Ahh, how many times have you wanted to taste the tropical paradise the Philippines? Well, you can now do so courtesy of Suntropics Premium. Alas, there is no website. The products I am referring to are Mango Nectar not from concentrate. The juice is distributed by JFC International. Since I came to America, I have been searching for the taste of the Philippines. Finally some entrepreneurial spirit decided that Filipinos have suffered enough from orange juice, apple juice and prune juice! If you desire the taste of your childhood, go imbibe the magical taste of Guava nectar.

But where do you buy it? Well, good of you to ask. Island Pacific stores is the current favorite supermarket of yours truly. Not that I can traipse over there at any time. The two locations are in Union City and in Vallejo. Now this is another venture by Pin@ys that I have been waiting for since forever. I would like to buy tuyo without having to describe the process of catching the fish, drying it, and salting it. Sometimes that champurado just necessitates that dash of the salt only tuyo can provide. You can use patis but only in an emergency! You might as well try sardines first before trying the patis. SHIVERS

The symbolic meaning of Island Pacific makes me giggle with glee. Finally, some Filipino entrepreneur can compete in an open market system for profits. Finally, Pin@ys can buy their childhood memories and dreams in America. It speaks of economic power which in America is probably the most important type of power. If you can affect someone's bottom line profits, they will pay attention to you. The civil rights movement was propelled by the boycott in Alabama of bus service and businesses. No amount of coercion and intimidation could stop the boycott. And so now, we have a Filipino market that caters to the wants and needs of Pin@ys. Hopefully, the venture will be able to compete against Ranch 99, which is another wonderful Asian store that originated in Southern California.

The Ranch 99 store in Richmond is a wonderful place to shop. There is room to roam; the smell of decaying sewage does not assault one's senses; and paper towels are provided so that you can wipe off that fish juice dripping from your fingers. The bottles of patis and bagoong are nicely arranged in rows. The noodles are al bunched together in one aisle. The meats are well refrigerated to inhibit the growth of odoriferous bacteria. Another great plus is that you can buy fish and ask them to fry it. Now, if only they can only learn how to season the fish, we would have ourselves a banquet right in the store.

Granted, some people do like the idea of an adventure in shopping. And yes, when I am nostalgic for some ethnic location, I hop onto Bart and go into the Chinatown in Oakland and San Francisco. The sidewalk market is a virtual panoply of fruits and vegetables from the East. There are countless older women walking, pressing fruits, sniffing meat, and throwing vegetables around. However, you must admit that with that atmosphere comes the price of seeing urban decay.

While at Island Pacific, I was heartened to see mangoes! Unfortunately, upon closer examination, the mangoes proved to be bruised, scratched, and bored into by some unknown object. It was only after walking a few steps that I realized that the mangoes originally came in boxes that had randomly received mangoes. What happened was that the Pin@ys had brought over that Filipino tradition of picking the best fruits from the box. So, the average fruits were discarded, thrown and stepped on while the very best fruits were selected. Boy, talk about bringing into the US a dastardly tradition. This is one that we can definitely do without. I saw the owner of Island Pacific going over the mangoes. I suggested to him that perhaps they needed to place those large clear tapes to close out the boxes.

And faced with this difficult choice of selected leftover boxes of mangoes, what did you think I did to collect as a present to the QueenHermit? Well, realizing that most Pin@ys would be too lazy to lift boxes, I went for the box that was at the very bottom. Thankfully enough, there was at least several boxes that were just delectable and untarnished by the hands of the choosers or nanglalamang.

The mangoes were offered to the HermitQueen and she was pleasant enough to share with everyone. Note: In case you ever have the opportunity to visit the HermitQueen in the Palace in the Sky, you must bring the Goldilock's brioche. This should gain you entry into the Queen's palace. But obviously, you better know how to cook in order for you to make the proper offerings.

What pleasure it was to dive into the mangoes! I prefer to eat dinner with either mangoes or bananas. I guess I prefer the contrast in taste between salt and sweet. Since I was a kid, I've been doing that. During the dinner, I scooped the mango with a spoon. Firm but soft, golden and luscious. Those mangoes were childhood memory mangoes. I spoon mangoes because I don't want to make a mess. I have on occasion dived into a mango by unwrapping the skin. That is one blessed event that must be done in silence and in isolation because of the holy nature of the experience and the mess you create. Another way to devour a mango is by cutting the mango with a knife and then pushing the flesh outward. This creates that mango petal effect that entertained the QueenHermit so much. And still does as you will see in her blog.

It has been years, however, since I have consumed green mangoes with bagoong. Now, that is cuisine at its best. drool?..drool?. ahhhh, mangooooeeesssss In the heat of the Philippine day, I hid in the kitchen with a promise of the delectable green mangoes and the salty pungent bagoong. The salty taste brings the sourness of the mango to delight somewhere in the middle of the tongue. It's probably over stimulating the sweet tastebuds.