(Event) Latin American Classical Flute and Guitar by Monching Carpio & Raymond Sarreal (3/15)

Hello everyone! We would like to invite you to another concert at our shop, this time classical guitar and flute. The program will include pieces from Latin America (actually mostly South America, save for Cuba, which is actually in North America). It will be amazing! The program will be at the end of this post.

In the past, all our concerts had been free, but this time we are charging a php500 cover fee. The reason for this is that we are testing a model of bringing classical music to a paying audience in intimate venues. Hopefully at some point we can find a model which other establishments can replicate as well. Imagine a world where local shops or restaurants can host high-quality musical concerts on a regular basis. The public can access different and excellent entertainment, and our musical artists can have more opportunity aside from just playing in giant concert halls!

Let me break down the numbers for you: when we host musicians, we usually pay them php3,000 or 4,000 each, and we usually host 15-20 people. We also spend around php1,000-php2,000 for refreshments and advertising. So in total for each concert with 2 musicians, we pay around php7,000-php10,000. But we usually open up our shop after, and make around php5,000 in sales. So we could possibly enjoy a classical concert with net spending of php1,000 to php5,000 (we did not put a cost to our time). Hosting concerts does give us some benefits I suppose on the marketing side, but it is something we do simply because we are happy to do it and we wish it could be the norm.

But what if, we can show that there is an actual demand for live classical music in small venues? That other small shops can host concerts without financial risk? That they can propose to musicians as valid venues that will not just use them as background music, but places where a curious and appreciative audience will pay attention and allow themselves to be carried away by the music!

That is why we are charging for these concerts. It is a big step for us, hopefully to be able to make the concerts sustainable for other business owners, and providing alternatives to the sporadic large concerts in CCP or other remote (for us, haha) venues. It also hopefully will help create more links between artists and audiences, with decreased layers of mediators.

I hope you support this endeavour. It is a fantastic price to pay for such an intimate classical music experience. There will be snacks... and a special gift from us! As always, show starts on time. Contact hola (sa) ritual (tuldok) ph or 09175245953 for reservations. Thank you!

Here is the program:

Flute/Guitar:
Suite Buenos Aires – Maximo Diego Pujol (Argentina)
Suite Habana – Eduardo Martin (Cuba)
Bachianas Brasilleras No. 5 – Heitor Villa-lobos (Brazil)

Guitar: Vals 2 & 3 – Antonio Lauro (Venezuela)
La Catedral – Agustin Barrios (Paraguay)
Primavera Porteña – Astor Piazzolla (Argentina)

Flute/Guitar:
History of Tango – Astori Piazzolla (Argentina)


Here is some info about the venue:

ritual
How to get to the shop
2/F, Languages Internationale Bldg.
926 Arnaiz Ave., Makati
(behind New World Hotel)
Parking at Greenbelt

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(Sale) Pre-Christmas Soap Sale 2019

Has it already been two years since we posted on this blog?

The shop has grown (or grown more complicated to run, ha ha). We have resisted most avenues of growth as we still want to keep our sanity and joy in what we do. Since two years ago, many other shops have come up with the zero- or less-waste ethos, and that's been great for everyone! Needless to say, it has us feeling a bit relaxed about that advocacy, making room for younger and more energetic people. We find our interests gearing towards actually creative regenerative agricultural practices in our own lives (i.e. eventually leaving Manila).

Anyway, checking in to tell you (if there is anyone still reading this) that we are having the soap sale again this year. You know the drill! Email us at sales (sa) ritual (tuldok) ph.

(Sale) Pre-Christmas Liquid Soap Sale

We are announcing a pre-Christmas liquid soap sale. You can get 5 pieces for the price of 6 of our standard liquid soaps of lemongrass, lavender, orange, peppermint, and our new seasonal scent: rosemary! We shall deliver to you for free on weekends, if you order 36 pieces or more.

Please call 734-5486, email hola (at) ritual (dot) ph, or visit our shop to avail of this special promotion. You can be invoiced via PayPal or transact via bank deposit if you arrange for delivery over email or phone. This discount will run until October 15, 2017.

