Live in the Philippines

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&(*#@+/ Cherries

Food/Drink, USA vs Philippines / by

Yes, you read the title right:  &(*#@+/ Cherries.  What makes me so mad about Cherries?  Well, just hold on, I’ll be getting to that.

Abreeza, Davao City’s newest fanciest mall is open.  Grand opening day was last Thursday, May 12.  Although Feyma pretended like she did not want to go to Abreeza for the Grand Opening, I managed to convince her to come along with me, because it was something I did not want to miss.  There has been so much hoopla surrounding the opening of Abreeza in Davao, that I just couldn’t miss it, being the Dabawenyo that I am.

We knew that Abreeza would be super crowded on opening day, so we made a plan.  We parked our car at Victoria Plaza and walked to Abreeza.  It is, I suppose, 500 to 700 Meters or so away, so not much of a walk.  We arrived at Abreeza right at opening time, 10am.  Sure enough, there were a lot of people.  I don’t know the crowd numbers, but I would estimate that there must have been 10,000 people there.  The place was like a zoo!

However, as crowded as it was, we were not disappointed.  I kept hearing the “oos and ahs” from Feyma, and I know she was happy that she decided to go.  Indeed, the new mall had a ton of stuff available that I had never seen in Davao before, some that I had never seen in the Philippines.  In particular, Feyma and I fell in love with the True Value store, which had tons of stuff that you just don’t find in the Philippines.  They had Gas BBQ grills in the US$2,000+ price range that made me actually consider ditching the Mindanao Bob Deluxe BBQ Grill!  But, I managed to hold off on that.

Feyma and I decided to check out the grocery store, which is a Robinson’s Grocery (the mall is an Ayala Mall).  When we entered the mall, we were immediately in the Produce section.  I was shocked that every piece of produce had been buffed to a shine, much different than I had ever seen in the Philippines.  We looked in the refrigerated produce section, and I almost started crying! 😉  I saw Cherries, Blueberries and Raspberries.  Fresh.  Imported.  Wow, they looked good.  Until I looked at the price.  A package of cherries contained only 12 pieces.  Yes, 12 cherries.  Want to know how much?  P400!  That’s roughly nearly US$10 for a dozen cherries.  Wow…. P1800 per kilo!  That’s $20 per pound.  Feyma and I had been telling each other lately that we missed cherries, and longed for them.  $20 per pound?  Nah, I don’t think so.

Two days later we went back to Abreeza for a second visit, and I happened to be in the Grocery area, and saw the cherries again.  This time, though, the price had been lowered to P185 for 12 cherries!  Ha ha… I broke down and bought a pack.  When we got home, I think I ate 3 cherries and Feyma at 3.  The rest were shared with others.  Can you imagine, just eating 3 cherries?  Well, they were very, very good, I can attest to that.  Now, do you understand why I said &(*#@+/ Cherries?  I suspect you get what I mean now.  Unfortunately, a few days later we broke down and bought two more packs of cherries!  But, I’m going cold turkey now, and kicking the habit!

All in all, I can tell you, Abreeza is an amazing place.  I had read in the paper that it would be similar to Greenbelt in Makati.  A friend who is from Manila told me that she thought it was similar to Glorietta.  I personally felt that it was quite similar to Ayala Center in Cebu.  Whatever you compare it to, it is way beyond anything that has already existed in Davao.  I really feel that Abreeza will change shopping in Davao in many ways.

The next thing I am looking forward to is the TGI Friday’s restaurant in Abreeza.  They are running behind schedule, but it is said they will open in a week or so!  Can’t wait!  See you there?

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Wow, Bob! I didn’t know you were a Mall Junkie or what ever you call people who hang out at the malls. I suppose I will be the same some day but for now, I avoid malls if at all possible — I had rather go thru hell with gasoline drawers than set foot in the malls around here… well, except for the Apple Computer store … can’t resist that place.

    • Hi Bob,

      Thanks for the Abreeza opening coaverage. I am closely keeping an eye on the development of this mall.

      Cherries for close to $9/pound? I thought $3/lb cherries in Stater Bros is expensive!

      I am in Davao next week… I hope to meet you Bob…the rock star of Davao /Mindanao expat blogger!

