As I have read in one of the newspapers here that Filipinos are the third biggest immigrants here in Canada. In 2006 alone, Chinese immigrants tops at 33,080 followed by the Indians at 30,753 and Filipinos at 17,717. No wonder everywhere I go, I meet ‘kababayans’. I have some friends, ex-colleagues and relatives here in Ontario. This has given me a good chance to reconnect to the Filipino lifestyle. Through them I managed to locate Asian/Filipino shops and restaurants where I could enjoy Filipino dishes which I have been craving for, for quite some time now.
Shops:
Yuan Ming in Mississauga was the first shop I had visited. I can’t believe what I saw! Everything is just there: from the packed and jarred sweets, canned goods, fresh & frozen root crops, vegetables, delicacies, processed meat, to fish. Filipinos can really live here exactly like in the Philippines. Amazing!
We have visited as well the H & H Supermarket, though it’s a Chinese shop but they have a long row of shelves displaying all Filipino products. While standing there confused which items to take, Herbert was teasing me that I’m in paradise. True, because it’s not like that in Germany. The Chinese shop I used to visit there has only 3 items from the Philippines.
Another shop we have been is the FV Foods. I found this in the internet while searching for Filipino delicacies. Looking at their website, it’s definitely a place worth a visit. I can’t believe that they even have ‘nilupak’ (mashed cassava with milk, sugar and cheese). This is a delicacy we enjoyed in our childhood in my hometown in Surigao. We used to make 'nilupak' with our leftover food; it can be cassava, boiled banana or taro. We normally mash either one of them with grated coconut, sugar and milk. Oh, I love it!
From any Filipino shops, one can buy various types of Balikbayan boxes. A balikbayan box (literally returnee's box) is a cardboard box containing novelty items brought by or sent by a Filipino who is returning to the Philippines from a foreign country.[1] These boxes contain non-perishable food items, canned goods, other food items, toiletries, household and kitchen stuffs, time saving devices, computer parts, electronics, toys, designer clothing, personal items, and hard-to-find items in the Philippines.(source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balikbayan_box)
In most cases, balikbayan boxes are now used by Filipinos abroad to send items to the Philippines for their families and friends. Here in Canada it is so popular because the shipping fee is very reasonable. For the same service in Germany will cost Euro 130 which is not comparable at all.
Restaurant:
One evening, I was craving for a Filipino meal. I searched in the internet the closest restaurant we could find and there was ‘Mayette’s Fine Foods’ which is just about 20 minutes drive. I called for a reservation and then we headed our way there. Well, we were the only customer at that time. The owner, Mayette and her husband were so warm and nice enough to welcome and serve us. Going through the menu, it was difficult to decide as I wanted to have many of them. While waiting for the food, we had a very nice talk with her husband. Later on, the food was served. We ordered quite a lot but we did really well as we almost finish everything. It was a very good meal.
(Check-out the website for more info: http://mayettes.com/About%20Mayettes.htm)
Meeting Friends from the Philippines:
My friends Roselle & Ian (my ex-colleagues back in Dubai) invited us for lunch at the Mandarin Buffet in Brampton. The place is nice and very well decorated. Being a Saturday it was expected to be full. Where we were seated is a beautiful hall with the huge wall aquarium as its focal point. It was a good time to talk and enjoy the moment with their very pretty and smart daughters.
The food was certainly good with a very good variety. I highly recommend this restaurant for a family gathering. For a moment, I was feeling that we were back in China. The children can’t get away from the beautiful aquarium.
After lunch, we headed back to their home. A typical Filipino gathering is never complete without the karaoke (kareoke) session. So I made sure I won’t forget to take the `Magic Mic’ karaoke system. Quickly we set-up the system and sung the whole afternoon and evening out. It was a fantastic time with the family. It felt like we were home.
My first westbound trip to meet Lovely:
Another friend from my hometown, Lovely is living also in Brampton. The last time we met was 1989, about 18 years ago. We agreed to meet in Square One, Mississauga. It was my first time to take a public transport. With the instruction she gave me, I tried to search in the net if there’s a site where I could plan my route and print it out as my guide. But to my dismay I couldn’t find anything. I found some forums instead of people looking for the same thing. For such a big city and being a tourist destination I feel it is really necessary to provide such a tool.
In Germany, there is a site where I can go to plan my trip using the public transport. I just have to put the place of origin, destination, the date and time, then the system will give me a list of the trams/bus/train that I should take indicating the stops and connections with specific timings. Likewise, a map of the trip will also be given. So, I could print it out to take with me. If I miss a specific time, I could refer to the plan for the next trip. It’s a perfect tool for travelers and tourists. Anyway, I had no choice but to rely on the transport map I got from the TTC.
