Went looking for diwal but...

WE WENT to the Dampa at the Farmers' Market this morning looking for diwal (angel wings clam), today being the second day of the 2-day Capiz Seafood Fest, but didn't find any. According to the one and only seafood vendor there, the waves were strong in Capiz this morning so divers couldn't get to the clams.

We were there at 7:30 am bec. we were told the diwal ran out quickly yesterday. When we arrived, however, there was no Capiz seafood yet, so we went to the main market instead. Good thing bec. there were great finds - and we went home with a lot of fresh seafood at incredibly reasonable prices. I just love Farmers' Market because buyers are guaranteed good deals on most purchases.

I so wanted to buy the haricort vert but they were more expensive than the ones sold at the Salcedo market. So I passed on them. But we found lovely cherry tomatoes; I'm looking forward to our green salad tonight!

Suahe cost between P400-P450 per kilo, depending on the size; mud crabs (alimango) were priced between P450-P550/k depending on the sex (babae, lalaki, bakla); Kuhol was P40/kilo w/c we had coooked in coconut milk (gata) at one of the restos in the Dampa area (unfortunately, the dish didn't taste as good as the one done by Aling Tonya's at Dampa, Parañaque); med-sized mussels at P60/k, etc.

Here are some of the products found at the market:

All in all, it was a productive morning and I didn't mind at all that we couldn't get our diwal. (I was told that yesterday, at the start of the Capiz Seafood Fest, the clams were selling for P250/k but buyers were limited to one kilo each.) But our loot today was more than enough to overcome our diwal disappointment.

Anyhoo, I understand that the Capiz Seafood Fest is just first among province-themed festivals that the Araneta Center would be mounting in the next few months. It's a great idea, so the food and products of many of the country's distinct regions can get the promotion they deserve. It makes these items very accessible to Manila-based consumers, and is a good way to market these provinces as food and travel destinations.