        • With the malls, hotels, condos and BPO building construction on the rise in Davao, I hope the City Govt pass the coal plant plan near Sta. Cruz. Last summer, Mindanao was beset by long blackouts affecting these business establishments. Some environmentalist groups are opposing it. I don’t have any data to back up my stand, but I think we need these coal power plants to be built. The US is not even ready for green power generation. What do you think?

          See you in CTres! I noted your recommendation down from previous article and is my must visit place to eat.

          • Hi gerard – Personally, I support the proposed coal power plant. The electricity is sorely needed here, and I see no other solutions on the horizon. I think it is very important to build the plant.

          • Hi Gerard. As I understand it, the US is quite progressive in generating power from the sun, through heat and through photovoltaics with large areas devoted to such power plants. And, of course there are wind farms but the latest info coming out of Europe is that the builders and the landowners are happy but the power distribution companies are wondering why they are only getting 20 percent or less usage!

    • Hi Rich – Here in the Philippines malls are different from back in the States. Here, if you want to buy just about anything you go to the mall. That’s where the stores are. Even if you want groceries, that’s at the mall. So, it’s a bit different than malls in the USA.

  2. Bob
    Here is a sure fire way to beat your addiction.
    Have Feyma make you some cheescake with canned cherry topping and graham cracker crust, the only drawback is a new addiction to cheescake. If you are wondering where I get this, well Linda is cooking up some cheesecake as we speak.

    • Hi Neal – I had no craving for canned cherries… I wanted fresh cherries! 😆 They have plenty of canned cherries here, but the taste of a canned fruit is nothing like fresh! 😉

  4. wow!

    hahaha 188 for 12 pieces?? I am so lucky! the cherries i can buy here is around 400 pesos for a kilo! I just saw a raspberry today in the supermarket and it is a bit expensive for me, around 300 pesos a pack and eyeballing it around 30 pieces or maybe more .

  5. Bob..I quess when You and Feyma lived in…( was it Washinton state or Oregon?)…cherries were much less and much better…, but that was so long go that probably both of you do not even remember….hahahah

    • Hi Dan – Feyma and I lived in Washington State, cherries there were delicious and plentiful (and cheap!). Actually, though, these cherries we got at Abreeza were just as delicious as the ones back in Washington, though… just expensive!

      • Bob,

        I really love the Rainier Cherries. They won’t be available until next month. I remember getting them for buy one pound get one pound free at the Publix Store. They are so good. I think i sat down and ate most of them in one setting. Thats a little steep for a Gas Grill, so i guess that was wise to just stick with your Mindanao Bob Deluxe Grill. Have a nice day.

  6. Talk about sticker shock, eh? That’s just wrong, Bob. Just where were these cherries imported from? And at that price, those cherries had best be monstrous in size. I had a similar shock from the price of green grapes at NCCC Mall last year. Like you, I broke down and brought….2 packs.

  8. Well here in Colorado imported Sweet Red Cherries are $3.99 lb. I watched my fruit trees all put out lots of blooms this year then freeze, put out a few more blooms, freeze, several more and freeze. About a month and a half ago it was the apricots, then the peaches and cherries, then the nuts and apples. Now we have lots of leaves and two apple blooms. When we go up this morning I looked out the window towards the mountains and we had new snow on them. Love this global warming. Oh well there is always next year. In the mean time my wife and I definitely plan to be in Olongapo in two or three more months and won’t come back before April next year, an then only because we will have to come back to take care of our taxes (and see the grand daughters). If it is still cold then we may just do the 29 day visa here in the U.S. and head back to warmer weather.

    • Hi Loren – I’m surprised that cherries in Colorado would be imported! There should be plenty of US sources, I would think. I guess maybe you are talking about imported during the “off season” I had not thought about that. I can remember when cherries in Washington State were well under $1/pound when we lived there. During the peak season you could get them for under 50 cents per pound, and they sure were delicious. Sorry to hear about the constant freezes.. that will sure kill off your fruit crops, Loren! 😉

      • I guess I was a little over the line calling the cherries imported. They are just imported from out of our immediate area. It was a rather misleading statement considering you guys living in the Philippines definition of imported would be from out of country. I will try to be a little more precise next time. Reading some of the blogs I see some of the readers get a little stirred up by misleading or miss spoken statements.

