The saga over hard-to-find Filipino pantry staples in the UAE has taken another turn, this time centered on Datu Puti soy sauce and vinegar, after community members spotted the twin condiments selling online for a price many called excessive.
A listing on Amazon.ae offered a Datu Puti Vinegar and Soy Sauce Value Pack — one 1-liter bottle of each — for AED 192, or roughly AED 9.60 per 100 ml. The figure drew disbelief in the Food Trip UAE Facebook group, where the two products, everyday essentials in Filipino cooking, normally sell for a fraction of that. On other online platforms, single bottles have been listed for as little as AED 8.95 apiece.
Shelves still coming up empty
For many, the online price only sharpened a frustration they’d already been voicing: the brand is simply hard to find in stores. Comment after comment described fruitless searches across supermarkets. “Grabeh kung san san kame nag hanap Datung Puti na Suka wala daw stock” (“We’ve searched everywhere for Datu Puti vinegar — they say there’s no stock”), one member wrote. Another in Ajman said the shortage had all but wiped out local supply: “ngaun halos wala na mabilhan dito sa ajman” (“now there’s almost nowhere to buy it here in Ajman”).
The scarcity has pushed some to stockpile whenever they spot it. “Mag hoard na nga tayo pagka nakakita tayo haha” (“Let’s just hoard it when we find some”), one commenter joked, while another admitted to buying five pairs of the vinegar and soy sauce in an earlier run.
Coping and cracking jokes
True to community form, the shortage has become fodder for humor and workarounds. Some said they were switching cuisines until stocks return — “Biryani muna hanggang walang suka toyo haha” (“Biryani for now while there’s no vinegar and soy sauce”) — while others suggested alternative brands like Marca Piña. A few floated the idea of making do with oyster sauce or turning to homemade vinegar.
Beneath the jokes runs a familiar wish. “Angmahal na ng lahat dito. Sana soon bumalik din sa normal lahat” (“Everything’s so expensive here. Hopefully everything goes back to normal soon”), one member wrote, summing up a community weathering both empty shelves and steep prices for the flavors of home.