(Random) More Small Things

(Random) Small Things

(Ideas) Adlai Champorado

Adlai is the new "it" grain in the Philippines. Never thought we'd be munching on another local grain ("Are there even any?" is a question we get a lot from customers) in a country where people only ever eat rice (and in some areas, corn) as their staple food.

It's gluten-free, vaguely rice-like, and (mostly) sustainably grown. Dieters and avocado-and-egg-grain-bowl-eaters are hoarding it. Restaurants are serving it up in hearty bowls of "risotto" and fancied up tiny porridges.

You can have it in countless ways, but now that rainy season has made mush of our brains and turned us into little children again, we can think of nothing but "You can champorado that!".

So boil up your champorado like you usually do (or like this or this or this), keeping in mind that the adlai needs either a bit more of a soak or longer boiling. It will never become truly soft and mushy.

Enjoy!

(Products) Separated at Birth: Balicucha, French Palmiers, and the Rat Lungworm

Balicucha! These pretty treats are nothing more than pulled mascobado syrup. The syrup is pulled (and pulled and pulled) when it is super tacky, and air turns the deep brown of evaporated cane juice into a light beige. We use them to sweeten our coffee or cacao drinks, as they melt upon contact with hot or warm water, making for a great party trick. They are quite a beautiful (and healthy) replacement for sugar cubes. Versions are found across sugar-producing areas such as Ilocos and the Visayas.

Once you start becoming acquainted with balicucha on a regular basis, you begin to see it everywhere. We often say they are shaped like little palmiers–those delicious, sweet, flaky french pastries. Here are some from original gangsta Martha Stewart's website. You may fancy making some.

Incidentally, they also resemble (just this particular recently published photo, from the USA Center for Disease Control) of the rat lungworm, a snail- and rat-borne parasite that is expanding its range as the climate changes. It is moving into the Americas from tropical and subtropical Asia. Kind of a buzzkill, but a reminder of the many forms of feedback that are showing us that diseases and infestations are and will continue to increase in the next years, as global warming takes us full on.

Where will this curious shape reveal itself to us next? As the next unexplainable crop circle? A curious tropical depression shape on the weatherman's blue screen?  New research findings on its recurrence as an ancient motif in Filipino pre-Hispanic (even pre-Islamic) art and life? Needless to say, everyone's eyes will glaze over as we begin to talk about it in real life, so it will likely end up on this blog as well.

(Balicucha is on sale until approximately the end of this month, so you have that long to buy them for the cost of one conventional chicken egg.)

Also, on an unrelated note, check out our Pinterest account, where we chronicle global recipes for locally available, less common produce.

(Updates): Sale, Good Food Sundays, Pickup Options, Refills Upon Request

Hi everyone! Please check out our June-July online sale while it's still up. The sale is for online orders only.

In addition to Legazpi Sunday Market days, Good Food Sundays happen every weekend. It is a nice small market at Mandala Park along Shaw Boulevard, near Puregold. We normally don't venture as far North as this, but on a Sunday, all it takes is a relaxed drive over the Makati-Mandaluyong Bridge. We are with like-minded vendors (some of them our suppliers) such as Balangay's Best, ManilaBake, Edgy Veggy, Chili Asylum, those awesome Buddhists with blankets made of old plastic bottles and super cheap nutritious greens, and of course, the Good Food Company's veg stall run by a very persuasive Ate. Click on the link above for more details! 

On a related note, our online store now has options for pickup at our two markets and the shop! This is perfect for people who don't have the time to linger at the shop, or for those afraid of the parking trolls downstairs. We require a 300 peso deposit, which will be refunded when you come by for your goods. It shows up as a shipping option upon checkout.

Lastly, if there is a thing at our shop that you want as a refill, don't be afraid to ask! Usually we can do it by special arrangement.

(Product Development) Eastern Samar Pineapples

The pineapple growers of Maydolong, Eastern Samar have been growing the sweetest, juiciest fruit organically for decades on intensely fertile soil. In 2011, they were given a production facility by the government to make vinegar, jam, and "tidbits" (apparently the term for those pineapple bits on pizza). Though things have been slow to start for them, the community is getting ready for the harvest season (roughly around July til September, but you know how the climate is these days).

