Chocolate review: E. Wedel dark chocolate with hazelnuts and salty caramel

Browsing the supermarket shelves for some chocolates during the second lockdown, I came across the bargain items shelf. I was surprised to find these chocolates from Poland and bought a couple of bars to try out.

Dark chocolate with hazelnuts and salty caramel

Details about the chocolate at the back of the box

Ingredients and manufacturer's information. The chocolate claims to have 56% minimum cacao. The chocolate is made in Poland but it turns out the the chocolate maker is part of the Lotte group, which is Korean.

Nutrition information

The chocolate is wrapped in foil

The chocolate turned out good and I bought a few more bars in the next trip to the supermarket. A few weeks ago, however, there were no more of these available. Previously, I thought that maybe I was the only one buying these chocolates (it was an unknown brand among the Toblerones, Cadbury's, Hersheys, etc.). I may have been wrong and someone else discovered them and purchased the other bars. I hope the supermarket purchasers will get more of these to sell there.

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Mushrooms at the supermarket

We love mushrooms and use them frequently in cooking including pasta dishes, fish, meat or poultry dishes, and soups. While we get both the fresh and dried mushrooms, its good to know that we can get a variety of fresh ones, particularly certain ones that are most suitable for certain dishes. Among those we usually bought are shiitake, oyster and button mushrooms, which can be used for many dishes. They're quite versatile compared to the other mushrooms.

I usually get our mushrooms from both the supermarket and the wet market. I usually get my fresh shiitake mushrooms from the wet market where our suking vendor have them either as loose items or vacuum-packed. I get the vacuum-packed for storage and the loose ones if we were to cook using them at lunch or dinner that day. Depending on the quality or condition, I also get my oyster or enoki mushrooms from them but there's another vendor who sells really good quality oyster mushrooms so I also buy from them.

While I associate the mushrooms with those in Plants vs. Zombies and Mario Brothers games, I also associate them with fond memories in Japan when we grilled those big portobello or king oyster mushrooms or perhaps boiled the enoki and shiitake mushrooms with our shabu-shabu.

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Seiko Actus 6306-7010

An acquisition during GCQ was this Seiko Actus. While most Actus I have seen have been Seiko 5's, this one doesn't have the familiar 5 logo. It took about twice the time from before the lockdown for this watch to be delivered but it was all worth it. This is a Japan Domestic Model (JDM) using a movement that was used for Seiko's divers watches.

The watch has day and date features and not so common Hindu-Arabic numerals for the hour markers. The day wheel is in Kanji and English.

 

 

Side view showing the crown

The other side view

Case back showing the serial number, and indicating this watch to have been manufactured in August 1976. The model number is there, too, 6306-7010.

Close-up of the dial

 

The obligatory wrist shot. I got the watch without any strap or bracelet. Fortunately, I had some extra straps and they were perfect for the watch.

The watch is powered by a Cal. 6306 that is of similar line as the 6309. These were used in Seiko's divers in the 1970s. I couldn't find the general specs for the 6306 but it likely ran at 21,600 A/h. Here is a nice link on an article about the movement - https://adventuresinamateurwatchfettling.com/2018/09/02/seiko-6306-7001/

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The Antipolo Public Market during MGCQ, some observations

I took a few photos at the Antipolo Public Market as I waited for the eggs I bought (they were being placed on a tray). I usually went to the market early Sunday mornings (around 5:30 AM) so there's less people in the market. Unlike the summer though when days were longer and it was already very bright at 5:30 AM, these days it is still dark. So there seems to be even less people.

Fruits and vegetables stands at the Antipolo Public Market - there are markers on the floor showing the suggested directions of flow for people. There are no enforcers and people just walk whichever way they want to go.

My suking egg store at the market - here's where I get our supply of eggs. I usually buy the brown ones, which are marketed as organic eggs. I also buy salted eggs here and the occasional quail's eggs that my daughter likes to eat.

Another photo of the fruit stands. On the let are stores selling packaging supplies including those used for baked goods, food and drinks (e.g., foil and plastic containers, paper cups, paper plates, etc.). One vendor quipped that their merchandise have been selling very well as the demand for delivered food has increased dramatically due to the lockdowns.

