Konted's Make My Day 2

Monday, 23 June 2014

Something Fishy At Mama Ting's

Something Fishy At Mama Ting's

I was with the little dogs again, walking through the streets of Marikina City and threading erstwhile unknown, narrow alleys. The tiniest one was pulling back as she wanted to take a different path. What I did was to change direction. I decided to cross the street. Upon reaching the other side, I began to smell the aroma of fish being fried. We were nearing Mama Ting's store famous for its Rellenong Bangus. You see, this city is known not only for shoes but for good food as well.

Mama Ting's cooks the best Rellenong Bangus in the city. Rellenong Bangus is stuffed milkfish that is deep fried. Mama Ting's has been specializing in this traditional food for quite some time and its good reputation has spread far and wide. Mama Ting's is unrivaled when it comes to Rellenong Bangus. No other else does it better than Mama Ting's. And once you taste it, you crave for more.

The preparation and actual cooking of Rellenong Bangus can be a tedious process. After selecting the desired size, the fish is pounded and the meat is separated from the skin. The fish bones are taken out. Ingredients are added to the meat that is stuffed back and sewn. Then it is fried until it is golden brown. But the problem is you can't eat right there at Mama Ting's. All orders are for take out only, no dine-in. But, wait, I forgot to tell you. They also make delicious Everlasting which is similar in taste to the Embutido.

I have always been telling the grandmother of my grandchildren that she does not need to take the trouble of going to the market to buy fish. She does not have to debone that fish. She does not have to scrape the meat from the skin using a spatula. She does not have to buy a large amount of cooking oil and deep fry the fish. Everything is time-consuming. All she has to do is to ride that old Japanese bike and take the narrow street that leads to the Big Church at the city proper. Mama Ting's is very near the Big Church. Near the Shoe Museum. And then buy the big Rellenong Bangus which is freshly cooked. All she needs then is steaming white rice. Nagugutom na naman ako.......

- Konted

Whether riding a bike or walking with the dogs, the walkway along the banks of the Marikina River is a short and safe way to the city proper.

The old house of Kapitan Moy who is regarded as the founder of the Marikina shoe industry. The house of Kapitan Moy along J.P. Rizal St. is only a few steps away from Mama Ting's store.

The Our Lady of the Abandoned Church at the city proper. Mama Ting's is only a few meters away from the church.

Whenever I pass by the Big Church, I dip my fingers into the stoup and sprinkle the Chihuahuas with holy water.

The Marikina Shoe Museum houses the countless pairs of shoes of Madame Imelda Marcos and other well-known personalities. The Shoe Museum is near Mama Ting's store. And Mama Ting's is just a bike ride away from any part of the city.

The little dogs take a rest in front of the Shoe Museum.

Mama Ting's store along J.P. Rizal St.in Sta. Elena

Mama Ting's food counter

Varying prices for varying sizes

Mama Ting's cooking area. You can watch from the counter while waiting for your order.

Menu board

Prices in tarpaulin

Jumbo Rellenong Bangus in standard wrapper

Deep fried till golden brown

Slicing the bangus in several portions is easy.

Super Jumbo Rellenong Bangus still in wrapper

Super Jumbo sells for P250.

The best in Marikina

The Everlasting tastes like the Embutido. It is a popular Marikina dish.

Leche Flan at P100

Boiled beef soup to go with the Rellenong Bangus

The three little dogs rest near the Our of Lourdes Grotto along the banks of the river.

Ashley with the three little dogs in front of Kapitan Moy's house

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Wednesday, 18 June 2014

My First Converse Shoes

My First Converse Shoes

Like Forrest Gump, I was sitting on a bench in front of the Shoe Museum when a group of high school students passed by. They were wearing colorful rubber shoes. And there was no mistaking that the shoes were Converse rubber shoes. That triggered something. That made my mind wander to a day in 1961 when I wore my first Classic Converse high cut basketball shoes. I was then 11 yrs old, going 12.

Banking on the assurance of classmate and teammate Bombo Joven that I would be fielded in the next scheduled game, I asked my father for a brand new pair. I had been riding the bench in the past games and this could be my 15 minutes of fame. You see, Bombo played basketball so well that our class adviser assigned him as team captain and delegated some of the coaching chores to him. At a very young age, Bombo had basketball moves comparable to that of all-time great Kenneth Duremdes. If Bombo took basketball seriously, Duremdes would have been a mere copycat. And we looked up to him as team leader. Game time came and I was wearing my first Classic Converse All Star.

The first few pairs of Converse rubber shoes were introduced to the public in 1908 by the Converse Rubber Shoe Company owned by Marquis Mills Converse. They were primarily intended as winter shoes and not as sports shoes. It was in 1915 that the company started manufacturing tennis shoes. And two years later, the classic Converse All Star basketball shoes were manufactured and made available in shoe stores. When the company engaged the services of basketball star Chuck Taylor as member of its sales staff several years after, Converse All Star made an impact on the sporting world. Taylor's signature was added later on the patch of the high cut shoes. Whereas before, only white and black shoes were manufactured, we now see different colors of Converse shoes. Today, Converse is owned by Nike. Nike bought the company in 2003 to the tune of $309 million.

The original Converse factory is in Malden, Massachusetts. Converse boasts of having sold approximately 800,000,000 pairs of Chuck Taylor All Star rubber shoes since the early 1900s. Prominent personalities who have been associated with Converse, at one time or another, were Wilt Chamberlain, Julius 'Dr. J' Erving, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. Holder of the Guinness record for the largest collection of unique Converse shoes is Joshua Mueller of Lakewood, Washington. Joshua has 680 pairs of Converse shoes.

Back to the ball game. As expected, I was not one of the starting five. The 1st and 2nd quarters ended with our team trailing by more than 10 points. I was telling myself that anytime during the second half, Bombo would ask me to substitute for another player. And I was bracing for that eventuality. As what I had been hearing the day before, I was to act as reliever to another classmate Jerry Singson, younger brother of Chavit Singson. But Jerry was playing one hell of a game, and displaying one hell of a fight. He was sizzling. Not to mention that the team was still trailing behind. The buzzer sounded and we lost by a single digit. I had no opportunity to seize the moment, to show my basketball wares, to dive for loose balls. There was no dirt, no stain on my Converse. The shoes remained immaculate white.

Now, my story does not end there. As I walked home after the game, I was uneasy. I was perplexed. What would I tell Bok, our errand boy? I was bragging that morning before leaving the house for school: "Bok, I'll drop the bombs today." But more importantly, what would I tell my father? For sure he would want to know what transpired during the game. And true enough, before twilight time, I could hear my father's car horn blaring: beep...beep beep. I ran upstairs and, through the railing of the stairway, I could see him enter the side door. He was in his usual all-white attire and holding his medical leather bag with the stethoscope dangling. I could hear his voice: "Hey, kid, come down...come here....tell me what happened. ..How many points did you score today? Did you feel comfortable with your new Converse? How was it, tell me...." I remained upstairs, slumped on the vinyl floor tiles. I refused to go down the stairs. There was nothing to tell my father. There was nothing to tell about my new Converse. Holding the Converse shoe box, I went inside the room and locked the door. I had my dinner at 10pm when my father was fast asleep. My 15 minutes of fame remained elusive.

- Konted