T&T take-out food

Ilang weeks na akong nagke-crave ng Chinese food! Kapag natira ka kasi sa Canada, magiging part na talaga ng everyday meal mo ang mga beef brisket, wonton noodles, chow mein, roasted pork, etc. When you're in a mall at ayaw mo ng burgers o pizza, sa foodcourt for sure merong Chinese food stall (ala turo-turo style) kaya makakapag-rice ka. Sa mga Asian groceries, meron din ready-to-eat Chinese dishes na pwede mong kainin doon o iuwi. Relatively cheaper ang Chinese food dito kumpara sa Pinoy, Japanese, Thai o Vietnamese food tapos generous pa ang servings.

So anyway, nag-downtown Vancouver nga kami last Saturday (May 30) para maghanap ng makakain. Pero dahil late na kami nagpunta, nasaraduhan na rin kami ng Richmond Public Market (nagpunta pa kasi kami sa Pampamga Cuisine at 88 Supermarket). I suggested to Ford that we go to T&T Supermarket Lansdowne (in Richmond) na lang kasi maraming food stalls dun. Kaso sarado na rin pala at itong mga for take-out na lang ang meron.

Ito ang mga nabili namin for our dinner. Wala na rin kasing masyadong options. Limited rin kasi ang tinitinda nila dahil hindi pa naman talaga "normal" ang store hours and operations nila.

How much sila?

• Soy chicken with veggies and rice -- $7.34 (Php293.00)
• Fish fillet -- $6.29 (Php251.00)
• Beef brisket -- $6.29 (Php251.00)
• Salmon sushi maki -- $4.03 (Php161.00)

       TOTAL: $23.95 (Php958.00)

Not bad na rin. Kung sa Chinese restaurant kami nag-order for take-out, aabutin kami ng at least $45-50 for sure. Pero dahil 'supermarket food' lang yan, syempre wag na mataas ang expectations hehe. At least nasatisfy naman ang cravings ko.

First Time ni Nathan

May 26, 2019 -- First time sumamang mag-grocery again. After more than two months of just staying at home and in the car, he was able to step foot on Walmart again. I couldn't forget his face -- he was in awe!

In pambahay outfit =)

The past weeks, talagang hindi namin siya sinasama sa kahit anong bilihan. Hindi naman naglockdown dito sa BC at hindi naman talaga ipinagbawal isama ang bata (though may time lang din na ginusto ng ilang stores na one adult person per family lang ang mamimili) pero syempre for our safety, ako lang talaga ang naging grocery/store frontliner ng aming small family. Naiiwan lang sila ng Daddy niya sa car at matiyagang naga-antay sa akin.

But since medyo nag-ease na ng restrictions dito dahil flattened na ang curve (in fact, back to school na rin ang mga bata this June), sige sinama na rin namin siya sa loob para malibang naman. Tutal wala rin naman talagang gaanong tao kasi it was a Monday night.

Ahhh.... toys!

 Nakakamiss din silang kasama sa loob ng supermarket sa totoo lang!

May 30, 2020 -- First time mag-facemask. We went to T&T Lansdowne para maghanap ng Chinese food dahil nagke-crave ako. 

But unlike in western groceries and supermarkets, medyo mahigpit ang Asian stores dito at talagang nagre-require sila ng masks (and sometimes thermal scan) upon entering.

No choice sila but to wear masks. First time ko lang din makita ang asawa ko na nakasuot, ayaw nya kasi talaga.

At 5 1/2 years old, he already knows a lot about corona virus. Nakakamangha ang mga bata, ang dali nilang maka-grasp ng sitwasyon. Kapag hindi kami nagmamask, siya pa ang "nagagalit" at nagreremind sa amin to wear one.

Nahihirapan daw siyang huminga but he never attempted to remove the mask. Ang galing! Great job, Nathan! 

T&T Haul (July 19, 2018)

We ran out of white rice (for Nathan) so we went to T&T Supermarket last July 19. As usual, napabili pa ng iba hehe.

You want to have an idea on how much these cost in pesos?