        • Hi Loren – If I came across that I was mad about the “imported” thing, I am sorry for that. I was not mad at all, just commenting… not mad, upset or anything like that. No worries.

  9. Ahh……. yes my favorite also BING Black Cherries from Montana….sweet dreams…

    • Hi Lenny – My faves are Ranier Cherries, red and yellow, a bit sour, but delicious. Bing Cherries are good too, though! Especially after 11 years without!

  10. I don’t know Bob. Your willing to possibly spending $2,000 on a BBQ and not $4.75 for some cherries. Funny. I guess it is like me as I will spend the ridiculous $9.00 for a pint of Haagen Dazs maybe twice a year, My Birthday and Christmas and yet I can easily afford it even at that price. Funny how our principles work in the Philippines no matter our financial resources. It’s also interesting how isolated you all are in the Province. I can buy all that stuff you mentioned all day long in Manila including a nice Weber BBQ for not much more than the U.S.A price Tag. Glad you found a new store there. I always am happy to see a new one. I only wish the S&R had more decent stuff and I would be totally complete

    • I guess for me, sam, the difference between the BBQ and the cherries is that the cherries are consumable, and are ridiculously high. The BBQ grill, I believe is a similar price as in the States (this was a very high end grill), yet it lasts for years and years. Also, I do already have a good BBQ grill though. Ha ha.. I hear you, though.

      I don’t feel “isolated” in the Province. I feel liberated!

  11. Hey Bob,
    good thing I’m not a big cherry fan, I would go broke. I’m fine with canned cherries for some cherry pie. However, I get weak kneed for some peach cobbler. Also, fresh apples are a must for some apple pie. 🙂

    • Hi Hudson – I feel that peaches and mangoes have a similar flavor and texture, and we make cobbler with mangoes.. it’s great! Apples are readily available here for about P20/each.. however, I find them quite mushy, and don’t enjoy them. I suppose they might be OK for a pie, though.

  12. Hi Bob – Like Davao, Cagayan de Oro will soon have an Ayala Mall as they are building a giant complex including a hotel as I type this reply. That will make three large shopping Malls in CdO as well as SM opening Savemore Stores all over the city including the one to open today on the former Makro site. I just wonder where all the customers are going to come from to keep them profitable? If your cherry price’s is anything to go by maybe that’s why they are so expensive, its to make up for the lack in number of people purchasing.
    On the other hand with the amount of competition just maybe prices will become even more competitive.
    Meanwhile I’ll just give the cherries a miss and continue to buy cheese and grapes instead.
    Regards.
    Jim.

    • Hi Jim – From what I see when going to the malls here in Davao, it seems that they are all doing well. Of course, as Abreeza is brand new, it is packed. But, I was in SM over the weekend, and it had plenty of traffic too, so it doesn’t seem like Abreeza is killing them.. yet, anyway. I don’t mind spending P200 or so for some cherries since it is something I really wanted… I won’t be buying them daily, though! 😆

    • hi jim,

      as you know CDO tends to pull in a lot of shoppers from bukidnon and from iligan, and mall developers coming to the city for sure have done their research to justify the investment. traffic is already bad in CDO as it is, how much more when that airport in laguindingan starts operations! ” )

      cheers,

      • Hi Biz Doc – As you say I’m sure they have done their homework to justify their investment however there are times when you visit the existing Malls here in CDO and its like a ghost town.
        I agree the infrastucture for traffic is dreadful but the new Mall is not in the city centre so that should help. The new airport will not help with traffic congestion coming from the east to the west and the Marcos Bridge will take a bit of a hammering in years to come.
        Regards.
        Jim.

  13. Hi Bob -You’re a cherry Fan. Fresh cherries are way better than canned or glass ones and they’re delicious.. but dang! 188 pesos for 12 pieces?! It’s kinda like the raspberries, blueberries.. they cost 400 plus for just few pieces. All I can do is just look. Ha ha. Same with Davao Pomelo, it’s probably cheaper there, but here in Manila, it’s about 2 to 300php and that’s like a small one. Enjoy your cherries. You mentioned TGIF, I’ll wait for the food post. 🙂

    • Hi sugar – I practically live on Davao Pomelos! Ha ha.. I love them! Right now is not the good season. They are still available, but come August or so they will be much sweeter and juicier. If you give me (privately of course) your address, I will send you some Davao Pomelo, Sugar when they are in season. They are quite cheap here.

