Monday 19 November 2012

Sunday at Centris (Let's Get it On! Wild Sale at National Bookstore)


Talk about your past coming back to haunt you. Almost six years ago, I was in this Sunday Market selling Veo Premium Hot Chocolate with vegetables and fruits nearby. This market was in the back of Lung Center.It was hot and chaotic. Now, the pace's more relaxed and it  moved to a bigger space in Sidcor.
I consider this one of my go-to places for the so-called "food markets" just because the crowd is lesser compared to Banchetto and the prices are cheaper vs Mercato/Mezza Norte/Soderno. They also sell fruits and greens at cheaper prices than Legazpi Sunday Market.

The more "premium" aka mas mahal than the rest is this stand that sells calf. They even have a roasted whole calf chopped right there in their booth! The price? whopping 1K+ for a kilo.



There are also a couple of stands that are "suki" to food markets- Mary's Kitchen and Sweet for my Sweet Bakes are a few of them.We weren't that impressed with the food at Mary's, Their paella looks a bit sad and most of their dishes were quite easy to replicate at home (at a much, much cheaper price)- Humba (250), Fish Fillet (150) Rellengong Bangus 299  Roasted Rosemary Chicken (390).


The place also serves Ilocano food (the usual empanada, bagnet, Vigan longanissa). No need to drive all the way there to get your fix, Raffy! There's also the Rizal Dairy Farm booth. They make good cheese and yogurt products. Plus they make 'em here in the Philippines so they can be a bit pricey than the store brands. I also wanted to try out this taro ice cream stand but I was a bit full. More reasons to go back next time then.


Must be the Sunday vibe. People were really nice that day. This ate gamely posed for the camera

It was also National Bookstore Warehouse Sale. The place was teeming with people. This got to be one of the crazier sales that I've been to. People were really aggressive in getting the titles that they wanted!
Here are some of the items we managed to hoard:



Secrets of the Sommeliers- Parr and Mackay
Love in the Time of Cholera
Bat Chain Puller-Kurt Loder
Permutations of Love- Doris Trinidad
Dream Noises- Miriam Cgrace A. Go
The Enchanted World of Winnie the Pooh
Can't stop Wont Stop- Kill Chang
The Space Merchants- Frederick Pohl
What are you Optimistic About- John Bruckman
The Umbrella Academy
Fear of Music: 201 Greatest Album of Punk and Disco- Garry Mulholland
Life on the Line- Grant Achatz
The Modern Gentleman
Ancient Gonzo Wisdom- Hunter S. Thompson
The Winter Men- Lewis Leon
The Religious Case of Belief- James P Carse

Anyway, one of the wildest and most intense sale I've ever been in. People are hauling boxes and baskets of their finds. I've never seen people go crazy over books. I don't know if its a bad thing, it maybe a gotod thing since people are actually taking a lot of interest in reading. But I got to hand it over to people who went all out, pushing and shoving and getting really PHYSICAL as new boxes are being unloaded. The were pushing people in front, putting up "barricades" with their arms just so they can get first dibs on books. Wow, you should've seen the looks on their faces as NBS employees carry books on shelves. It surely was one intense afternoon! 




Special shout-out to the random stranger who charged the car since we were too excited for the sale that we forgot to turn off the hazard light. Glad that he was really kind enough to have us charge the car.

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