One of the really charming aspects of being in a small seaside town is the existence of ambulant seafood and produce vendors. On the main road in Culion, Palawan, throughout the 
day, vendors young and old walked past homes and small businesses on the main streets with freshly caught fish, minutes before gathered seaweed (lato), and freshly picked fruits as well. If you spot something you like while you are out on an errand, you can even purchase it and ask the vendor to walk it over to your home… talk about door to door service! And I haven’t asked but I am sure there is a credit system in place as well. You don’t have to take a short ride to the nearby market if all you need is to fry up a few fish for lunch, just let out a friendly holler from your second story window!
Unfortunately, I was just visiting for the day and a guest of some terrific hosts 
who pulled out all the stops food wise, so there was no reason for me to go shopping for more seafood… But I could already imagine a nice fish stew, or a really sour sinigang, perhaps a bracing lato salad with cane vinegar or a cashew fruit shake to pucker the lips… Living in the province definitely has its advantages! And with fish here costing between PHP40-80 a kilo, it was about one-third to one-fourth the prices of the same fish in Manila or Batangas! Now if only I could get all of this fantastic produce back to Manila on a regular basis…
4 Responses
i miss that back in my old home town in Isabela.
Nice looking fish with all the characteristics of freshness! Great for sinigang sa miso, steamed or fried. I love the laid back life in the province – in the morning that will wake up with the crow of the cocks not the annoying alarm clock and at night you will fall a sleep with the whimsical crickets not to mention the abundant greeneries and serenity.
This is the kind of vacation I would like to have when I visit the Phils… actually a dream vacation away from the noise and the usual pollution. You do a better job than the Tourism Board, no fancy frills, just the bare “what you see is what you get” Those fresh fish made me homesick for real hometown meals!
how great it must be to live by the sea [oh yeaah, it rhymes! :-) ] and enjoy our Maker’s bounty! then my twisted mind suddenly shatters this idyllic vision with images of menacing sharp shark teeth and sky-high tsunamis obliterating everything in its path.
rats.
good to see that you’ve enjoyed your vacation. and yes, you and the other bloggers have done more for Philippine tourism with your in-depth descriptions of your journeys. bravo!