  14. Hi Bob
    I’ll be sure to get my cravings for blueberries and raspberries before I come to the Philippines. I don’t like cherries even though I can get them for free from the farmers market (I’m his biggest customer so he gives me some fruit for free). When it is winter here the berries usually come from Chile. One thing that most people don’t realize (if they have never been to the Philippines) is how nice some of the malls are even though there is so much poverty there. I think most malls are nicer in the Philippines then the ones in the U.S. and my city of 400,000 which has 3 sports teams has a small mall which no one would ever step foot in. On my next trip to Davao I”ll be sure to check out Abreeza mall. I’m glad that Ayala is expanding its presense in other cities besides Metro Manila and Cebu as they are the high end of malls in the Philippines.

    • Hi Neil – You are so right, and I was talking with another expat today about the same subject. Most people thing “3rd World” when they think of the Philippines. They don’t realize that there is a lot of high end stuff here as well. In fact, I saw a fellow from the States the other day. He had been to Abreeza, and he told me that “we don’t have anything like Abreeza near where I live in the States.” Sort of strange, huh?

      • Hi Neil, Bob,

        You know, I agree..and not just malls.. My sister said, gasoline stations here looks more presentable.. there’s plants and big convenience store. He he

        • Yep, the Shell rest stop @ NLEX is very nice. Stop for gas and Starbuck Mocha, got told by the cashier not to take picture of the pastries display though–didn’t argue for reasoning, she mumbled something about the cash register, so I said okay. I still have the picture.

    • Hi Neil – Good idea to get those cravings out of the way. I’ve been here for over 11 years though… so I do miss a few things, but it’s nothing too extreme. I will say, those cherries were sure good.

  15. Hi Bob,

    Going cold turkey on cherries , you made me laugh with tears ; this must be your funniest article ever,
    Summer regards,
    Ronny

      • Wow, 185.00 pesos/12. That’s about 15.00 pesos/cheeries! It sure is a beautiful Mall. It’s is comparable to our Northern Virginia High end mall and all the brands are their plus others. Impressive is the word.

        Mars

  16. Hi bob how does it compare with sm i found that to be a fairly modern centre at the time while vic plaza seemed a bit tired ,are the security gaurds still everywhere scary situation that ,very confronting when you come from a country that doesnt have much security at all
    chris

    • Yes,Victoria Plaza is a bit tired but what is it ? Fifteen years old now.Could do with a facelift but the prices are reasonable.Robinsons is mahal.Have you seen their packs of sausages down at the DCWD branch ? P600 ! Yikes !

    • Hi chris – Abreeza is several cuts above SM, there really is no comparison between the two. Why would you feel scared if there are security guards? They are there to protect you, not scare you! 😆

      • Yeah, and SM is really for the masses… compared to Ayala Malls. Though they sort of have an upscale malls one here called the Podium and The Block, and Atrium inside Mega Mall. You know they’re upscale when there’s high end stores ^_^.

        Malls here have a lot of security guards and big guard dogs. He he.

  17. I just bought a pound and a half of cherries for $7.89 the other day at the local grocery here in San Antonio, it’s not season anymore so i thought it was a bit pricey but i didn’t complain. I’m just badly craving for cherries that day lol. I felt some sort of relief after reading your cherry story, lol. Now i have something to look forward to in Davao my hometown on our next vacation next year. Thanks for sharing Bob.

    • Ha ha… I’m glad that my cherry purchase made yours seem a bit cheaper, Vanessa. Guess what.. Feyma and I were back at Abreeza and the cherries have gone up in price now! Haha… we didn’t buy any! 😉

  18. Glad you commented on the BBQ price being comparable with the same high end BBQ’s price in the U.S.A. After reading the post yesterday my asawa and I had decided we better ship one over before we leave for the Philippines. Wow, a$2000.00 BBQ. Must be one heck of a cooking accessory.

