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"Ordinary" seems not to fit if I am to describe my friend's haven. It is a twenty-five by nine feet puwesto served as a store and is divided into two parts. The first one is the mini canteen type, a twelve and a half by nine feet filled with mouth-watering indigenous Filipino dishes. Sinigang is one of his mom's specialty. The freshness of the ingredients makes her sinigang tastes like no other. Ingredients like banana heart (puso), fish or meat, leafy vegetables, and kamias or tamarind for souring can be found in the other side of the "puwesto" which is also owned by her. She says the secret of cooking the best tasting sinigang is to use the freshest ingredients, use only enough spices, and to cook it heartily of course. Everyday she is making sure that before six in the morning the mini canteen was already set. Huge variety of dishes to choose from should already be cooked. And on the other side of the puwesto, the fruits, vegetables, and all the other stuff were displayed in their proper places. Nothing compares if defined how it looks after her daughter neatly arranged their stuff. Table salt was placed in the plastic bag and piled upward that it was about to cover the entire wall. The plastic used is very clear that you can barely see every salt crystals in it. A small cart was placed on the side where fresh fruits and vegetables were laid. There is a color coding followed by her daughter in arranging those vegetables. Same color are placed separately i. e. by placing a radish beside an orange carrot since their color are different. Far from the side rested a bulky coconut grinder, since it is not its time to roar. Scared-the first thing that comes in the mind of the one who first hear its roar when someone is grinding a coconut. It sounds like an angry beast roaring in a vast jungle looking for a prey. But its roar will only last for about two-four minutes since grinding a coconut didn't take that long. After that, you will hear nothing but only the sketching of the tires of the tricycles(motorcycles with a cab) and the murmur of the people around who is at that time are their first time hearing the coconut grinder's sound. The silence of dawn and the steadiness of the plants around from twelve midnight until five in the morning are broken auspiciously by a sudden rush of busy people and the zephyr that touches the plants as if it was trying to wake them up coz the sun is about to rise. It seems to be from five in the morning until ten is the busiest time of day. Her once sleepy face now be brightened and transformed into a picture of smile. I find no other reason but maybe it is because a group of busy customers will soon be coming again. Not too long after seven, her son, which happens to be my friend, will now be helping her. Waves after waves of customers are coming. From a joggling Lolas to a group of mothers waiting for someone to pass to be the recipient of their freshly baked gossip. Everyone seems to be their customer. . . You know why? I try to answer it and I find only one answer: it is what the people need they're selling-food or should I say DELICIOUS FOOD?

Better taste one to know. . .

This post is for Ate Salve, Aura, and Allan Ray