Foodgoat is sick. Around here, the treatment of choice for sore throats and general feeling-lousiness is a cup of hot calamansi juice. Calamansi (or kalamansi, or kalamonding, or suwa) is a tiny green lime indigenous in the Philippines. The smallest of the citrus fruits (just a few centimeters, and the tree is only 4-5 feet tall), it is very widely used, not just for drinks but also as an ingredient in many dishes, dipping sauces, marinades (I've been meaning to try it on salmon), even health care and beauty products. Little bowls of them, cut in half for squeezing ease, would be placed on the table with the other condiments. But what I really like is the juice.
The thing of it is, it's difficult to find. My parents have a tree in their backyard, but I've never seen fresh calamansi in the store, unlike in the Philippines, where baskets of it can be found in the market (it would tough to juice the tiny things anyway). I tried a powdered calamansi, which is okay. What I really look for is calamansi concentrate: a thick syrup sweetened with honey, that you just have to mix a little bit of with water for a hot (or cold, if it's summer and you're not sick) drink. But that's not so easy to get a hold of either. Most Asian markets or even Filipino stores don't carry it. So the thing to do is to pick a bottle or two up while you happen to be in the Philippines (or have someone pick it up for you).
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