  19. went to costco today the price of cherries was 3.99 per pound in a four pound tub. Gas was 3.79 for regular per gallon.

      • And much of your gas is consumed while sitting still in the Davao traffic.

        Still it’s not bad at $5 per gallon, it’s USD$8.36 per Gallon (us gallon) in the UK, and $5.48 in Australia. Not much chance of it going down I think! Cherries? Not sure about the price of them…look at the silly little tubs occasionally and walk away. Cherries to me are like Jaffa Cakes, you eat the packet…not just one or two. (Sudden realisation….that’s why my midriff is growing).

        • Hi Jim – When we first moved here gas was P13/L, now it’s P60, so it’s been a big climb. The prices you are quoting in Europe, and Australia are mostly from taxes, not the price of the product itself.

          On the cherries.. that’s my whole point… I wanted to eat a whole pack, but had to limit myself to 2 or 3!! 😆

          • Oh yeah, it’s mainly tax that constitutes the overall price of petroleum products in the UK. If they tried to drop it now that would result in an increase in other taxes and that would cause a bruhaha. We just got used to the price, and in a way the policy has been highly successful, since mostly we drive cars that do 40mpg.

            We could try to send you some cherries in a balikbayan box? (Joking, though we have a friend who sent 20 litres of UHT milk in one b. box and complained when it arrived with the milk packs burst. Yes, it does raise several questions…but that’s off topic.)

  20. Hi Bob! greetings here from Osaka 😀

    I’ve been reading and did some browsing here in your website for almost 2 weeks now and I really like it, very informative especially at this moment that I am missing my hometown Davao City so much! I just want to write a piece of Thank You and Kudos to all of you here.
    My heart was jumping when i saw your pictures with family inside the newly opened Abreeza Mall. I am much excited now for our up coming summer vacation there with my 3 year old little girl on July.

    American cherries are much cheaper than Japanese cherries i think i should give my self an enough dose of those before i come home to Davao (laugh). I miss Durian so much and my favorite Lanzones.
    Btw, i feel really at home and close to Davao here in your website, More Power!

    kathleen

    • Hi Katty – Nice to get a comment from you in Osaka! Thanks for stopping by and reading my site! You are right, better eat your share of cherries before coming here for vacation! Ha ha…

      I also love durian and lansones! They are both great!

  21. Bob: I believe most of the cherries here are imported from China (As are most peaches, grapes, pears, and apples). The duties on agricultural tend to be on the high side, hence the high prices. As with everything else here, if it is imported, it is expensive.

    Juanito loves grapes, and at the supermarket here they run anywhere from 200 to 400 per kg… Not cheap by any measure.

  23. Bob, did you plant the pips? Just wondering if fruiting cherries would grow here in Davao.

      • Like many flowering and fruiting trees, cherries need a period of cold temperature and that’s unlikely to happen most anywhere in the Philippines. Except for the mountain regions such as Baguio where much “western” fruit and veg originates. However your cherries probably came from China (doesn’t everything?!!).

  24. Meriam and I were in Davao City last week and paid a visit to the Abreeza mall. It will be a long time before we visit again. No people were there and very few stores were open. What a waste of time!

    • I’m shocked at your experience, Gary. Abreeza is usually packed with people! About 60% of the stores are open at this point.. it’s just a soft opening at this point.

  25. Very good story Bob,

    Many years ago, I nearly died paying more than GBP2 (more than P100) for a bottle of soy sauce in the UK. Fish sauce was even dearer. But is is a Pinay going to do without these sauce of life.

    My hubby loves weetabix and good reliable rustans supermarket sell them for P450 (box of 24). Geez, cost 1/3 of that from fr where we are. To solve the problem, I take a box or 2 in the suitcase on our yearly trek to manila. I have stopped doing this a couple of years ago as I thought it is best that hubby tries different breakie during hols. still won’t eat fried rice and longanisa though.

    anyway, to all my Lip friends I’ll bring u home some petrol, it is P13 liter here. aha – I have left uk a long time and soy sauce and patis are a lot cheaper where we are now.

    cheers,

    • Hi Alfre – It’s funny how we all have things that we miss, want or need from back home, and how we are willing to spend a fortune, in relative terms on those things. Thanks for sharing!