One of the fruit vendors I buy from observed that there were fewer people at the public market these days. I thought that it is probably because people nowadays limited their trips to places that are perceived to be crowded and therefore have higher risks of Covid-19 infection associated to them. Then of course it is also possible that other people have been able to source their food from online sellers including entrepreneurial efforts of bringing the farms' produce, seafood, meats and poultry almost if not directly to the consumers' homes. We certainly know this from experience as much of our vegetables are sourced from friends' program sourcing vegetables and fruits from farms and plantations around their place in the mountains of Antipolo. And then there are those who have their home gardens they started during the lockdown and now are growing and consuming the products of their labor. I guess this will be the 'new normal' for markets now. We just hope that vendors will still be able to sustain their businesses and perhaps innovate so they can still earn a decent living.

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Gyoza and chahan for lunch

Whenever we are at the office, we just ordered our lunch instead of us going out. Though we miss going out for lunch, we are aware of the risks and think we are actually also more productive if we stayed at the office. So right before lunch time, we usually ask one another (whoever's there at the office) what we'd like to eat for lunch. We had not eaten at the Gyoza and Ramen House in UP Village since February of this year so we decided to order our lunch meals via Grab Food.

Gyoza and chahan (Chinese style fried rice)

The I got my usual order of gyoza (steamed and then sear fried pork dumplings) and chahan (Chinese style fried rice). The set is comfort food for me. It brings out memories of my living in Japan. I always ordered this set whenever we (friends and I) went out to eat at the Chinatown in Yokohama. My Ninang (godmother) also like eating at the Chinese restaurants when we met up and we enjoyed the gyoza set whether its lunch or dinner.

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Artisans Italian roast coffee

The wife usually bought her coffee from a shop at a nearby mall that had a very good selection of coffee from local and foreign sources. They're definitely cheaper than Starbucks or CBTL and it was convenient for resupplies since we went to that mall almost every other week before the lockdown. I found that their brand is at the supermarket shelves now (thanks to the latter's purchasing people) so I could get a bag or two whenever our coffee supply runs low.

Italian Roast - we usually get their Kilimanjaro and Colombia in addition to Barako

Details on the coffee brand at the back

Storage suggestions and bar code

Recommended brewing methods and contact information on the company

I will post on coffee again soon!
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Where were you when...?

I was just thinking about a short article I read that described what many people had gone through during the last century. It went along like - "Imagine if you were born in Europe in 1910. You could have experienced World War I and survived it. Then came the Spanish Flu and it is possible that you could have also survived that pandemic. Then came World War II, and again it was possible that you could have survived that terrible experience. If you were in Eastern Europe, perhaps you could have endured the Cold War period and lived to see the end of the Iron Curtain..."

Where were you when Mt. Pinatubo erupted? This and similar questions we usually asked ourselves, jokingly or seriously, when we converse about major events or incidents - at least those that are considered so in written history. Here goes a few for my case:

Where were you when Martial Law was declared in 1972? I was still a baby; 7 months old to be a bit precise. We were already residing in Mandaluyong at the time when Martial Law was declared.

Where were you during the 1986 People Power revolution? I was at home as classes were suspended then. I was in Second Year of High School.

Where were you during the earthquake of July 1990? I was at home, taking a nap when I woke up to our home shaking and people shouting for us to go outside. Later that day, we watched the news on TV to learn about what happened in other areas including the collapse of buildings in Baguio City and the liquefaction in other cities.

Where were you during the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in 1991? I was heading home and riding a jeepney when it became dark. The ash fell as I was a couple of kilometers from home. I caught the news when I arrived home and we all were awed at the succeeding chain of events including the lahar flows and the ultimate pull-out of the US from Subic and Clark.

Where were you when Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1992? I was in University and I remember our classmates who resided in the dormitories going back during breaks to catch the news on the TV at the dorms. More so when US and its allies launched Operation Desert Storm to liberate Kuwait and invade Iraq for the transgression and allegations of keeping weapons of mass destruction. There was no internet or social media like what we had now that allowed us to have updates every minute.