• Thai Jasmine Rice 18 Lb (or 8.2 kgs) --- 711.60
• Datu Puti Soy Sauce and Vinegar (Sale) --- 107.20
• Lapidchoice Original Chicharon --- 205.38
• Sugo Peanuts - Hot Spicy --- 70.98
• Blueberry Coconut Bun --- 62.58
• Watson Whole Wheat Flour Bun ---- 174.00
• Sunrise Petite Tofu Puffs --- 79.60
• Ground Pork - Lean (0.902 kg) --- 341.20
• Pork Neckbone (0.812kg) --- 164.00
• DSK Pork Dumpling --- 399.60
• 2 Carrots (0.53kg) --- 46.40
• 1 Potato (0.52kg) --- 45.20
• 1 Bunch Spinach (Sale) --- 35.30
• Red Delicious Apples (1.78kg) --- 202.40

All in all, we paid Ca$66.14 or Php2,645.60 for these 14 items. Ang mahal noh? Pero syempre dapat naman talaga hindi na nagko-convert para hindi sumama ang loob. =)

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Note: Ca$1.00 = Php40.00

I hate wasting rice

We had lunch yesterday at the food court in T&T Supermarket (Guildford) yesterday. T&T is an Asian supermarket so all the food stalls there sell either Chinese, Korean, Japanese, and Indian food. No Filipino stall, unfortunately.

Food at T&T is relatively cheap, although we paid $27.95 (or Php1,118.00) rin, so hindi masyadong nakaka-guilty (we've been eating out a lot and that takes up so much of our monthly budget).

But I really felt guilty for not eating all the rice.

Growing up in the agricultural-country Philippines where "rice is life," it really breaks my heart to see this much rice going into waste. Just like what all Filipino mothers say to their children, "maraming ibang batang/taong nagugutom." Nakakahinayang talaga.

But what can we do now? My husband and I are diabetic -- and white rice is our number one opponent! As Pinoys though, we cannot totally give up rice, of course. We just watch our intake, making sure that we don't eat beyond 1-2 cups a day (1 cup per meal). At home, we eat brown rice because it has lower glycemic index than white rice and doesn't cause blood glucose levels to rise as rapidly.

Kaso most Chinese restaurants here serve a lot of rice in their meals. I think that's one of the reasons why I gained more weight din when I lived here. Malalaki talaga ang servings nila dito, be it pasta, burgers, pizza, etc. As a wife and mother, naging role ko na rin ang magsimot ng pagkain kasi nga nanghihinayang akong magtapon. Pero sabi nga ngayon ng asawa ko: "Sayang o patay? Nanghihinayang ka sa pagkain pero sa sarili mo hindi?"

Oh well, may point naman siya.

I just wish there could be a way para lang maiwasan ang wastage. Sana pwedeng umorder ng half cup noh? Even in Filipino restaurants, malaki ang cup nila ng rice eh.

As much as possible naman, hubby and I share na lang sa isang rice meal. Tapos magdadagag na lang kami ng ibang ulam/side dishes. But there are times din naman na magkaiba kami ng preference sa gustong kainin (that's why we often eat sa foodcourt) kaya ang dami-daming rice na natatapon. I am tempted na nga sometimes to tell the vendor na bawasan ang rice, kaso sobrang hassle naman because most of them are Chinese who cannot understand and speak English well. Matagal na diskusyon pa. Saka siyempre style nila ang maraming rice para magmukhang marami ang isang order.

Hay rice! I love you but I hate you at the same time. Pero kahit may love-hate relationship tayo, ayaw pa rin kitang nasasayang talaga.

#CessieEats 5

1. Penoy. I found some raw penoy from Hen Long Market last Monday. Kelangan pang ilaga. Around Php45 ang isa. When I was in Pinas just a couple of months ago, na-addict din ako dito. Php11 lang ang isa, luto pa.

2. Take-Out Ulam. One Saturday lunch time, tinamad akong magluto. And because I woke up late, I asked the hubby to just buy some ulam at La Meza Grill. Sisig at Pork Bbque. Ayun dumaan pa pala siya to another Filipino restaurant to buy pinapaitan (Ilokano kasi siya).

To give you an idea of the cost of living here, ayan around Php800 na ang tatlong ulam na yan. Di pa kami satisfied kasi hindi naman kasarapan.

3. Red Delicious Apples. I don't eat apples. Hindi talaga ako kumakain ng fruits (except for some occasional bananas). Buti na lang kumakain ang anak ko. Pero ayaw niya ng ibang apples, itong red delicious apples lang (yep, red delicious apples talaga ang universal name nyan dito). Enjoy na enjoy ako kapag bumibili nito, kakatuwang pumili-pili.

4. Halloween Chocolates from Dollarama. Yey, it's back! Ang sarap nito, promise! Lasang Serg's Chocolates noong araw. Naaaddict na naman ako. I am glad Dollarama has started selling this na uli. $2 ito (plus 5% tax).

