KRISIS KRINGLE

Cool breeze blowing through your hair, shorter days and longer nights, more happy songs played in radios and malls. It's that time of the year again. One thing that excites us are the gifts we receive during Christmastime. Since pre-school we have grown accustom to exchanging gifts. We use aliases, or just simply pick names from a bowl on who our Monito or Manita will be. And so we forge on a quest to find the perfect gift...

We have had our own share of weird gifts from  Kris Kringle. The common practice is to give a gift a day to your kris kringle, based on the agreed gift description and minimum price. People tend to be creative in coming up with the craziest kris kringle gift ideas at the lowest price.

The gifts we give often reflect on the personality of the giver or the receiver. For example, for something sweet. Some will give a piece of a cheap sweet candy. Others don’t give gifts at all. Filipinos come up with similar gift ideas when trying to meet a budget. There are common gift items during Kris Kringle and I bet you have received one of these things.

1. Figurines- They come in different designs. There was once a time when almost everyone wanted to collect Angel figurines. A popular gift for mothers and girls. It's a definite option for 'kuripot' givers since can buy them at Divisoria 4 pieces for 100.

2. Ballpoint pen-Anyone who has gone through school have this once in our academic life.  Some gifts fool you with intricate packaging only to find a pen or a set of pen inside it.  Some of the pens don't even work after you receive it.

3. Picture Frame- Since most of us nowadays take pictures, some would think this will be a good gift. It's one of those gifts that people think is a no-fail. The problem is when you receive it, you will have to just keep it away since most of your pictures are saved up in Facebook or in other social sites. Not unless you want to spend money for having you pictures printed out.

4. Alarm Clock - A gift given to people who usually come in late. It's somehow a way to mock you. After receiving this you need to tap it gently or else the next day it will not function again. If it's a cheap clock, it will only live for a few days.

5. Wallet - They come in different brands like Gucci, Louis Vuitton and then there's Seiko. We are excited to open it but viola! It's empty no cash. Plus you find out it's a knock off. The giver thinks that you have lots of money, that you badly need a wallet.

6. Calendars- Easy gift choice for businessman and politician givers who are on a budget. Plus it gives them free advertising.

7. T-shirt - Cute and functional, if only it fits. If it doesn't, the receiver will just probably  give this in another kris kringle or maybe to a younger family member.

8. Items with lights - The giver thinks that anything with lights is fascinating and elegant. Yes, lights are amusing but most of them don't have a purpose like those blinking necklace, the rubber ball with lights in them or even the glow in the dark set of planets and stars.

9. Handkerchief or towel - It's cheap and easy to wrap. Very useful especially when commuting or the giver may have seen you sweating a lot or sneezing. The most you can spend is probably 200 pesos depending on the quality. It comes cheaper if you don't buy it in malls. Most girls choose this as gift item for guys.

10. Mugs - If I'm not mistaken about 9 out of 10 people wouldn't appreciate this. Almost everyone already owns a mug but you still choose to buy this because it's cute and you think its functional. If you are the receiver, you can add another one to your collection of gift mugs. Lucky you!

Getting these gifts may not make us head over heels happy and probably will only disappoint us but think about it. They are not as bad as getting none at all. So for those still thinking of gifts to give please avoid giving these things and opt for more practical things or you can find more ways to make gift more meaningful. If you can't decide on what to give, do what my mother usually does and just give an envelope with money inside. As for me, if you want a cheap and practical gift that people will surely love, go for coupons. I'm not talking about the ones from malls or magazines. Make love coupons wherein you do certain favors for the receiver a.k.a IOU coupons. You can give it to your parents, friend and significant ones.

Real gifts don't really mean breaking the budget but if there is a certain amount,  my advice would be to start saving up. Wag maging kuripot as iba. It's really better to give than to receive.





  

KAMOTE FTW!!!

Kamote Cue! Kamote Chips! We always hear our local maglalako and street vendors selling this. In the market, we see kamote and we appreciate how cheap they are. For the ordinary Filipino, it's just a local crop that we turn into dessert treats. 

Yes, we are quite familiar with Kamote. Internationally it is called as sweet yam o sweet potato. For the scientists, they call it 'Ipomoea batatas'.  Way back during the Second World War, the Filipinos cultivated kamote when food was scarce and most have to rely on food that can easily ease their hunger and are easy to cultivate. So what's with this kamote? Well this kamote could be one of the ways wherein we can win over some of our country's problem on food and poverty.

