Sweet Corn

Back when I was an undergrad student who had to carefully budget her allowance to get by, my bestbud and I had two staple snacks whenever we were running low in cash: the isaw beside the CAP Bldg which was then P5.oo per stick, and the sweet corn in Alangilan which was then P20.00 per supot. The isaw would go with one bottle of coke which my friend and I would divide between the two of us, while the sweet corn would go with the dairy cream butter which we made sure would last for one month or even more. Frugal, happy times, indeed.

I went to Alangilan  today to meet a friend and since I’ve been craving for sweet corn for as long as I can remember, I decided to buy one. It’s now P50.00 per supot and, unlike before, when you have to cross to the other side of the street to buy one (imagine me  braving the rain and the traffic in Kthere just to get a decent snack), there are now vendors on both sides of the road. I’ve always liked it whenever I get to eat something that reminds me of my young and carefree years in UB. And sweet corn is definitely way up there with isaw and fishballs and banana q and tomyum. So I was giddy with my purchase. It even drizzled on my way home so I thought this is a perfect time to curl up in bed, reminisce about my young, carefree  days and eat my sweet corn.

Imagine my disgust when I took my first bite and realized that it’s no longer as sweet as it used to be. Not only that, it’s no longer as soft and as juicy as I remember. Now, it’s hard and dry and ordinary— exactly the kind you can buy anywhere else. I thought maybe I failed to buy the authentic variety. Or that my taste buds have improved through the years such that what used to taste really good is now just ordinary. Or that I’m still recovering from my recent bout with colds and hence, my sense of taste hasn’t gone back to normal. I gave my mom one piece and she couldn’t get what was it about this corn that I was raving about. I simply told her it didn’t always taste like this.  The truth is, maybe it wasn’t really that good in the first place but since it was something that I had to be content with when I had no other means to go for something else, I conditioned myself into thinking that it was really good. So over the years, I made myself believe that this corn was worth going back to. And that it was something out of the ordinary.

Despite my disappointment, I finished eating it, anyway. And then I facebooked about it. And those who know me well who might have read my FB status and who might be reading this would know that it’s not just the sweet corn along UB that I’m talking about. And on this humid but drizzly afternoon, when the skies couldn’t decide yet whether it will rain or not, it is good to think about these things.