Veggie, why so expensive?

I was still in the Philippines when I saw a post in Facebook that Lucky Supermarket now offers veggie mix pack. I was so happy that I even showed in to my mother. Asian vegetables kasi are pricey here in Edmonton, plus they come in huge packs. This hinders me in cooking sinigang or kare-kare or even nilaga often, sobrang mahal kasi aabutin because of the vegetables. Ok sana kung malakas kaming kumain ng gulay ni Pod, kaso hindi (we're such bad kids!). Marami talagang masasayang. Vegetables also wither easily (probably because they were imported and not that super fresh) so storing them for long is not a good idea.

I really thought veggie packs is the solution but I was wrong. Sobrang mahal pa rin pala. Around Php500 na agad ang gulay pa lang ng kare-kare.

Same with sinigang.

I've never appreciated the freshness and "cheapness" of vegetables in the Philippines until I moved here. Though one may argue that people here earn dollars, the price of Asian vegetables (plus all the other ingredients that a complicated Filipino dish requires) I guess is still high by Canadian standards. Kaya mas malaki ang grocery expenditure ng Filipino immigrants kesa ordinary Canadians eh, kasi puro "imported" (from their home country) ang gusto nilang kainin syempre.

Oh well, tiis-tiis muna nga kami ngayon na walang kare-kare. Pag-uwi na nga lang sa Pinas kami magpapakasawa.

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NOTE: I thought it was best to just eat kare-kare in a Filipino restaurant but I was wrong (because of this and this experience).

T&T Gourmet

Dining out is very expensive here in Edmonton. Unlike in the Philippines where I eat out almost everyday, I cannot do that here. A normal foodcourt meal costs $10-13 and it's way too much for me. Yep, I still convert currency until now. I also am not yet working so I cannot afford to splurge. Nakakahiya naman sa asawa ko.

Eating at McDonald's or Wendy's is a bit cheaper but we Filipinos prefer to eat rice most of the time, right?

Now the cheapest rice meal that you can find here in Edmonton is in two giant Asian supermarkets - Lucky Supermarket and T&T Supermarket. Let's focus on T&T Gourmet on this post. 

There are two T&T Supermarkets in Edmonton, one in the North side and the other in West Edmonton Mall. Both serve Asian hot meals for their customers.

T&T Supermarket - West Edmonton Mall

Though they serve Chinese dishes, ok na rin. May Chinese influence naman ang Filipino cuisine. Plus we are all familiar naman with Chinese food.

They do ala-carinderia style. Choose your own combo, turo-turo lang (hirap ngang umintindi ng ingles ang mga tsekwa).

Their combo meals are reasonably priced. For $5.99 (+5% tax), you can already have rice, soup, and a viand of your choice. Add a dollar more and you'll get two viands. Sulit na.

And they give generous serving. Mabubusog ka talaga.

Empress Meal Combo

I love their food, especially their barbeque. I am not Chinese so I don't have high standards in Chinese food. Basta super satisfied ako kapag kumakain ako dito.

Bar-b-q Meal Combo

My only suggestion is that don't buy your drinks there because the total cost of your meal will rise up of course. What my husband and I do is take the meal out, buy soda in Dollarama (a bottle only costs $1), and eat in the foodcourt area (you cannot bring your own drinks in T&T's dining area). I am telling you, we are able to save a by lot doing this.