One of the perks of living near the coast is having the abundance of the sea at its freshest state. Philippines is composed of more than 7,000 island and the ocean is rich so having Fish, shellfish, crabs, or shrimps on the table is pretty much common or is it?
When I was young, my father and I usually woke up at 5 in the morning on weekends just to Catch up with the fishermen on their small boats (bangka) for their catch of the day. For 20 pesos, we were able to buy a bunch of fish that would be good enough for lunch and dinner. During squid season, we would have squid for several days and our teeth would be black from the squid ink because our mom only knew cooking squid adobo. Crabs and shrimps were usually more expensive even today because local fishermen do not catch them or if there are some which their nets caught, it will be for their own consumption.
How I miss those early mornings wait, the smell of the sea, the views of the fishermen boat approaching the shore, the early catch of the day, my father's bargaining, the smell of fresh fish. Now, those are just memories, even I go to the beach early morning and although there are still fishermen catching fish, their catch is just enough to feed their family, so no fish for me. If I want fish, it is not the sea that I should go for, but the market in the town, where they sell fish and other seafood caught from the farthest part of the country. Hayyy... how I long for the good old days....
