when the Choc Nut and Christmas islander blogs within the breeze of the Gulf

Plaza de Binondo. September 2009.

While taking snapshots of the side entrance of Minor Basilica of San Lorenzo Ruiz (Binondo Church), this boy approached me.

He: Ate, picture-an mo ako!
Me: Ha? O, sige.

He posed.

Me: Okay, napicture-an na kita.
He: Ate, pahingi ng pera. (I thought he was going to thank me. Though I’m used to it, I got surprised that moment since there are no beggars in Abu Dhabi. Primarily because street begging is punishable here.)
Me: Anong gagawin mo sa pera?
He: Bibili ako ng pagkain. Nagugutom na ako eh.
Me: Sinong kasama mo?
He: Ako lang
Me: Bibigyan kita ng hopia (Since I’ve just been to Eng Bee Tin)
He: Pera na lang
Me: Okay. (Handed him one peso. That’s the only money/coin I had in my (jeans) pocket. I didn’t want to open my bag for some obvious reasons. He should have agreed to take the hopia.)
He: Ayoko nito. Gusto ko 5 pesos.
Me: (Looked for and found a 5-peso coin in my bag and gave to him)

Then, he ran away.

One of the things that I like being in Manila Chinatown is the opportunity to feast on Chinese yummies randomly in unpretentious restaurants. You get to eat in a little glamorous above carinderia style, with no airconditioning, no fancy chairs and tables, and other variable and fixed overhead that probably explain why the food are reasonably priced. Chuankee, which is manned by the same people behind Eng Bee Tin and Mr. Ube, is one of them.

Their beef noodles is reliable. I don’t know why, but this time I wish it were a little spicy. I also noticed that it’s sweet for my current taste. Probably, that’s a tiny adjustment to come up with a “Pinoy” taste. Or maybe it is there all along but I didn’t notice it much until I had the exact basis of comparison, i.e. after trying those prepared in the Traditional Noodle House in Hong Kong.

I’m fond, too, of their asadong tainga ng baboy (pig’s ears). I know some people don’t eat this part. This brought me to that day when we didn’t let a former officemate to know exactly what we were ordering. As they say, what you don’t know won’t hurt you. We addressed her concerns psychologically.

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I always find it interesting to compare new and old pictures of places and people. Hence, in my most recent visit to Binondo Church, I wanted to capture the obvious changes that transpired based on available old photos in the net.

Binondo Church in 1899 – Photo from University of Wisconsin Digital Collections

Photo taken on 23 September, 2009 Read more

We saw this shrine when we were passing by San Nicholas Street in Binondo. What piqued my interest is the presence of the crucifix and incense sticks at the same place. To add, there are also sampaguita garlands and structure of school of fish above the crucifix. At first glance, it is clearly a fusion of Christian and Chinese beliefs.

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