New edibles making inroads in local foodways

New edibles making inroads in local foodways

Our fun search for vanishing traditional food items resulted in unexpected finds: nontraditional edibles that are making inroads in local foodways or at least thriving in some resident's backyard.

We found marang (yes, marang) growing in Brgy. Bacnono, purple atis in Brgy. Sancagulis, and a strange fruit that turned out to be called Bengal currant in Brgy. Buenlag (wrongly called bignay).

In the public market, we found seedless avocado and a fish we are not familiar with.

Some years back, I learned that rambutan is being farmed in Brgy. Warding (and the result is a smaller but sweet version of the fruit) and durian is being sold by a makeshift stall in Brgy. Telbang. Of course, dragonfruit vines, miracle fruit trees, and mulberry trees have been thriving and bearing fruits in various parts of the town for quite some time (and most likely in all other towns of the country), and I spotted a lone grapevine growing in Brgy. Pugo (not sure if it has successfully produced grapes yet).

We are not counting here the ones being regularly sold in local supermarkets and malls, because the list would be quite long. Since I came back here in August 2016, for example, I have seen yacon, kiwi, persimmon, grapefruit, Chinese pomelo, and Korean pear, so I wonder if people are actually buying those en masse and thus creating, uhm, new collective memories and food culture around those. (I wonder how long before we get around to growing and selling walnuts, apricots, peaches, pistachios, macadamia nuts, blueberry, cherry, and oh yes, before I forget, rainbow glass corn for decorative purposes, haha.)

Anyway, from our simple competition (my idea, actually), it appears that many traditional foodstuffs have been supplanted by globalization, which is both a bane and a boon. While global trade exposes locals to a wealth of new food items from all over like never before, it also tends to edge out, if not exterminate like vermin, what has long been out there to accommodate emergent market preferences.

As sources of traditional food vanish from the scene and the old value chain collapses, farmers end up abandoning old crops for new cash crops, to follow the cold logic of the market.

I wonder if there's a win-win solution to this, in that the old and the new can coexist happily together forever and ever. Ok, maybe I am dreaming too much.