I was planning to take a bus to Bloor Street where the station for the westbound train is. But on my way to the bus station I saw the 'Subway' sign, so I took the chance if I could take a train to the Bloor Station. I went to the ticket counter and asked how to get to the Islington Station, I was instructed to take the northbound train to Bloor Station then get-off and get in to the westbound train. So, I dropped $2.75 in the box and walked my way to the train. At the Bloor Station, I stepped-out and looked for the westbound train. With all the signs in place it was easy to find the way. Then at the Islington, I had to look for the bus no.26. The bus schedule is pretty good it was just a few minutes wait. Well, it was my very first bus ride in Canada,. I had $2.50 dropped in the box and asked for a transfer ticket from the driver. Though it was a long ride but it was comfortable. I got off at Square One waiting for Lovely and her husband to pick me up.
I was a bit anxious if I could still recognize her after so many years. I saw her smiling while approaching me and gave each other warm embraces. I can’t believe we’re together. I was really happy seeing her again. She took me to the parking area where her husband was waiting. I met him for the first time. As we got into the car, we quickly started our non-stop conversation. We were dropped at the Yuan Ming shop, and then we headed towards the Square One again, roamed around while catching-up on things. Then we took a bus to the Vietnamese Restaurant. The food there was also good. In the thick snow and heavy snowfall, we walked to catch the bus to their home. We dropped-by the school to pick her daughter up and headed to their home. We spent the whole afternoon in the kitchen baking banana cake and making pizza while sharing some updates. We had so much fun together and as usual the time was flying. Since it was getting dark, I decided to stay and asked Herbert to pick me up. As a consolation, we told him we made an exceptionally delicious pizza for him (lol). After few hours Herbert arrived. I introduced him to Lovely and we sat again for more catching-up to do. Later on, Lovely’s husband arrived and we spent some time together before we had to drive back to downtown.
The second time we visited them was on the New Year. As we were driving to their place, I enjoyed the view outside. Due to the heavy snow the night before, the landscape was awesome. I promised myself to make some pictures with Lovely and the family in their front yard but with all the conversations we had we simply forgot to make one.
They prepared a fantastic lunch (our hometown native dishes). I felt like we were in Surigao. I missed those foods for some time. I have to mention the ‘kinilaw’ (kingfish salad), dried anchovies from Cebu (I love it so much), salmon soup with malunggay, baked milkfish and bam-i (egg noodles). After lunch, we didn’t stand-up anymore from the table as Lovely was serving more and more to eat. We had boiled plantain banana, then we wrapped together spring rolls (lumpia shanghai) and fried it. While talking about our native food and delicacies she quickly remembered she had one of those cassava chips (hayhon). She fried some and prepared our ever-favorite chocolate drink Tablea. I can’t believe what were having on the table. Then she served the freshly baked croissant which the gentlemen really loved. We wanted to go out and play with the snow but we were too heavy to move (lol). It was a nice day with the family and truly a food indulgence. We drove home at around 10pm.
A Birthday Party:
Last week, we were invited to a birthday party of my cousin’s daughter in Scarborough. Knowing it’s another Filipino gathering I was more happy to go. Moreso, I haven’t seen her for about 18 years. She was still a small girl the last time I saw her. As we came to their place we were greeted by the pretty girls and my cousin Yetyet and her husband. There were some guests already having their karaoke session. The hosts were busy preparing the table and receiving more and more guests mainly from Cebu and Surigao. Herbert and I found a corner where we sat and made ourselves comfortable as more guests were coming in.
Yetyet told me that many of the guests were from Tubajon whom I was excited to meet. Then we were introduced to everyone and we started conversations with Boy Luib and the rest of the clan. It was very heart-warming to meet people from my hometown as it does not happen to us often especially in Germany. With Thelma, we started to trace people from our town. Unfortunately, many of those she knows are much older than me: some of them I do know but some I don’t. The reason being is that they have left our town many years ago. We found out that their house in Loreto is not far from ours. We talked about the famous organization of Loretonians in United States and Canada called LUSCAN. This non-political organization has been founded many years ago by the pioneer batch of Loretonians in the U.S. ad Canada but until now it’s still going strong. We also had the chance to talk to the children of Charlie Luib. Though we have never met them before; nevertheless, we had a nice time together.
The table was set with Filipino dishes and of course dominated by the Lechon Baboy (roasted pig). It is quite amusing to observe our custom. Some of the guests brought food with them and shared it to everybody. I love the desserts, some of them I haven’t had for some time. The food was really good. While the others had fun with the karaoke, Herbert and I opted to stay in the corner having conversations with some of the guests. Gatherings like this really made me feel that the Filipinos here are living a Filipino life away from home. Isn’t that great? There’s just a small room for homesickness. Someone told me that if their families and relatives are here then this place is not different from the Philippines.
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