Stocking up and subsisting on canned goods is something people have been doing a lot during the Luzon-wide lockdown, so it’s not surprising that one man’s review of some of the major Filipino sardine brands has gone viral.
Marine scientist Diuvs de Jesus wrote his now-viral review on Sunday, and since then, it has been shared almost 37,000 times, thanks to its detailed description of the sardines’ flavor, length, quantity, and price.
“I did a rapid comparison of the top canned sardines brands in the Philippines. I compared the number of pieces per can, mean length, sauce taste and consistency and caloric and sodium content,” he wrote.
“I only sampled 1 can per brand and only the regular green flavor. Taste test is based on perception of 3 respondents (including me),” he added.
“I wanted to determine the species, but duh!? no heads, tail, fins, etc, unless we do a DNA analysis,” he added.
De Jesus reviewed the brands 555, Young’s Town, Ligo, and Mega. Of the four, he described Young’s Town as the “saltiest, and the most watery.” Ligo is the “least salty, slightly sweet, has the thickest sauce, and the most delicious for me.”
In an interview with Coconuts Manila through Facebook Messenger, De Jesus said the monthlong quarantine spurred him to write the review. He spent about PHP20 (US$0.39) per can, and all of the brands were bought from a supermarket.
“We’re locked down, and many of us have sardines for food,” he said. “I’ve been cooking several sardine dishes for the past days and looking for more options om how to cook sardines. I’ve noticed we have several brands as stocks.”
“I work as a marine scientist, and part of my research and campaign is the sustainable harvest of sardines. Part of the job is to do studies, so I thought why not analyze canned sardines,” he added.
De Jesus said he has no plans of stopping and will continue to eat sardines.
Well, enjoy, Diuvs!
