With all honesty, I was not able to visit the event called “Pistang Tomas 2018” which was held at Quadricentennial Park in the University of Santo Tomas. What I did was I told my dorm mate to buy something from that event. Suddenly, I forgot to tell him an important detail. That “something” had to be a potential trend in the future. What I realized is that anything could be potientially trendy but it depends on the when and the how .
“Saging”
Bananas are common and usually consumed here in the Philippines. The said fruit is yellow and sweet. When I ate the banana, I was expecting that I would just experience the usual taste of it. I was wrong. At the very first bite, the sweetness and the pureness of it was the one that I felt. I wonder where did this specific fruit came from. Well, I wasn’t able to know because I am not the one to buy it. The taste itself can make the banana amazing. I thought of a another good way to present or eat it. Turon is a good way of making it. A banana coated with fried wrapper with sugar inside. Simple as it may be seen but when you put another twist with it like Langka in between the banana slices. With good cooking and presentation, it can be really a good product. Another thing that can be a trend with a banana is the Banana Yakult shake. I know that it is not new for some of the people but it can be trend is not something is needs to be new in all aspects. It can be popular when a shake like that will be offered in different places to be more known by a larger population of consumers. I first tasted the banana yakult shake in Padre Noval Street near the university. It is something weird at first when you hear it but when you taste it, you may experience the sour-y taste added in a common banana flavored shake. Besides, it can be trendy because it is fresh in the ears and the thoughts of the people specially in the Philippines.
“The Ring”
We usually see a ring on couples and most likely it symbolizes commitment for us. But the ring that I have is not an ordinary ring that we all expect. When I first saw the ring when I had it, I was amazed by its creativity, design, and simplicity. The rings that I usually expect are made of gold, silver, metal, etc. This ring is different. It is made of rattan! Rattans are used to make baskets and bilaos. When I asked how much is that ring, I knew that it is just sold for only ten pesos! As I ask my friend, he finally revealed that the ring came from South Cotabato. The structure may be simple but it can be something that would click to elementary or high schoolers in the province. Well, that was just my opinion. Because based on my experience, these kinds of accessories are really sold well when it is sold around a school. Because of its price, it can be really affordable for the kids to avail it. All in all, the price is good for the product and along side with it, there is the culture that lies.
“Pillow”
This pillow may look usual and really simple but it is not what you think. I had that same feeling too. I was like, “what’s with this pillow?”. But when I found out the story behind it, I was shocked. The pillow came from a home for the aged. Surprising right? Good thing about it is that it is not a low quality pillow that many of us anticipate. It’s quality is not the best one but can still be a useful pillow for us. What I observed in this generation, things won’t just be trendy because of the purpose, quality, or the use of it. It can be a popular one when it is shown great specially in the internet. It can look aesthetic through social media sites. Well, no doubt, social media sites are the best platform for trends as we can see today (and as can be seen in the photo). We can also change the pillow case and make it more look like fabulous. Another good thing about this product, it is only sold at 35 pesos each. Yes, you read it right, 35 pesos each. With a product with another affordable price, it can be known only if a lot of people with know it and a lot of people could sell these kinds of items.
Pistang Tomas 2018 is a good moment for the parter communities of the university to dwell in one place and showcase their products. What I noticed about this annual event is that it gives the students of the University of Santo Tomas a chance to see other communities and their culture as well. Selling their items at a cheap price, is a good opportunity for everyone of us.
Trend is not necessarily need to be completely new to us, it is something that can be existing in the past but will only shine if it’s their time. As what I’ve mentioned earlier, it can also be trendy in this generation through the powerful use of the social media websites. As far as I believe, trends would not only be trends when it is something that is expensive or pricey. Prices of all levels can be a trend through the way on how people would accept and experience it. For my say, let’s make our own crafts trendy and appreciate the art on it. I believe that it may also help the communities because it can make their products marketable and known nationwide.
This is Hiroshi Marutani, til my next blog! Have a good day!
Even though you did not visit the fair, you were still able to write an interesting blog post that has good content. When I saw the picture of the banana, I asked "Bakit saging? Trendy ba 'to?" And then I read it and I liked how you introduced the Banana Yakult shake as a potential trend. Maybe it's already been a thing for a while now but it's actually the first time that I have heard about it. What caught my attention the most was when you said "Trend does not necessarily need to be completely new to us, it is something that can be existing in the past but will only shine if it's their time." I agree with you! The products sold in the fair such as the ones that you have mentioned in your post proved that even though something is already known like the banana and pillow or part of a culture like the woven ring, it does not mean that it cannot become a trend now or even in the future. There can always be a twist in a simple product that would create an entirely different impact, such as the banana shake you have mentioned, as well as those having their own unique backgrounds and descriptions like the pillow from the home of the aged.
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