It took me a while to figure out the vegetable chips. Mostly because I was so preoccupied with eating them (they were damned good), but also because Ma kept complaining about how salty they were. “What are you talking about?” I said. “They’re perfectly fine.”
The chips did get saltier the nearer to the bottom of the pack I got. But didn’t they always? Still, these were supposed to be the healthy kind. That only made me more conscious that I had not been too mindful about my salt intake lately. Heard about that lady who died from consuming too much pechay? I will likely be the guy who croaked after munching on one too many kabkab.
Did you say “Come again?”
That was what they were, no kidding. It came to me out of the blue later that evening. Kabkab! They’re cassava wafers — big ones — and here in Leyte they are drizzled with latik (coconut caramel). Commonly sold on the streets (often in a giant plastic washtub), they have been co-opted by some “concept” restaurants. I had some at the Bee Farm in Panglao where they were paired with pesto. I don’t remember being impressed, not least by the price. Here they go for five pesos apiece.
I have no idea how much Mooshi’s seasoned kabkab costs (they were a gift), but I know that green or organic isn’t exactly cheap. I also know that making kabkab is labor-intensive and time-consuming. The process is more or less as described here. Sometimes I ask myself where the local kabkab vendor (there’s only one, as far as I know) finds the time to sell the stuff on top of making them. And she peddles on foot, mind you.
Mooshi’s kabkab chips has serious commercial potential. If only they weren’t a little too perfectly seasoned. Yes, I have a problem with that. It’s not like these guys are competing with Oishi. The health conscious are a very forgiving market. If the label says “healthy” (or in this case, “vegetable”), the last thing anyone expects is for the stuff to be salted enough (or at all, in extreme cases). It’s a voluntary trade-off. Even a slob like me can appreciate that.
It’s not Mooshi’s fault that its chips are so tasty. I just wonder if they’re too delicious to be healthy. My mother’s cousin, Paulino (a certifiable health nut), is very zealous about reminding everyone he’s related to on his mother’s side that kidney and liver diseases have finished off more of our clan than all other afflictions combined. Your Lolo Kikoy suffered horribly before he died, I imagine him telling me as I nibble on those crisps, and you’re stuffing yourself with that? Good old Tito Paul. Last time I saw him, he looked as if he’d outlive the rest of us, cc:ing all those crazy health tips to my inbox long after I had kicked the proverbial bucket. Horribly, if he had his way (not because he’s cruel; it just feels good to be right).
Now these are not the kind of thoughts I should be entertaining two days before Christmas. And I assure you: they’re not. I’m too busy for that. If you really want to know, my plans for noche buena include baked potato casserole, succotash, pan-seared pork chops, and Chinese ham. Really, what’s a bag of chips compared to that?
Happy holidays.
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