Patani or lima beans (phaseolus lunatus Linn.) still on the vine, just about ready to be harvested. But let me take a few steps back. This website was originally set up with the intention of exploring markets, food stores and produce in Manila. That evolved to include local and international recipes and other food related posts, flowers, rants, then to include travel and food around the country and abroad. Now I find a fascination with seeing the food at the source… exploring basic ingredients such as vinegar, salt, patis, as well as many farm-raised items, and even, watching a live pig turn into lechon with ALL of the steps in-between. I suppose it is a natural evolution, as the blog reflects my interests, curiosity and desire to learn something new, at an increasingly insistent pace. I have to admit, the blog is taking over a good 2-3 hours of my day, every single day! And a lot of that is spent responding to emails, comments, queries, etc. and while I used to respond to everything, I now just pick and choose and ignore the really outrageous requests and emails. But this is marketmanila, and I hope the readers enjoy it and find the variety of posts interesting and enough reason to keep coming back for more. I don’t have particularly artistic photographs nor well written prose, but oddly, as I look back at nearly 1,600 posts, there is a darned lot of content! Your comments are so incredibly insightful and helpful at times, and while I don’t personally know 99% of you, I really do appreciate your dropping by… At some point, the breadth of knowledge and collective experience on this blog should be pulled into one document, a book, or books, perhaps, but as I have said before, I am daunted by the task and I would have to slow down the blog to even think of writing a draft of a book… Okay, stream of consciousness over. Back to the patani.
Seeing patani still on the vine was a really wonderful experience for me. I never spent much time on a farm, but have always been on the periphery of some pretty impressive home gardens (my family once had a 2,000 square meter vegetable garden in the 1970’s when it was de rigeur to be part of the “Green Revolution”) so seeing produce in its natural state shouldn’t be such a surprise… But I was still fascinated and couldn’t resist taking these photographs. I recalled an earlier post on patani and other beans, and I also wanted to harvest these and whip up a patani spread that I made a while back with excellent results… ah, the simple pleasures of food and life…
25 Responses
I love my patani in dinengdeng! Did u know that ilocano use the word patani as a euphemism for the female reproductive organ?? lol! well, thats what i’ve been told! anyone care to argue?? hehe
I just saw these at the sunday market htis morning…I think I’m gonna try your patani spread concoction..btw,is that your farm up in the photos? I love being in a farm and the serenity it offers, and the abundance one feels when there’s just so much produce around…wouldn’t be nice if yu can publish a book( ala stories in pictures type…)with some recipes or short stories in between..
your blogs are addicting.this is the first thing i check when i log on and one last time before i log off.i agree with elaine,i think you could make a very wonderful coffee book out of your photos with a little story or recipe with each. that would be a very good gift for foodies.let me know when it comes out and i’ll definitely buy lots of copies because almost everybody in my family are into this kind of thing.
patani is good in dinengdeng.
Its yummy sa laswa din
Ellen: Now I know why I like a lot of patani! But wait! I am not even Ilocano!
Hahaha.. let’s see where this comment thread will wander to.
lee, silly Lolo and Ellen, hello?! may I know why? Do Ilocanas have lime or pale green thingees? Or are they flat and smooth? Why is this the euphmism, please enlighten… :) And what, pray tell, is the Ilocano veggie of choice for the male equivalent? Unless of course they are deluding themselves with something like “aubergine.” Hahaha. Any risque comments after this must be PG rated, GOT IT??? :)
MM, rest assured you are making a lot of people entertained with your blog. Yes, you got content and that makes you a very good content provider! Your photos are a lot better than mine.
I can’t figure out the reason why the female repro organs would be akin to a bean pod! Because the pod opens and round things are visible???
In one chinese dialect, the word for tofu is the term used for the female parts down there.
MM: Maybe Ellen can ‘splain it some more. I am not Ilocano, nor am I Chinese and regardless of how Lee encourages me, I refuse to get in trouble. All I know is, it’s yummy! And, Mila seems to have an opinion. But wait till Betty Q hears about this!
I have the right to protect my angelic innocence but I also need to listen to the words of the wise…
the green pod elicits the green comments…
Ehem, excuse me, that’s my patani you are talking about! Heehee!
Especially funny thread when taken with Elaine’s comment of trying the “patani spread”. Hmmm, double entendre on a Monday!What a way to start the week!
They look like chicharo to me. *lol* I love patani in pinakbet and dinengdeng.
Why the female reproductive organs? Is it because they are also in a pod, as ina sheath…the way vanilla is in a pod? Or is it because when one pulls apart the two “havles” of a patani, the seed germ is visible up top and it reminds them of… *zips lips* Ooops…PG rated lang pala dapat.
I love patani. PG enough. *snicker*
This blog is getting to be x-rated, hahaha! CecileJ, indeed what a way to start the week with hot spice!
HAHAHA!! Ok i think i really need to explain myself here =) well i think its used as a euphemism because of its shape especially when u ‘butterfly’ the patani! hahaha! i can’t explain it anymore than that but it was my grandma who used the term all the time with me =) maybe because it was a cuter term than the ilocano word for it which is ___! As I remember correctly, MM featured an ilocano specialty, an equivalent to tortang talong called puki-puki which he spelt as poqui-poqui. i thought that was sooo polite! hahaha! take away the p and you have the ilocano term for u know what!
We didn’t start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world’s been turning
We didn’t start the fire
No we didn’t light it
But we tried to fight it
Billy Joel
They look like bataw, only bigger. I see this in supermarkets, now I know what it is. In the past I remember, patani seeds being sold like butong-pakwan or green peas – dried and salted.
I am your regular with your variety of topics from a produce market through political rallies – do not know what awaits me when I click on your site or do not have the foggiest idea what your article(s) will be on one given day. Surprise, clues, mentoring, learning and fun that’s all I could say. My breadth of source for learning and never ending honing and mentoring skills. The momentum of your topics plus your legion of commenters sharing their wide array of different views, opinions, hands on experience and stepping back in time on particular subject matter keep me going all day! I believe evolution is part of our constant growth and needs to keep up with time. Lima beans are good addition in baked beans for added color and flavor and in pinakbet, shrimp and fish sinigang and what the rest mentioned dinengdeng.
Lee, did you really try to fight it? Seriously? Why fight such a lovely (green) fire? Heehee, wheeeeee!
hahahaha…. oh patani!
Nobody even dared answer the query on the male equivalent. Aren’t those miniature vegetables from Ilocos for their authentic pinakbet? Hahaha. I am not disparaging anyone, please…
To be honest with you, I’m just a lurker (although I’ve already written you one comment) but I really find your blogs quite interesting, if not educational. There is, in fact information overload in your blog and I’m not complaining. Keep blogging, keep blogging and I can’t thank you enough for the information you impart to us thru your blogs. Saludo ako sa iyo!
Thanks to you MM, now I know how a patani vine looks like! I’ve only seen the seeds.
You certainly educate us with your diverse and insightful topics, be it food, places and/or politics. I especially appreciate your feature on Bicol as my Mom hails from there. I spent a number of summers near Donsol, Daraga and Albay when I was a child and it was really nostalgic feeling when I read your blogs. I look forward to your publishing a book of your food travels and observations, as well as your experiments with local and sometimes indigenous ingredients.
You guys are funny! Indeed, laughter is the best medicine! Thanks Mr. Marketman! I really enjoy your site. Very interesting!