Where were you when 9/11 happened? I was in Saitama, Japan at the time and we just came back from dinner out and some ice cream with friends when we were greeted by shocked students and researchers at the International House.

Where were you when Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) wreaked havoc in the Philippines? I was at home and both at awe of nature's power and shocked at the onslaught (caught on news cameras) and outcomes of this powerful typhoon.

The list goes on and I guess we can add the Covid-19 pandemic to this list of "where were you's". What others can you add to this?

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Kandy, Sri Lanka, Part 3

Here are more photos taken

Gateway to the main part of the complex

Devotees entering the main building housing the sacred relic. We observed the short procession of devotees while we were walking around the complex and respectfully watched from a distance so we won't get in their way.

Intricate relief carvings

This building is off-limits to the public including tourists

Another photo of the gateway

Beyond the closed gate, one can marvel at the gigantic statue of the Buddha on what is likely among the highest peaks in Kandy

Three-wheelers in the form of these tuktuk types

Another view of the streets of Kandy with the giant Buddha seemingly watching from above.

I am still reviewing the photos I took in Sri Lanka and the photos shared to me by friends who also took a lot of photos while we were there. I will post more soon!

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Vintage Sigma watch

I have an Omega and an Omikron. Recently, I was able to acquire another Greek letter brand watch - Sigma. There seems to be little out there about this brand and that is not at all surprising. It probably also tried to ride on Omega's popularity and prestige but couldn't and so faded as the quartz revolution took over in the 1970s.

The watch does not have a day or date feature.

Side view showing the signed crown

The other side view

Case back showing the watch's attributes. Amusing is the term "unbreakable mainspring", which refers to the part that winds to power the watch. Perhaps it means the mainspring is durable?

Wrist shot

Close up of the dial also showing the "unbreakable mainspring" claim for the movement

I haven't had the chance to open the watch to see the movement. I have not had this serviced yet as it is working and keeps time. I assume this runs at the 18,000 A/h typical of the calibers of its time (1960s). I also have not had the chance to time the watch to see how long it will run when fully wound. That may be a task I should do soon.

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More on coffee choices at the supermarket

Last Friday, I took this photo as I was deciding on which coffee to pick-up in addition to the usual bag of Barako Batangas to replenish our supplies at home. This work-from-home scheme has led to more coffee consumption as in addition to my wife's breakfast brew, she would have coffee at least once more after lunch. At times, she will make another mug at mid-afternoon if she had a meeting.

In the photo and at the bottom shelves are coffee from Healthy You, Gourmet Farms and Tanay Hills.

I'm not sure if the bottom shelves are the most appropriate for these but I think local coffee deserves a better place on the shelves. Let the instant coffees, especially the imported ones, be on the lower shelves so local coffee can be promoted better and people encouraged to buy them.

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Seiko 'Argyle' 7009-8009

An unexpected acquisition was this vintage Seiko. The seller posted an incorrect date of manufacture, stating it to be made in 1985 or 1995. I did some quick research and replied to an inquiry that it was more likely to have been made 1975 or 1985. After more than a week, it was still available and at a very low price. And so I decided to get it. More research online identified this watch by the dial design. It was a familiar one that I liked for my socks - argyle.

The watch has day and date features

Side view showing the crown at the 4 o'clock position, The quick set is quite clever with the first pull for the date, the second pull for the time, and the day adjusted by pushing the crown once in the default position.

The other side view

The case back showing the serial number. At first, it wasn't so obvious whether this watch was manufactured in 1975 or 1985 (definitely not 1995 as was posted by the seller). Some internet research revealed the Argyle watch to be manufactured between 1970 and 1979; placing this to be made in June 1975.

Close up of the dial showing the argyle pattern

I have two wrist shots in this post. This one was the first time I wore the watch the evening I got it.

This is a wrist shot taken during the day. There's a saying that some things look better in daylight. The watch looks good whether its day or night.

The watch is powered by a Cal. 7009 movement running at 21,600 A/h with a potential power reserve of 43h. I have used this quite frequently the past weeks and it kept time. The watch is definitely in great condition considering it is 45 years old.

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