Hello Asean Hivers! What's up for today? I hope all is good! I'll share our day, which I can say was tiring but rewarding. It all started with a simple craving. My husband wants to cook Beef Linaga, a classic Ilonggo dish, he's been longing to cook this comforting soup. My husband's mind had set on it, so he was excited to cook for this food. The one key ingredient that could make or break his culinary mission, is the tender jackfruit. This easy grocery run turned into an epic hunt across the city. We're here in Dubai and this tender jackfruit is not available anytime.
This is the first stop, Lulu Hypermarket, our usual go-to for fresh veggies. A 21 km from our place. As we reached the vegetable section, We scoured the area, hopeful and expectant, but no sign of jackfruit, we were disappointed but never discouraged. My husband told me to search for another hypermarket that's near to us. So I did.
This was the second stop at the Carrefour, just 15km away from Lulu supermarket. With hope in our hearts, surely we thought Carrefour wouldn't let us down. But, sad to say, the shelves were void, no jackfruit. We went out to the supermarket thinking about where to find one. We're inside the car, my husband searches for another, that's near to this Carrefour. And there he found another Lulu Hypermarket in Dubai Investment Park. So another road drive.
This hypermarket is a 23km drive, we just chill, talking and laughing about the venture we had today, finding jackfruit! We were convinced that this store would have what we needed. But after a thorough search, were met with the same disappointment, No jackfruit, No Linaga! So I told my husband, we should give up and never mind the Linaga. We will go home but my husband was so determined to find one, that he said we would go to Batutta Mall, a bigger Carrefour supermarket.
But before heading to Battuta Mall, I bought a Magnum ice cream to ease our unfulfilled mission. The creamy sweetness was a small consolation, melting our frustration with each bite. At least we left with something indulgent to lift our spirits.
This is our way to the Battuta Mall. Not a busy day today, just a few cars on the road, maybe the people are resting for the last day of this long weekend holiday to celebrate Eid.
The drive was long, our patience running thin but the determination was never waved. We went directly to the Carrefour supermarket, I didn't take pictures because inside many people were having their groceries. With respect, since we were here in another country and other nationalities you can bump in here. We were in the vegetable section, and we went separate ways to find for the jackfruit. I didn't see one but my husband did. He was waving at me with a big smile on his face. I hurriedly went to him and there, bingo we found one. The last tender jackfruit lying there as if it is waiting for us. What a relief! Thank God we finally accomplished our mission.
This is it! The tender jackfruit, it's 19 dirhams. If I will convert it to Philippine Peso, this cost 285.00, haha. But it's okay, as long as we can have Beef Linaga later for our dinner. Our craving is about to be treated. After an exhausting journey, we deserved a reward.
With no discussion, we made our way to Pizza Hut. Settle into our seats with satisfied smiles. The warm cheesy pepperoni pizza was a fitting
celebration of our perseverance in finding the jackfruit, haha!
We went home happy, mission accomplished and a delicious rewards.
Our dinner, the rich aroma of Beef Linaga filled in the kitchen. Every spoonful was a reminder that sometimes the best rewards come after the longest journeys. We were very satisfied and my husband was super happy to cook this kind of comforting food. Let's eat!!!
Photos are all mine and taken using Samsung S21
Edited through Canva
