Pistang Tomasino 2018 ; Supporting Our Local Products

    PISTANG TOMASINO 2018    
ⓒ UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS

     I really appreciate University of Santo Tomas (UST) because they are very open to our friends from different places here in the Philippines and to name them, they are from the representatives of Nueva Ecija, Parañaque City Jail Female Dormitory, Kalinga, Bulacan, and St. Anthony of Padua Parish. The University of Santo Tomas once again opened its doors to our countrymen to introduce their culture and products to us. It was launched by the UST Simbahayan last February 12-15, 2018 at the Quadricentennial Park. 

You can see a lot of interesting things there like accessories, their special “Walis Tambo”, woven cloths and many more. But the highlight for me is-- they sell food, which made me more excited because I love to try different delicacies that I am not familiar with!  Another interesting thing that I saw there is they did not just sell their unique products but they also did a special number, they danced in how they do it with their own culture.

I roamed around alone. But the feeling of being alone did not make me sad because upon seeing them, the people from different places, I can see their wide smiles always. They were very accommodating and every time you will visit their booths, they will say Hello and entertain you. Their products are very affordable and those products are not just ordinary. Their products have stories behind. 

I’ll show you some products that I purchased from them:

I bought this accessories because it is so fashionable and it is a trend now in the fashion industry, and another thing is, it comes with a freebie matchy ring! I asked the one who sells this earrings whom i call "Ate Jen"  who is part of the COWHED (Cooperative of Women in Health and Development) told me that the accessories that they sell is hand made. What  made me convince to buy this accessories is what she said which is "Pag sinuot mo yan ma'am maganda talaga sayo, at hindi lang po ikaw ang makikinabang jan, malaking tulong din po ang mabibigay niyo saamin po" and she smiled at me after she said that. 

She told me a short story because i was too "ma-chika". She said that the people who do these accessories are very passionate in doing it. They enjoy and love what they do. So since she's telling me some stories, i grabbed the opportunity to have a mini interview. I asked her if how was her stay so far here in Manila. She said that South Cotabato (place where she lives) and Manila is very different. She told me "ang gaganda po ng mga gusali, ang tataas po. Nakikita ko lang po kasi yan sa picture po." When she said that, i was reminded that i am so blessed because seeing those buildings is just normal for me, but for them, it is a big deal and they are very happy seeing it. The fashion trend now is reversing, we are going back to the 80s andm 90s fashion so i am sure that this accessories if perfect for my OOTDs (outfit of the day).

This bamboo speakers is the bomb! I was looking for this for a long time, but i only see this sold in online shops. That's why when i saw it, i immediately went to that booth and checked it out. Usually in online shops, they sell this for 500php and up, but upon seeing their price, I was kind of shocked because they sell it for 300php only! That made me really excited to purchase it because it was a good decision for not buying this bamboo speakers online. I was thinking of buying this for a long time already. This is a very unique product because it is not jut a simple speakers because It forms a part of the country's history and cultural heritage. We use bamboos also in our famous national dance which is called "Tinikling" and the elegant "Singkil" where dancers weave in and out of bamboo poles pounded together rhythmically. Thin-walled bamboos like the ratine butio (Schizostachyum lumampao) are used. In “tuba” (coconut wine) gathering system, bamboo poles are arranged for gatherers to move freely from one tree to another in their “avenue in the sky”). Balo (Kligantochloa buis) is the species usually used for this purpose. You can see here that Filipinos are very resourceful and creative. Our imaginations is just so amazing that we came up to this idea called the Bamboo speakers. I would recommend this because you can help our mother earth save energy. This is very eco friendly. And i personally find it stylish. Though this speakers is kind of delicate, but isn't things that are important you should be handled with care? Kidding aside, Everyone would definitely love this unique and stylish Bamboo speakers.

Dried Fish a.k.a. Tuyo! It may be smelly for you, but I asure you, this is lovely. Filipinos are truly and avid fan of Tuyo because this is very tasty and at the same time, it is not that pricey! Our country is obviously very rich in sea foods because our country is located in the middle of the water. So discovering fishery way back, let's thank the ancient people for exploring fishery. 😄 

We usually give this as a pasalubong to our relatives, or we serve this during our family reunions! Have you tried eating in a boodle fight? Eating in boodle fight is so fun! I think every part of the Philippines have their own best tuyo, so which is really the best? Dried fish is prepared  by open air drying using the sun or the wind, and or by smoking. When fried, this is yummy and crispy. Usually served with fried garlic rice, with scrambled egg or sunny side up. Dip with vinegar with a squeeze of red hot chili peppers. And serve with a hot cup of tea or coffee which is great for breakfast. But for me, the best pair is Champorado and tuyo. Are you feeling hungry now? 

And that ends my blog in exploring Pistang Tomasino 2018 event! I really enjoyed looking around in that event. I am glad that University of Santo Tomas recognizes this kind of events. I hope that i could go to the Pistang Tomasino 2019 and i hope that many would appreciate this kind of fairs. This event will help our countrymen to expand their borders. I am sure that soon, they will be in trend because they are very unique in their own way and every thing has a story behind to tell. Thank you once again for reading my blog, until next time! God bless 💙