The market was the heart of the Nuevo Donostia (or Sebastian, as it is called by the elders), with the bustling chatter of people, exchange of goods and overall fervour of the town. Vegetables coming from Bulakan, Rizal and Cavite. Meat coming from the abattoirs and household materials from the coconut farms far away near the shore. There were eateries too, where fresh soups and stews were served while people chattered for midday coffee.

By the time the five people in the carriage arrived at the palenque (or mercado, depending on the dialect) the gunfire from a few minutes ago disappeared. Still, Guelio was worried that whoever fired the shot would catch the attention of the Guarida Civil. And that wouldn't be in their best interests, considering they shot down a few members of their force yesterday.

"We're just going to stay over there, near the edge of the field. Just call one of us if you need heavy lifting", said Guelio.

"Stay safe", waved Renee as the carriage parked a few meters away from the market.

Renee took Jazmin's hand and excitedly walked towards the stalls at the front side of the market.

"You and I are entering culinary heaven: the merkado!"

Renee, being the town artisan chef, which basically means panadera revolutionary, she needs a plethora of ingredients to work with. She needs things such as coconut creme, dairy, root crops, spices, meat, flour and even rare herbs from Europe to put a twist on usual Hispano-Filipino comfort dishes.

Jazmin on the other hand, not only works as a governess, but also helps around in the kitchen when the family needs assistance, especially when the fiestas celebrating Saint Sebastian of Rome during January come around. Now, she's just buying ingredients for her own needs, as well as come up with new creations for Renee's eatery.
Since it was a Sunday, everything was in abundance. First, the two went to the dry goods section, where you can find literally everything that is not meat.

"I always go to this section first, otherwise the meat juices drip and I smell like fish bait."

Renee chose some fresh dahon ng sili, oregano and other native herbs for the soups she'll prepaer this week. Coupled with a bunch of chinese cabbage, tamarinds and kangkong, she'll be making different takes on sinampalukan and sinigang.

Meanwhile, Jazmìn was picking out the flour Renee would use for her breads. Hard flour would be suitable for breads so she asked for a sack of it, to replace the one that tumbled over back at the eatery.  Not only did Renee make empanadas, she made pan de sal, monay and sugar bread, all morning staples.

The two also bought went around the market looking for spices from India and Persia. Renee wanted to try a recipe she got from an expatriate and maybe she'd put curry in her empanada. Jazmin on the other hand wanted to make a spicy adobo for the upcoming birthday of one of the children she tutors.

Guelio and Rodrigo on the other hand, getting restless after staying in the carriage, decided to venture into the stalls in the front. Sanchez tagged along with them as they surveyed the foodstuffs and furniture in the front. Guelio decided to buy a bottle of whiskey for himself and a couple of pomades for Rodrigo's unstylable hair. Sanchez got interested in a couple antiques and haggled for them as if he was dealing with his own wares in Barça.

Meanwhile, by the time the two girls met up, they went to the wet section where fresh meat, poultry and seafood would come in. Since there wasn't any way of storing ingredients for long, Renee just bought chicken and pork for a day's worth. Around as much as for the dinner for the current day and breakfast for the Monday ahead.

Considering their load was as heavy as them, especially that giant sack of flour, they decided to call the boys for help, like Guelio suggested.

The shopping trip was indeed, done. But they wouldn't leave the market before pandemonium would catch up to them again.