Hello Readers,
In the Philippines, a common breakfast item is Pandisal ( bread/roll ). There's at least a bakery in every neighborhood or within the vicinity that sells them fresh every morning. You can eat them plain or with a type of spread ( butter and sugar [my fave], peanut butter, queso, etc. ). Lately, I've noticed that they've shrank in size. Does size matter in the bread world?
"Pandisal." If you break it down to its Latin roots, you'll get "Pan - di - Sal", which is roughly translated to "Bread - of/from - Salt". Salt is used in pandisal to help make it rise. Salt in ancient Roman times was a valued commodity, which added flavor and preserved food. According to my high school Latin teacher, Salt ( blocks of salt ) was used as a form of payment to soldiers. Hence the word "SALary ( salary = money/exchange = economy ).
When we were little, we'd eat pandisal along with our taho. I remember them being as long as 3 inches; now they are only 1 inches. Ingredients are more expensive nowadays. My cousin told me that prices in ingredients, especially in sugar and flour, recently rose in the Philippines. Regardless of size, pandisals are still delicious!
Are you sure that it isn't that YOU have grown bigger so they appear smaller?
ReplyDeleteKidding! I guess you'll just have to buy a few more than usual to get the same experience. While you're at it, how about mailing one to me? They sound delicious.
Size doesn't really matter. I'll just eat enough small pandisal to equal one large one! :)
ReplyDelete<3 Pandisal with butter and sugar! Now I'm craving some.
And yes, you are correct about salt being used as a form of payment in the olden days. You know, the '60's. ;) Joke lang.
Val - I was thinking the same thing about aging and perception, but watching my little cousin eat pandisal in less bites confirmed my suspicion. Pandisals can be found in the States, where many Filipinos reside like New Jersey City (NJ), and San Diego (CA), so if ever you're in the vicinity, check them out... I'll try to bring some, but they may disappear during the plane ride :)
ReplyDeleteKen - I did the same thing, eat more pandisal to get more, I even changed the spreads for variety (plain, sugar and butter of course, and peanut butter)...