health. Remember those exchange gifts called Kris Kringle? Back then, receiving a box of Choc-Nut was like having a sinfully addictive Toblerone and Andes Mints.
It seems that our memories of childhood were synonymous with food dear to us. Summer fruits like siniguelas, duhat, guava, mango, atis, to name a few are some of the things I really crave for. One could not exchange the pleasure of climbing duhat trees, even sometimes getting a frown and a sermon from Mom because you filled your pockets with these plum-like fruits not knowing that the stains of the juice are hard to remove. One thing that I haven’t seen for quite a long time now is balimbing. and I am not speaking of your traditional-turn-coat politicians. Gosh, I have to google the translation of balimbing in English, and they call it star fruit. As to why it was closely associated with the former, tell me.
Looking back, it’s the simple things that give us so much pleasure. What’s yours?
Dreams And Escapes 