TRENDS come and go from fashion to food and music, even lifestyle. Some remain and becomes a classic while most just fall on the wayside into the baduy bin to be forgotten until the next trendy thing comes along.
Nowadays, politics and advocacies have become part of what’s trendy. The so-called millennials and the social-climbing set would passionately be involved in the latest political issue and advocacy that to be seen and heard in rallies and posting on social media your stand on the latest issue is now considered the “in thing to do” and fashionable.
A case in point is all the brouhaha about television network ABS-CBN’s failure to have their franchise renewed by Congress when it expired.
Why, just a few weeks ago all the trendy Frappuccino-infused social-climbing millennials, pseudo communists, quaint naïve so-called activists risked life and limb, offered themselves to be infected with the coronavirus a.k.a. COVID-19 attending rallies to show they stand and support ABS-CBN, you know, Kapamilya Forever and all that nonsense.
Now all of that seems to have died down and ABS-CBN is still off the public airwaves, and those who risked life and limb to show they stand and support ABS-CBN are nowhere to be found. Most likely, these fools realized that all they have to do is switch to another channel for their daily fix of stupidity.
And we segue to another trend that caught the taste buds of the natives of “I Am Iloilo City” and altered their eating habits.
Anyone still remember the ubiquitous ube cheese pandesal?
Allow Moi to refresh your short- term memory with excerpts from an excellent feature written by Rhick Lars Vladimer Albay which came out on the March 6, 2020 issue of Panay News:
Battle of the ube cheese pandesal!
IT’S a new trend that’s proving more and more inescapable: From the numerous viral posts on social media, to the long lines you have to endure to get your hands on them and to their blink and you’ll miss them supply. You already know what it is: The talk of the town, the now famous, the always sold-out delectable ube cheese pandesal!
The combination of ube and cheese seems like a novel pairing at first that is until you stop and realize the early iterations of the twosome in our local delicacies like sapin-sapin, dirty ice cream, and even the occasional ube ensaymada.
So who started, rather, which bakeshop in “I Am Iloilo City” first baked and sold the ube cheese pandesal that started a trend which seemed to have altered the taste, eating and buying habits of the natives some six months ago before the COVID-19 pandemic?
We would be remiss if we didn’t mention the one that started this whole craze in the first place: the pioneering Tibiao Bakery of Antique and its original ube cheese pandesal. With one quick viral post, in the span of a few weeks, the local bread store swept this “City of Love” with an unquenchable hunger for their mouth-watering pandesal to the point that their branches are stormed daily for this very specialty, most of the time, supplies lasting all of 30 minutes.
And that started a trend which seems to last forever. Anybody who’s anybody just had to have their daily fix of ube cheese pandesal. People were waking up very early and forming long queues just to buy it. And take note, you’re only allowed to buy two packs. Each pack contains six ube cheese pandesal.
Who wouldn’t be hooked though, with its generous filling of real ube jam complimented by a thick slice of what tastes like yummy cheddar cheese? The pandesal’s subtle sweetness also really brings out the bold flavors of its top-bill ingredients.
I’d usually buy a pack of ube cheese pandesal head out to Starbucks and enjoy it with a tall Café Americano. The ube cheese pandesal is a perfect partner for my caffeine fix.
As trends come and go, food or otherwise, just like bell-bottom jeans and platform shoes or yellow shirts, the ube cheese pandesal is no exception. Six months after it burst into the food scene and caught everyone’s taste buds by storm, the natives of “I Am Iloilo City” has largely forgotten them.
Try passing by Tibiao Bakeshop outlet at SM City any time of the day and you’ll see stacks of ube cheese pandesal seemingly ignored by the natives. Perhaps they’re just waiting for the next trendy food creation to come along.
Fancy avocado peanut butter pandesal, anyone?/PN