      Oh.. and please do bring me some of that P13/L petrol! 😉

  26. I visited Abreeza during the second week of its opening and disappointingly found many of the outlets were still not open. However, I do wonder who, apart from wealthier Expats, will actually buy anything from Marks & Spencer, Debenhams, Mothercare, Etam or Dorothy Perkins – all of which are upmarket British retailers and due to open their stores in Abreeza “any day now”.

    You were probably very wise to park at Victoria Plaza as parking at Abreeza is a nightmare. There’s just a single level carpark under the Mall where they appear to have used “Quik-Fade” paint to mark the bays and directional signs. When we visited they were working on the exit booth and a guard told me that they will soon be charging 30 Pesos (the same as Ayala Cebu).

    It is claimed that Abreeza was designed by the same firm of Australian architects who were responsible for the “Terraces” at Ayala Cebu but there’s nothing we saw that is even remotely similar. Maybe when Phase II opens at the end of October.

    According to Ayala’s PR department, there’s to be a Burger King and Taco Bell but they were not open last week – nor was there any indication of where they may be located. However I did chance upon a stall just outside the Cinema Foyer that proudly advertised Nathans’ Hotdogs. But don’t build your hopes up, they don’t sell them, they just like the sign and have copied its design to advertise their own local “dogs”.

    We too found many, many people wandering up and down the various aisles but remarkably few showed any evidence of actually having bought stuff – no store bags (the supermarket being the exception) and many of the shops were empty of customers – and some, especially the large number of cellphone shops, had almost no stock of anything!

    For now I’ll stick to SM.

    • Hi Mark – Thanks for visiting the site and leaving a comment. I’m not sure how long you’ve lived here, but back in 2001, when SM opened it was just the same. It will take time for things to finalize and all the shops to be opened, etc. But, it will happen.

      As far as prices, I think that many items are the same price that you find elsewhere in town. For example, I took Bebe, my Bisaya teacher, to Starbucks, and she was happily surprised to see that the coffee at Starbucks was about the same price as other local coffee shops. So many prices are quite competitive.

      Feyma and I have been back to Abreeza many times in the 2+ weeks that they have been opened. We like the place. It’s kind of a far drive for us, and SM is just up the street from where we live… but if it’s our choice, we prefer to go to Abreeza.. it is just that nice.

      Thanks again for your comment, Mark.

      • Hi Bob – I’ve been living in the Philippines since 2007 but in Davao since last November. Prior to that I was in Cebu.

        If SM is just up the street from you then we must be near neighbours as I’m near the intersection of Quimpo and McArthur – well at least for now as I’m in the process of building a (timber-framed and brick-skinned) house in Ula, 15 kms up the highway towards Bukidnon, on a 1500 sq,mtr plot my wife and I purchased last year.

        Coffee shop prices may be competitive but those from the likes of M & S (a British chain represented by Rustans as franchisees in the Philippines) may not be. They have a store in Cebu where I bought a cotton “dress”polo shirt shortly before leaving for a visit to the UK last May. That shirt cost 2.5 times more in Cebu than an identical one in my local (UK) M & S store. Both shirts were made in the Philippines! Of course the one sold in Cebu travelled an extra 9,000 or so air miles. But M & S is renowned for the quality of its products.

        • Hi Mark – I would suspect that people like Marks & Spencer and the others have done their market research and feel that there is a market in Davao… we’ll have to see. Certainly it has been able to sustain itself in Manila and Cebu, I see no reason why Davao would be different. I believe you that the shirt was 2.5 x the price “back home” as that is true with just about anything imported, or “re-imported” in this case!

    • Hi Mark, when strip mall or malls open in the US, some of the stores are not open either. I’m sure they’ll open when they’re ready but most of the flagship stores open first, like when JC Penney is the advertiesd flagship stores, many small ones open later.

      Mars

    • Hi Mark, when strip mall or malls open in the US, some of the stores are not open either. I’m sure they’ll open when they’re ready but most of the flagship stores open first, like when JC Penney is the advertised flagship stores, many small ones open later.

      Mars