Fave Place in Hollywood

July 23rd, 2010. Published under ano ikaon mo?. 5 Comments.

Just a few blocks away from the Chinese and Kodak theaters, where they do the Oscars and the movies premieres, Hollywood Blvd. looks ugly and sleazy. You see adult video stores, wig and souvenir shops, adult movie houses, and liquor stores. Vagabonds and their shopping carts are a common sight. Go a little farther  and  you start seeing lots of small Thai restaurants.

Six or seven years ago, Wongduan, my friend from work, took me to lunch in Thai Town, east on Hollywood Blvd. For dessert, she introduced me to Bhan Kanom Thai. It is a tiny, colorful, and really quaint place that sells Thai sweets. They make most of the stuff they sell. So what you get there is something you won’t usually see anywhere else.

I like going there. It’s an adventure for me. I typically buy queer-looking items with names I can hardly read right. I dragged my husband there, too. He loved it, especially the small coconut cakes that they make in front of you. Their taste reminds him of the bibingka (rice cake) made in Mohon, Oton, Iloilo.

Just before my family’s big move to the suburbs, I visited Bhan Kanom Thai. In a way, I was saying goodbye to one of my favorite haunts in the city that has been home to me for almost a decade. I was feeling anxious and a bit sad about the forthcoming change in our lives. I bought a few items and went away comforted, excited to try all the strange stuff that I got.

Banana Candy. “How different is this from my favorite banana marbles of Biscocho Haus Iloilo?”, I wondered. I tasted one, then two, three, and four. It’s a bit different , but just as good. It has coconut milk.  Now I don’t have to fantasize whenever I miss banana marbles.

The stuff on the the shelf above the banana candies are next on my list. I’ve forgotten what they are though.

Salty taro chips. I suppose they taste just like potato chips. They will have to wait til next time. I bought the sweet potato chips. My kids love them.

Colored puffed rice. Just like the stuff sold in the Dumangas (the town where I grew up) market, but this one has better packaging. I’m sure it’s just plain old Buti (puffed rice mixed with syrup and shaped into balls).

Rose Apple Candy. “What on earth is rose apple?”, I mumbled as I scrutinized the oval box. It tasted salty and sweet, much like the Kiamoy(preserved fruit). It’s okey, I guess. I’ve never really been a fan of  salty-sweet candies. Then I focused on the label’s picture…  Is it possible that rose apple is the tambis or the makopa of the Philippines? Illustration sure looks like it.

Ooops! Wave of nostalgia. I miss tambis, especially the tree that grows in my aunt’s yard in Dumangas. My mouth waters at the thought of red juicy fruit.