After Typhoon Yolanda ravaged the region, NGOs descended upon communities to provide assistance. A Czech NGO called People in Need (PIN) began supporting product development for agricultural startups, one of them being the pineapple producers. PIN got in touch with us because we had an existing project in cooperation with them, and for months now we've been throwing the idea around of coming out and taking a look.

And we finally did (Samar is gorgeous!). After a 3 hour ride from Tacloban to our lodgings, we took a 2.5 hour ride to Maydolong to the pineapple production facility. It's quite a full setup from the Department of Science and Techbology, and they even have like 3 years worth of glass jars that came with the grant. The space doesn't have piped in water yet, but they find ways to bring fresh water during production.

We were expecting the Ormoc Queen type (as Ormoc is close by and, well, generalizations), the long, skinny, sweet-yet-fibrous one. But the farmers in the area grow the "Hawaiian" type, which is fatter and also very VERY juicy. Never eaten juicier pineapples. The fruit takes 2 WHOLE YEARS to mature. 2 years! Like a tree crop. Aside from this long growing period, during peak season, when there is an avalanche of pineapples, some of the harvest just rots away, or the pineapples are sold for close to nothing.

Hence the beginning of this little project of ours, for sure we will try to give updates as we make more progress.

(New Event) From Distant Shores

Hi everyone! Live (and free) classical music is one of the best things out there. We have a couple of visiting performers (and my brother, who is also a classical guitarist) that will be having a small classical guitar music concert this Thursday, March 9, 2017 at 8 PM at ritual on Arnaiz Ave., Makati. Our guest artists are: Pongpat Pradit (Thailand), Naoki Ikuta (Japan), and Gonzalo Misa (Philippines).

Concert is free of charge. Refreshments will be served. Please enjoy your snack and drinks before or after the live portions, or during the breaks. Though we love small kids and pets, this may not be the best place to have them spend an hour or two.

Please come! We would love to have you.

(New Event) Korean Cooking with Lily Min

We thought that Korean food could be a good first thing to do. In the span of a decade, everyone has already decided that they have a favorite Korean dish, restaurant, or particular frozen snack food from their favorite Korean grocery. The speed at which these establishments have become part of our lives is astounding! And yet, not many people have Korean friends who can help them unlock the secrets of the shelves: those eight obviously-different tubs of miso, those strange grains of varying shades of brown, those sticky sauces, those hairy leaves.

So in this workshop series, Korean Cooking with Lily Min, the brilliant cookbook author will demonstrate popular restaurant favorites as well as little-known dishes for us. She will teach us how to hack “BonChon” chicken and how to make rice cakes with edible flowers on them. She will also show us how to make kimchi. Classically trained in traditional and royal Korean cuisine, Lily can field questions and give context to your favorite dishes! 

Workshops will be in English. AM sessions are at 10AM-12PM and PM sessions are at 130PM-330PM. Session fee is 1,300 for one half-day session, and 2,300 for two half-day sessions. All sessions will be held at our shop (Ritual at Unit 203, Languages Internationale Building, 926 Arnaiz Ave., Makati). Please email hola@ritual.ph for inquiries.

Reservations are open for the 25 July morning and afternoon sessions. Registration for the rest will be open in a few days.

Workshop schedule is as follows:

25 JULY 2016 (MONDAY)

AM SESSION: KOREAN RESTAURANT FAVORITES 1

(“Bon Chon” Fried Chicken with Sweet Honey Sauce & Green Onion and Seafood Pancake)

PM SESSION: DELICIOUS KOREAN SNACKS 1

(Crispy and Fragrant Sesame Seed Snacks & Pan-Fried Sweet Rice Cake with Flowers)

1 AUGUST 2016 (MONDAY)

AM SESSION: KOREAN RESTAURANT FAVORITES 2

(Jabchae / Stir-Fried Clear Noodles with Vegetables and Beef & Korean Sushi)

PM SESSION : DELICIOUS KOREAN SNACKS 2

(Steamed Sweet Glutinous Rice Cake & Three-Colored Rice Cake Balls)

8 AUGUST 2016 (MONDAY)

AM SESSION: KOREAN RESTAURANT FAVORITES 3

(Beef Barbeque with Soy Sauce, Traditional and Wrap Versions & Sea Cucumber-Shaped Dumplings)

