At the ground floor of my flat is this little grocery which carries a lot of Asian goodies - and a chunk of which are from the Philippines. From the outside, I spotted a few bottles of Rufina Patis, Datu Puti suka, Clover Chips, Nagaraya Cracker Nuts, Sunflower crackers, Rebisco Cream Sandwich, and yes, Skyflakes - ang pambansang biskwit.
I decided to check it out this morning to see how Pinoy they really are. Lo and behold, I saw something that made my heart skip a beat and gave me goosebumps all over:
Ding Dong and Happy.
Ding Dong has been one of my cheapest thrills since college. Back then, a small pack cost about 50 cents, and you'd already get your fill of pop beans, cornic, and green peas. It came in little plastic packs that were simply so hard to open. It was so cheap back then, that it was almost a social stigma to carry it around. I remember my friend who, upon seeing me gnoshing a pack of Ding dongs, proceeded to say: "Wala ka na bang pera at yan ang kinakain mo?'
Despite its being cheap, I loved how it tasted. I guess a lot of it was because of the high MSG content, and people commonly know, MSG makes everything taste fabulous! By the new millennium, my favorite snack also decided to turn a new leaf. It became Ding-dong 5+1 and came in neat, silver foil packs. The addition of cracker nuts into the mix really upped the likeability aspect. And I was even more hooked!
Happy Peanuts were an accidental discovery. We usually have Growers or Tobi at home, but one time, both brands were out of stock. The brand within arm's reach was Happy, so we thought of trying it out. And we're so glad we did! Happy was excellent. It wasn't greasy, AT ALL! It had a nice texture, thanks to the little bits of roasted garlic in each pack. And it came in different flavors - so you eschew the flavor fatigue syndrome easily.
It became such a hit that we forgot about Growers and Tobi altogether. My parents like Happy so much, that they even bring a stash to the US whenever they fly there - to the delight of my brother and his family. The thing about Happy, though, it it's garlicky breath residue. But that's the price of sheer enjoyment!
Needless to say, I bought a load of Ding dong and Happy from that store. If I can only get hold of diet Sarsi in this joint, then my flat will really start to feel like home!
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