Everyday we see people complaining about hunger and our government is finding different ways and means to eradicate this massive problem but I wonder, why do we still take kamote for granted?

If you are one of those Filipinos who are not yet informed of the benefits packed in this root crop, here they are:

1. Sweet potato is cheap. Even Secretary Domingo Panganiban of the National Antipoverty Commission (NAPC) adviced farmers to “grab the economic opportunity offered by the current food crisis to go back to their hometowns and farms to start planting camote and other crops to supply the needs of urban areas like Metro Manila where food costs continue to rise.” 

Planting these root crops will allow farmers to earn more than what most minimum-wage earners get, without the expense of daily commute to poor-paying jobs in the urban areas.

2. Sweet potato can be grown in a wide range of soils, from heavy to sandy. It thrives best in sandy loam soils rich in organic matter with pH ranging from 5.0-7.0 and in areas with uniform rainfall and good drainage.

3. The crop can be planted throughout the year but the ideal planting time for best varieties is at the onset of the rainy season or immediately after the rainy season. 

4. Kamote has multifarious uses besides being a food substitute for rice and corn, it can also be a potential source of raw materials for industrial uses and food delicacies. It can be processed into feeds, flour, starch and pectin for local and export markets. The flour can further be converted into fermented products such as soy sauce, and alcohol.  With the addition of saccharides, it can be made into wine, vinegar and nata.

5. All parts of the kamote plant, especially in the leaves and tips, ranked highest in nutritional value among other commercial vegetables. It contains protein, lipids, carbohydrates, calcium, iron, phosphorus, vitamins A and C, and other nutrients needed by our body.

 The nutritional values of a 3 oz baked kamote are: calories 90, fat 0 g, saturated fat 0 g, cholesterol 0 mg, carbohydrate 21 g, protein 2 g, dietary fiber 3 g, sodium 36 mg, vitamin A 19,218 IU, folic acid 6 micrograms, pantothenic acid 1 mg, vitamin B6 <1 mg, vitamin C 20 mg, vitamin E 1 mg, calcium 38 mg, manganese 1 mg, carotenoids 11,552 mcg, potassium 475 mg and magnesium 45 mg. 

Compare that to a 100 g serving of white rice with: calories 361 kcal, water 10.2 g, total fat 0.8 g, dietary fiber 0.6 g, calcium 8 mg, phosphorous 87 mg, potassium 111 mg, sodium 31 mg, vitamin B1 0.07 mg, vitamin B2 0.02 mg, niacin 1.8 g, protein 6 g and carbohydrates 82 g.

6. Recent studies conducted by South Korea's Rural Development Administration shows that kamote contains antioxidants and nutrients that are best for our health. Among antioxidants found in kamote crops are: chlorogenic acid that slows the release of glucose into the bloodstream after a meal which contributes to the prevention of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus; isoclorogenic acid; and caffeic acid shown to act as a carcinogenic inhibitor. 

Higher amount of antioxidants in kamote are found in the leaves than the tips, while the amount of antioxidants in the tips have higher amount than in the roots and petioles.    

These antioxidative compounds may protect the human body from oxidative stress that is associated with many diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases.  

Rumors about kamote tops juice as a cure for dengue have circulated  recently, but there have been no further studies that can prove the claim. It is said to boost the platelet counts of dengue patients upon drinking the juice.

Even the North Carolina Stroke Association, American Cancer Society, and the American Heart Association have all endorsed the sweet potato for its disease prevention and healing qualities.

Americans and Koreans call the kamote a “super food that heals.” 

Progressive countries have praised this cheap root crop that we, Filipinos, just look down at. 


For us who have gone through school, everytime we would get bad grades we were  called “nangangamote” .  A term used for the losers, those who were thought to have no chance of a good future.  Nangangamote was telling the habitual flunker to “just go to the mountains and plant kamote.”

Kamote is not a incompetent plant  and we should for know how valuable this crop is. We go on and blame current economic situations even graft and corruption for malnutrition, poverty and unemployment but what we need to do is just look for alternatives. 

We, Filipinos have yet to learn how to harness more of what we have, to avoid under estimating our natural resources than complain on things that we do not possess.  

For even a simple root crop such as the kamote can prove to be a winner amongst other crops.