The Guinayangan Republic

Snack Houses in My hometown


Summer is definitely around in our country. So hot, the sun is scorching. Thirst is best quench by cold drinks. Personally, I go for fresh fruit shakes and my favorite halo-halo (- a kind of dessert made of sweetened fruit and crushed ice with milk or ice cream, particular around islands in the Philippines )
My love for halo-halo rooted from my childhood years in my hometown Guinayangan Quezon.
As a child, my mother would take me and my brother to Aling Aida or Aling Pina, then both equally popular refreshment parlors in our town. Both served superb snack menus which included sandwiches, spaghetti, pancit, noddle soup and ofcourse halo-halo.
Growing up into teens, I spent half of my highschool still in my rustic town. These two refreshment parlors were our Starbucks where I would hang out with friends after school. But instead of fraps we enjoyed our tall glasses of halo-halo.
Summer vacations from college in Manila, were also full of memories of meet-ups with my friends in these snack houses. These were also the places of our quaint town where you would be obliged to treat your friends on your birthday, incase it was randomly remembered on the spot. Hence, an unplanned halo-halo treat was a practical decision both for your wallet and for the grateful well wishers.
My regular yearly short vacations with my own family to my hometown, keeps me abreast with updates about these establishments.

Between these two snack houses, Aling Pina's remains standing up to the present. Only, it's now called by a different name_ Jomari. Still owned by the same clan ( Isaac's), one of them was Tin-tin a classmate/friend way back in my primary school.

At Jomari's (Aling Pina's), halo-halo is presently priced at P27.00. Still using the same vintage ice crusher, must be the secret of a delicious halo-halo.

Good news! Our favorite halo-halo mates shanghai rolls in a bun sandwich still keeps our mouth waters at P15.oo which I remember used to be P1.50 each sandwich. I would say this sandwich is particular here. I remember one incident in the past, when I brought a friend/guest from Manila introduced her to this unique concoction. She said : a whaaat? rolls inside a bun? She took a bite and loved it! The humble beginnings of this snack house which used to be a pharmacy was these original shanghai sandwiches in recycled milk carton boxes being sold infront of the owner's aunt pharmacy. The rest is history.
Today, the place is not limited to snack menu anymore but offers lunch and dinner dishes too. My brother brags to me about its newest unique concoction which is a spaghetti in black sauce made up of pork blood stew dinuguan. This one, I haven't tasted yet. A must on my next visit this summer.



As for the other one, Aling Aida's, whose owner with the same name, died years ago, had closed down and since then the place with new owner turned the place into a funeral home......Isn't that ironic?



-story by Mylene Concepcion
-repost from "My 3rd and 7th Sense"