PM SESSION: EASY FERMENTS AND PICKLES

(Fresh Baguio Pechay Kimchi & Korean-Style Pickles with Soy Sauce)

15 AUGUST 2016 (MONDAY)

AM SESSION: HEALTHY KOREAN FOOD

(Mung Bean Jelly Salad & Bibimbap / Rice Mixed with Stir-Fried Vegetables and Beef)

PM SESSION: EASY FERMENTS AND PICKLES

(Fresh Baguio Pechay Kimchi & Korean-Style Pickles with Soy Sauce)

---

(Event) Composting Workshop 4 July 2016

Hi people! Please join Roland Sianghio as he discusses composting in the city this Monday, 4 July 2016! We've been using his pail system with happy results. It does involve buying an (inexpensive) inoculated sack of coco peat to cover your wet garbage. We are not selling his system, nor is he getting paid for this talk. It is absolutely free and aimed towards creating the conversation about dealing with your waste in the city!

(Event) As In Shop with Kalsada

Happy father's day to everyone! We'll be at 59 Mahabagin St (near corner Matimtiman), Teacher's Village East, Quezon City, at As In's little homebase. Kalsada Coffee will be there as well. Ritual stuff, craft beer, coffee, cacao, maybe some bananas, and also pre-loved nice things from As In!

Hang out with us from 3-9PM.

(Food) Dahon ng Anis

The lovely dahon ng anis or kalumata tree.

I have long been perplexed by references in old rice cake recipes to "dahon ng anis" or anise leaf. This is because true anise leaves are feathery and would fall apart when cooked in kakanin, making for truly weird and unattractive eating. I had always assumed that the recipe-imparters meant "seeds" of the anise plant, and not "leaves".

Things began to take a dramatic turn around ten years ago. Upon hiking the wonderful Mt. Malarayat, Lipa, Batangas, I found a tree with fruit that were obviously of the citrus persuasion, but with leaves that smelled curiously of anise and caramel (caramelized anise?). I balled a couple of seedlings up and planted them in my garden and grew them, their identity a mystery for a few years.

One night, I was furiously procrastinating by reading up on essential oils and oleoresins of the Philippines instead of working on a deadline. In my loopy, reality-evading mania, I chanced upon a reference to a plant that was used during the Spanish time to substitute for true anise (Pimpinella anisum) in making anisado liquor.

Turns out, the leaves referred to as dahon ng anis were actually kalumata (Clausena anisum-olens) leaves. Once a common backyard plant, it is now very sporadically propagated and yet still thrives well in low rainforests, though it is on the red list. Traditional uses of the plant include making into tea for morning sickness, boiling into a bath for rheumatism, and stuffing the leaves into pillows to create a calming "soporific" effect. Burning the leaves is said to repel ticks and mosquitoes.

And in food, of course! Those hints of anise that once added subtle complexity to our rice cakes and delicacies are disappearing altogether, save for a few popular snacks. I observe that this family of warm round tastes (also imparted by pandan) is now being replicated by artificial vanilla flavoring. It's quite possible that anise seeds and these leaves were used interchangeably in dishes. I have only found them documented in snacky sweet dishes, specifically in rice cakes, sweetened macapuno, and a specific native fried dough treat called gorgorya.

Our local neighborhood biko, which people love because the grandma making it still uses real anise seeds to flavor it.

We welcome you to try these (now) rare leaves! Clausena anisum-olens is a very aromatic endemic with irresistible flavor. Dunking a few leaves into a chilling pitcher of coconut water is a good way to start getting to know them.

(Hello) What's New?

Hello everyone!

We are happy to say we are fairly settled in our new(ish) store. Here are some changes we will be bringing on shortly:

Cacao and Coffee

We are now offering cacao and coffee in-store under the small venture called Barrios. This is in our store, and just a tiny way for us to share our passion for local coffee and cacao. It is named after Agustin Barrios. And barrios. Get it?

Shop Hours

In February, we are also adjusting our opening hours to 11 AM to 8 PM instead of 12 noon to 9 PM. This makes it easier for us to cater to those who want some morning time in, and also makes it safer for us to get home in this crazy giant megacity. We are also considering opening on Sundays-- this is still a debate among us. Please let us know your thoughts via email!
 
