Wednesday, January 19, 2011

rainy days on wednesdays make me think of pan de sal and butter


which bakery in zamboanga makes the best pan de sal?

when i ask pan de sal loving people this, they tell me it is either (a) national or (b) abc.

i love pan de sal. husband prefers slice bread., the softer, the better. i like my breads and cakes to be on the rustic side, dense and hefty. something you can really really bite.

slice bread is ok. but it's bland. and soft. so i toast mine 'til its stiff, but not charcoal-y, the way a high school friend liked hers.

once toasted, i slather the toasted bread with butter.

my husband does not understand butter. his spread has to be sweet and sour, like, say, ladies' choice sandwich spread which i think is the pits. he will only use butter if there is absolutely nothing else.

this is to me the best palaman: queensland butter.

queensland used to be widely available when i was younger. i understand from my mother that now they are already hard to find. boiled camote is excellent with queensland. the two go so well together, especially if the camote is still piping hot and the butter has not been refrigerated, and is therefore it is runny.

now i am hungry.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

shoe fly, don't bother me

can someone please tell me where to buy shoes in zamboanga?

i have been going to town for shoe-reconnaissance mission for three days now, all in fruitless. i am looking for a particular kind of pair. wedge sandals, actually. i am also looking for something that meets the following criteria, arranged in order of importance to me:

1. they have to be strong enough to withstand ME for at least a year
2. they must not cost more than 2k
3. they have to look clunky
4. the straps have to of leather (related to #1), and cut wide (i will tell you why)
5. the color has to be in the brown family

something that looks like any of these:

if i can find one that looks like this, i will buy two of them, i swear.



the most important criteria is also the one that is giving me the most problems. do you remember cinderella's two evil stepsisters? one had narrow feet and the other had wide feet. i have feet like the latter's. on top of that, i am a heavy walker. (i am not yet ready to accept publicly that i am heavy). in general, i do not tread softly; more truck than bike. and i like to walk A WHOLE LOT. walking is cathartic to me.

so, wide feet + stomper + frequent walker + the-other-gravity-problem-that-must-not-be-named = a need for very durable shoes.

this rules out the korean and china made ones in the 250 to 650 price range that seems to be the staple of almost all stores here selling shoes. i envy girls who can wear them without destroying them. buying those are not cost efficient in my case because they break after one or two outings. AND/OR, my feet is gets abrasions and even open wounds.

they have to look clunky to match the rest of me.

the straps have to be of leather because that's the most comfortable and most durable. and because, aside from being wide sideways, my hooves are also ample up and down. :((

the color has to be in the brown family because that is the one that will go with most of my clothes now.