5.  Lucky Me Cup Noodles. Sometimes, you won't feel lucky even if you're eating Lucky Me. Ang konti ng laman, kainis! Kung kelan gutom na gutom ka pa talaga ha. Ang mahal pa naman nito dito.

6. Hot Pot at Home. Simula ng magtry kaming maghotpot sa bahay last Thanksgiving Day, madalas na kaming kumain nito. Kaso when I compute all the ingredients that we buy, nadidiscourage ako. Sobrang mahal inaabot. Mas mura pang mag-buffet na lang sa labas.

7.  Homemade Cakes. A new friend asked me to pick up a cake that she ordered for her son's 8th month birthday, malapit lang kasi dito sa amin. Na-impress ako sa presentation, ang ganda at mukhang masarap. Masarap nga raw, kahit asawa ko nasarapan. Di ko tinikman kasi nga ayaw ko ng mango cake.

I was able to talk to Shydee (the baker) and she asked me to like her FB page. Ang gaganda ng mga cakes nya. At super ganda ng reviews. I will be ordering a chocolate cake from her soon (either sa birthday ko o ni Ford). I am happy kasi may nadiscover akong ok na bilihan ng cake dito sa Surrey. Hindi pa mahal.

8. Hamonado ni Juris. I met with my new friends last week at nakapagtake-out ako ng hamonado. Ang sabi ng asawa ko masarap daw. Syempre sinabihan ko ang new friend ko. Ayun, dinalhan niya pa uli ako last Sunday nang magkita kami uli. I was really surprised. Ang thoughtful niya.

9.  T&T Food. We were at the Surrey Central City last week for my check-up. We ate at T&T kasi gutom na kami and we still have to wait for 45 minutes for my medicines.

Hay, hindi masarap. Mura nga kaso sayang pa rin ang pera. I won't eat there again. Namimiss ko tuloy ang T&T sa Edmonton kasi mas masarap ang pagkain dun.

#CessieLikes: GyuDon (Ajinomoto)

I love love love gyudon!

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If your are unfamiliar with this dish, here is a brief description.

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I think I first tasted gyudon at Yoshinoya. Too bad there's no Yoshinoya here. And there's no Japanese restaurant here (that I know) that serve gyudon that's why I am disappointed.

Then I saw this at T&T Supermarket last week. Natakam ako. I kinda hesitated because I found it a bit pricey ($4.78 plus 5% tax) for its size. Maliit lang kasi ang bowl, for sure nakakabitin.

But my craving for gyudon won. Sige na nga, binili ko na rin. It's made by Ajinomoto so it must be good, I told myself. Super sarap din kasi ng Yakitori nila na nabibili sa Costco eh.

THE VERDICT -- Masarap nga! Gyudon na gyudon talaga haha! Pero dahil nga maliit lang ang bowl, hindi sumapat sa malalaki kong mga bituka. I suggest na kung gusto mong mabusog, dagdagan na lang ng rice. Medyo masabaw kasi ito kaya ok din na haluan pa ng rice para hindi gaanong salty.

By the way, I followed the microwave instructions (4 minutes yata) pero medyo na-burnt na yung beef. I am not sure kung pwedeng less minutes kasi baka hindi naman maluto ang rice.

How I wish meron nito sa Costco kasi medyo mahal talaga sa T&T and Lucky Supermarket. Pero kung wala, sige tiis muna. Sana mag-sale para makapag-hoard ako.

T&T Gourmet serves brown rice!

I started eating brown rice the moment I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. It's one of the first steps in my attempt to change my eating habits.

Hence I was so happy upon seeing this yesterday at T&T! I went there to eat after my 'diabetes class' at the Misericordia Hospital.

'Wow, nagse-serve na pala sila ngayon ng brown rice! Ayos!", I told myself. You see,  I really began feeling guilty eating white rice since August 5. Ang tingin ko na talaga sa puting kanin ay asukal na hindi kalunok-lunok.

I noticed though that T&T's 'brown rice' is not pure. May halong white rice eh. Pero puwede na rin kahit papano.

Don't judge my ulam. I am more of a carbo-conscious at this point, not protein/fat OC-OC.

I really thought they just started serving rice recently (to coincide with my diet haha!) but I was wrong pala! I checked my previous blog on T&T Gourmet and saw the brown rice poster in one of the pictures. Kaloka, di ko lang pala napansin. Or di ko lang talaga siguro pinansin.

So I guess I would have to be more observant now in dining out. Dapat maging mas aware sa mga healthy offerings. =)