Sale

This coming week, we are putting on sale all our publications, textiles, and alcoholic beverages. Please stop by or check out our Facebook page for announcements. 

Price Increase / Tax Change

On our sixth year in the "legit business" world, we are shifting to a corporation from a sole proprietorship. Not only does this mean we get to make shareholders out of our dearest employees and supporters, it also means that we now have to pay 12% VAT (value-added tax). Previously, we paid a 3% percentage tax. We are raising our prices, probably the first time in three years for most of our products. We are also somewhat adjusting our pricing for bulk goods. Our updated price list will be posted shortly.

Bulk Sales on Pause

We cannot cater to new bulk clients until Friday of the coming week. Existing clients can be serviced! We are adjusting our pricing structure.

Delivery

We are also now primarily delivering via GrabExpress. Please email us for more details-- or if you know of any remaining bicycle messengers around! We will be doing some number-crunching to see if hiring our own dedicated delivery person will be worth it.

Tiangges

We would like to join less "mainstream" tiangges, ie, bazaars in small schools, municipal halls, hobby events, whatnot. Please keep us posted if you know of any!

Thank you for your continued support as we grow our little shop.

(Supplier Visit) Batangas Salt

If you grew up in the Parañaque area and/or have been alive for more than three decades, you are probably familiar with the sight of vast and flat irasan (salt beds). Our saltmaking style, in contrast to the Ilocano coast's "cooked salt" and the Boholano coconut husk method, has sprawling salt beds lined with shards of clay pots (rumor has it that they now make new "shards" specifically for salt beds, with demand for clay pots being on the decline for a tiny bit of time now). The saltwater is basically evaporated off by the sun and wind.

Shards of clay pots tamped to make salt bed floors.

Last April, upon the suggestion (and general directions) of a good friend, we found ourselves in the salt farm of a new supplier in Batangas. These and other producers are an integral part of the dried and fermented fish industries of the region.

There is a tendency to romanticize saltmaking--we envision the leisurely raking the beds in by workers in rustic straw hats, while a refreshing breeze furthers evaporation, leaving soft, billowy crystals. But it is truly backbreaking work under the brutal heat of the sun. And with industrial or consolidated salt taking over the palengkes (it is becoming more common to find Mindoro salt in Cebu), saltmaking is becoming a less profitable venture in many places. Salt farms are dwindling, except perhaps in Pangasinan and Mindoro.

Salt being collected in baskets.

The Batangas salt is very earthy, a salt-next-door. I have childhood memories of picking salt out of my eyebrows after swimming in Nasugbu. The high salinity of Batangas water results in a VERY salty salt. Our Batangas salt is perhaps the saltiest one we've ever carried. It still has mineral notes, but is very boldly salty, like-a-Hagibis-song-is-masculine salty. Perhaps the perfect salt for a preservation project, or for cooking.

Varied elevation allows gravity to distribute saltwater from the ocean throughout the beds.

Slippers of storage staff need to be tacked onto wooden planks to avoid wounded feet.

More slippers.

Getting to the Shop

Time to talk a bit more about how to get to the shop! Recent "carmageddon" incidents have led us to ponder: how can we, as a small shop, reduce car use, in our own little way? Thus, we decided to post specific directions to our shop, so that you can see how easy it is to bus, train, and walk or to us. You can also go car-less and hitch with anyone going to Greenbelt! Remember to bring a heavy-duty bag (or wheeled stroller) if you are stocking up!


THE LANGUAGES INTERNATIONALE BUILDING

One of the reasons we chose our new location is its accessibility to our customers, regardless of transport type. Some people (with and without cars) really struggled with our old location.

We can be found on the second floor of the Pamana-Languages Internationale Building (click here to see building photo). The fact that Languages Internationale is the oldest language school in the country--that would explain the extraneous letter E, which was apparently in fashion at some point-- gives you an idea of the type of "architecture" to look for.

We are two lots away from the Makati Ave. gate of San Lorenzo. On the ground floor of our building are PNB, Mav, Villarica, Cebuana Lhuiller, Diane Optical, and Fuji (which is closing out soon).

