Mom has been bugging me to go to Ongpin with her for 3 days now.
She said there are sooooo many nice and interesting things to see as Chinatown prepares for the Chinese New Year.
That day has arrived. She has turned into Gwama!!!
Check out the crowd at Eng Bee Tin. You have to queue just to get in!
Mountains and mountains of tikoy
So many flavors - white, brown, muscovado, butterscotch, ube, pandan, sweet corn...
My favorite in Eng Bee Tin is still their ube hopia. The new custard version is so yummy, too!
Couldn't resist fresh-off-the-griddle hopia dice from Baker's Fair
And also a three-peso fresh-off-the-oven pandesal. Hee hee.
I thought I'd be seeing dragons dancing, but all I saw were horses working :P
The nice and interesting things Mom wanted me to see:
Lucky charms
Pineapple wreath
Bundled palay
Fruits and vegetables vendor
Lucky fruit rings
Vendor of all things lucky
Charms, coins, trinkets, gold ingots, plastic fruits...
Lucky cats
Money baskets
More lucky charms
Kiat kiat plant
Ampaw
Palay bundles
Gabi
Ginger
Pineapple tower
Pineapple skyscrapers
Fu Lu Shou
Money pouches
Welcome plant to welcome the new year
Firecrackers
Lucky display items
Fish jello from Diao Eng Chay
More welcome plants with blue and green stones, said to be the lucky colors
of the Year of the Snake
Ribboned fruits
OMG! I didn't know Mom is so famous in Chinatown! She is first name basis with everyone!
They are all her sukis!
More golds and reds
People getting confused with all the choices
I find this pechay bracelet kinda cute :)
This guy, too! I want to pinch those cheeks!
My favorite finds are these giant lollipops. Totally un-Chinese-New-Year-related, but
I love my sweets!
Stopped by President Teahouse for a light merienda before going home
When in Chinatown, Mom does as the Chinese do. That means having her own dishwashing
station at our table. She pours some hot tea on our plates, spoons, and forks.
Empties the liquid into an extra tea cup.
She makes sure to put the cup away so she won't accidentally drink from it. Lol!
Then she wipes dry everything with her own tissue
Hay salamat, pwede na kumain.