The long vacation for this year's Semana Santa (Holy Week) gave me the opportunity to visit Davao once again. It felt so good when we landed at Davao International Airport and smelled the scent of durian in the air.
The place that I went to is a remote town somewhere in Davao del Norte. It is remote because it is in the middle of banana plantations. The nearest sub-urban area is a bus ride away. People had to leave the town if they want to go to a mall, college school and banks.
People who grew up in the city will see the town as boring and slow. It is not their fault because they are accustomed to hustle and bustle of the Metro. I, on the other hand, welcomed the laid-back atmosphere of the town as my respite from the stressful life that I had in Manila.
Coconut trees can be found everywhere. The odd thing that I saw is this coconut:
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The place that I went to is a remote town somewhere in Davao del Norte. It is remote because it is in the middle of banana plantations. The nearest sub-urban area is a bus ride away. People had to leave the town if they want to go to a mall, college school and banks.
People who grew up in the city will see the town as boring and slow. It is not their fault because they are accustomed to hustle and bustle of the Metro. I, on the other hand, welcomed the laid-back atmosphere of the town as my respite from the stressful life that I had in Manila.
Coconut trees can be found everywhere. The odd thing that I saw is this coconut:
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Future Father-in-Law told me that the small container hanging from the coconut trunk contains unfermented tuba (palm wine). He gave the small container so I can drink the palm sap that he was collecting. The fresh tuba tastes sweet and I like it. It already had a faint tang of alcohol even though it is yet to be fermented.
Tuba is a local wine made from the sap of the cut flower of coconut. The fresh tuba is to be fermented and mixed with tungog (bark of mangrove tree) before it becomes the tuba that is being sold by the sari-sari stores in Davao.
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Tuba is a local wine made from the sap of the cut flower of coconut. The fresh tuba is to be fermented and mixed with tungog (bark of mangrove tree) before it becomes the tuba that is being sold by the sari-sari stores in Davao.
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| (Source: Proudly Philippine Made) |
I first tasted the reddish tuba during my first visit to Davao. A friend, who is an owner of a sari-sari store, always allow me to drink a glass of tuba every day.
Another thing that delighted me is when I saw this fruit:
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Another thing that delighted me is when I saw this fruit:
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This many-sided fruit is called “balimbing” (starfruit). This fruit is used to perfectly describe Filipino politicians who are known to change their political affiliations at whim. I was delighted to see this fruit because it is rare in Metro Manila. It is sad to know that young people in the Metro knows more about apples, oranges, and pears than the local fruits like balimbing.
The taste of this fruit is not delightful, however. It tasted mapakla (bitter?) and sour. My father told me that balimbing is in the family of the very sour kamias.
I enjoyed my Semana Santa stay in Davao. I met a lot of people and enjoyed a very long rest.
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The taste of this fruit is not delightful, however. It tasted mapakla (bitter?) and sour. My father told me that balimbing is in the family of the very sour kamias.
I enjoyed my Semana Santa stay in Davao. I met a lot of people and enjoyed a very long rest.
---
Visit Ahab Reviews and Tips and read about Jollibee party brochures.
Follow me in Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest and Flickr.
I don't think na makakaya kong uminom ng Tuba hehe...
ReplyDeletethough nakakain na ako ng Balimbing before... para syang camias
Bluedreamer
ReplyDeleteIkaw naman. Kayang-kaya mo 'yang tuba. :-) Mas malala pa nga yung brandy at rhum.
naku diba matapang ung tuba?? nakakain na ko ng balimbing dti peo di ko na tanda ung lasa
ReplyDeletehappy blogging
ReplyDeleteoh belimbing! :) my country has alot of that. sweet and delicious!
ReplyDeleteLatest: Thai Chakri Palace
wow balimbing! na-miss ko. si lola ko may puno ng balimbing dati kaso ngayon wala na. diko na alam kung saan ako makakakita pa ng balimbing sa amin.
ReplyDeleteBalimbings take me back to childhood days in Pasay (yes, in the city) when we would just pick these plump fruits off a tree in our yard. Same with aratelis (hope I got the spelling right.)
ReplyDeleteBalimbing sprinkled with salt was our constant merienda. Yum! =)
masarap din ang tuba....depende sa klase....masarap kasi ang tuba kapag matagal na....ang iba na nagbebenta ay pinapaabot ng ilang buwan bago ibenta...pag lampas 8 months ang tuba ay masarap na talaga.....kapag kulang ng pambili ng beer ay tuba na lang.....maraming beses na akong nakainom niyan....ang iba dito sa leyte ay binibiyahe ang tuba para doon sa luzon ibenta kasi mahal na.....ang isang galon daw roon ng tuba sa luzon mga 300 pesos yata o lampas pa...samantala dito puwede 80 pesos........may balimbing kaming tanim.......masarap din iyan....
ReplyDeletemasarap ang tuba talaga...minsan dito ang iba ay tuba na lang kaysa beer....
ReplyDeleteMECoy
ReplyDeleteMatapang nga ang tuba pero masarap naman. Merong mga alcoholic drinks ako na hindi ko type pero ok na ok sa akin yung tuba.
Yung balimibing? Maasin siya. Salamat po sa pagbisita.
Fishiee
Belimbing la. :-) The belimibing that I tasted is sour. I want to taste the sweet belimbing in the future.
Sikolet
Wow. Buti pa kayo may balimbing noon. Ako ngayon lang talaga nakakita ng balimbing.
Average Jane
Wow! Balimbing in Pasay City. I wonder if there's still Balimbing in Metro Manila.
You spelled the aratelis correctly, although there are variations in spelling. We spell that fruit ar "alateris". :-)
Arvin
Mukhang manginginom ka ng tuba ah. ^_^ Oo nga. Ang mahal ng tuba dito sa Metro Manila. Kaya nga kapag nasa probinsya ako siguradong marami akong maiinom na tuba. ^_^
Dati may tanim kaming balimbing kaso nmatay yung puno. Bihira nga yan sa manila
ReplyDeleteAnney
ReplyDeleteBihira na nga talaga. Baka nga 'yung mga bata hindi na nila maintindihan 'yung kasabihan na bumabalimbing.
YOU CAN BUY STAR FRUIT IN SOME GROCERY STORE LIKE PUBLIX AND TARGET.( FLORIDA USA)
ReplyDelete