SAKAY.PH DIRECTIONS

Click here to search for directions from your place, or continue to read below for some directions in prose.

FROM GREENBELT 

Many people walk to us whenever they find themselves in Greenbelt. We often advise people (especially those with larger cars, as our basement parking is very narrow) to park in Greenbelt. In between Greenbelt 3 (the Greenbelt building that has Diesel, Firma, and etc.) and Arnaiz Avenue or Pasay Road is the New World Hotel. Now, if you are coming from Greenbelt, you can walk along Makati Avenue, past New World Hotel, to reach us. It is a 2-5 minute walk, depending on how fast you walk.

COMING FROM THE NORTH: AYALA MRT OR AYALA BUS STOP

The Ayala MRT Station SM Exit and bus "terminal" (along EDSA) is a few blocks from our store. From the terminal, walk towards Arnaiz Ave. (anyone can point you in the direction). Once you get to Arnaiz Ave., turn right and you may walk to our shop along the road. You will pass Isshin, Fairmont, and Raffles. You will cross Makati Ave. and the San Lorenzo gate. After Hotel Celeste (the former Mars Disco, for those who remember) on your left, there is an empty lot. Next to that lot is our building.


COMING FROM THE SOUTH: AYALA MRT OR AYALA BUS STOP

You may follow same directions as above but please note (especially if you are coming via bus) that you are getting down in opposite side of EDSA. You will have to use the MRT pedestrian overpass to get to our side of EDSA. Don't ask us why pedestrian life is so cumbersome in Metro Manila.

COMING FROM ELSEWHERE

Please check this out. It is a lovely website with commuting directions for all sorts of places. This is their Glorietta link. We are only a few minutes' walk from Glorietta.

SPECIAL MENTION: UBER

Uber is still car-based, but it is so convenient that it has made us rethink automobile ownership. Renting a car only when you need it versus buying one reduces your environmental footprint (think not only gas but energy and chemicals used to make and transport the car). "Languages Internationale" (again, remember the superfluous letter E) is perfectly searchable on the Uber app.

(New) The Basics' Peanut Butter

Obviously, merienda.

Hello internet world! We interrupt this silence to talk about peanut butter.

If you are like me, you often choose not to peanut butter at all versus compromising by eating hotel breakfast peanut butter of the choke-hazard variety (insert memories of Jif). In fact, I prefer the goopy Lily's variety (complete with libreng baso) to those thick, tasteless conglomerate ones. I wish hotels and restaurants serve Lily's, at least.

But anyway, we are now stocking The Basics' Original Muscovado Peanut Butter. We've gotten samples of nut butters over the years, but most of them use palm oil and white sugar, or are made of imported nuts. This jar is pretty much how we would make peanut butter, if we were to make it ourselves (thankfully someone else is concentrating on that, it's not easy).

It's so yummy that around 3/4 of the jar was eaten off the spoon, and not on bread or anything.

Holiday Schedule for 2014

Folks of the internet, behold our holiday schedule! We are quite busy filling orders, and listening to frazzled shoppers unload and freak out about not meeting their gifting deadlines. We say take a break as well, and relax. Don't try to go to all of the parties, and sip a cup of tea beside your beautiful Christmas tree, will you?

(Supplier Visit) Silk Workshop

Bombyx mori at work.

Recently we visited the silk center in Negros Occidental where we source our silk cocoons for facial grooming. It is run by a Japanese lady who also makes marvelous natural dyes and silk products. We are actually looking to carry their wonderful shawls at the shop.They are truly some of the best we've seen so far.

Apparently our climate is perfect for silk production, because we don't need greenhouses to keep the worms warm. The government has been trying to encourage sericulture as an alternative to conventional crop production, and in some places, the people are starting to grow it instead of marijuana (whether that is a good or bad thing, is up to you...).

The silk worms are fed mulberry (Morus alba) leaves. They then spin a cocoon, which is unraveled in hot water and spun into fibers. The pre-unravelled cocoon is what you use for your face, FYI. Here are a few more pictures:

Worm close-up.

Mulberry or Morus alba leaf. The mulberry tree grows super vigorously, almost like a large weed.

Must not let ants eat the worms.