{"id":415187,"date":"2024-10-25T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-10-25T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=415187"},"modified":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"-0001-11-29T14:00:00","slug":"The-travels-of-the-little-red-cloth-bag","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/The-travels-of-the-little-red-cloth-bag\/","title":{"rendered":"The travels of the little red cloth bag"},"content":{"rendered":"

That little red cloth bag. It\u2019s a common site at the check-in counter at the Francisco C. Ada-Saipan International Airport. Usually filled to its brim with sweet goodness from the CNMI\u2019s very own Herman\u2019s Modern Bakery. This bag, whether it\u2019s a gift for family overseas, or a delicious souvenir, you are sure to get a glimpse of somewhere on that airport trolley or in bags as both visitors and former and current residents depart Saipan.<\/p>\n

As someone who had the privilege to travel around for several years myself, I cannot deny the staple that is Herman\u2019s Modern Bakery bread. Of the 13 countries I\u2019ve visited, five of which I lived in, you can\u2019t quite find an equal match to the bread we CNMI locals have been raised with. It\u2019s the color, taste, and texture that over the span of 80 years, has adorned our breakfast tables on a daily basis, been our party potluck on a tight budget, and has even earned a special spot on our Thanksgiving and Christmas tables.<\/p>\n

As many CNMI residents have relocated over the years, no matter the reason, whenever coming for a visit to their hometown, it has become a tradition, and for some a mandatory practice, to get some warm Herman\u2019s Modern Bakery bread before leaving. It\u2019s just something in that recipe that no matter where we are, a bite will bring us back home. Nostalgia to carefree times, laughter with friends, and family prayer around a meager but meaningful table. Herman\u2019s Modern Bakery helped provide that transporting flavor.<\/p>\n

When I returned to Saipan, during my many trips, I recognized that this was not just the sensation of one person but many individuals, especially those who live away from the CNMI. I\u2019d observe that to \u201cGet Herman\u2019s\u201d was a part of the checklist before departing. Whether it\u2019s personal, or on a special request for a grandma, an uncle, or a parent staying abroad.<\/p>\n

In light of Herman\u2019s Modern Bakery turning 80, I reached out to some former residents of Saipan, currently living away, to share what makes Herman\u2019s Modern Bakery bread so special to them.<\/p>\n

\u201cI grew up with Herman\u2019s Modern Bakery sweet bread. In my household, it was a staple. It was something that we\u2019ve always had with our morning coffee or even just as a snack,\u201d said Liana Louis. \u201cWhen I visit, I do plan on bringing bread back home with me. I left Saipan September 2019, and I currently stay in Yigo, Guam.\u201d<\/p>\n

She shared that Herman\u2019s Modern Bakery bread is unique in terms of taste and texture.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s really nothing like it here. In Guam, the bread is not the same. There\u2019s really just nothing like something that you grew up with. There\u2019s really no competition. When you know it\u2019s good it\u2019s good.\u201d<\/p>\n

She shared that for her Herman\u2019s Modern Bakery\u2019s bread was inviting, fresh, and nostalgic. \u201cI believe that Herman\u2019s Modern Bakery offers much more than just bread and pastry to the community. There\u2019s a friendship, a camaraderie, a feeling of family, and that\u2019s really the feeling that you get when you visit the shop or the bakery. You feel like it\u2019s home. It\u2019s a place where you can depend on, that what you\u2019re looking for in the bread, is there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Louis shared that her experience at Herman\u2019s Modern Bakery has always been satisfying. \u201cI do have a lot of fond memories growing up with Herman\u2019s Modern Bakery.\u201d She shared that, aside from the bread, she and her family would get sweets for their peers.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re always getting birthday cakes there. We\u2019re getting pastries for friends, for teachers. There are so many memories that I have from there. Specifically, aside from being on the receiving end…it\u2019s being able to ask them to design a cake that I want for my family and friends and being able to give it and see the reaction. It\u2019s one of the funniest, best feelings ever. \u201c<\/p>\n

Sherese Saures Apat is another CNMI resident living abroad and she shared her fondest memories of Herman\u2019s Modern Bakery.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can remember when I was just a little girl of how I grew up eating Herman\u2019s Modern Bakery baked goods. I would always see my grandparents, parents, and family buy it almost every week and we would have it on our kitchen table ready to be devoured every time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Apat, who also now resides in Guam, shared that it has been six years, since she relocated, and she still hasn\u2019t quite found that direct match to Herman\u2019s Modern Bakery\u2019s bread.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no bakery I\u2019ve found here where I reside that\u2019s even close to the childhood Herman\u2019s Modern Bakery bread that I\u2019m familiar with, nothing comes close to how tasty Herman\u2019s baked goods are. That\u2019s why every chance I get, whether family members come visit or if I ever traveled again to Saipan, it\u2019s a must for me to get Herman\u2019s Bakery goods. It\u2019s just so good and worth getting every time. \u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cHerman\u2019s Bakery not only offers the community awesome baked goods but they have been serving the community since 1944. They have really put in the effort, and together with their quality recipes, their baked goods are still the best until this day!\u201d Apat shared. \u201c I love it. It\u2019s just always been that good. I will always remember and cherish how it made my childhood memories more fun and memorable. I can say I won\u2019t stop eating Herman\u2019s Modern Bakery goods because it has always been unique!\u201d<\/p>\n

And, so if you ask me, the travels of the little red cloth bag will continue. Thank you, Herman\u2019s Modern Bakery for staying true to the taste and textures that many of us grew up with. A bite that, no matter where we are, will always bring us back home. Happy 80th anniversary Herman\u2019s Modern Bakery.<\/p>\n

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Herman\u2019s Modern Bakery\u2019s Bakery red bags are a common carry-on baggage at the airport.<\/p>\n

-CHRYSTAL MARINO
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Ana Torres shows the wide variety of breads and pastries made with care by Herman\u2019s Modern Bakery\u2019s.<\/p>\n

-CHRYSTAL MARINO
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Smiling as they work, Herman\u2019s Modern Bakery\u2019s Winona Santos and Kobe Camacho help provide the welcoming vibe to the bakery in Dandan.<\/p>\n

-CHRYSTAL MARINO
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Aside from just bread, the Herman\u2019s Modern Bakery provides a yummy selection of pastries at its branches in Garapan and Dandan.<\/p>\n

-CHRYSTAL MARINO
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Aside from just bread, the Herman\u2019s Bakery provides a yummy selection of pastries at its branches in Garapan and Dandan.<\/p>\n

-CHRYSTAL MARINO
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Herman\u2019s Modern Bakery offers fluffy bread of every kind at its Dandan location.<\/p>\n

-CHRYSTAL MARINO
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Care for a cookie? Herman\u2019s Modern Bakery\u2019s wide range of cookies on display at its Dandan location.<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s bread and pastry galore at the Herman\u2019s Modern Bakery\u2019s Bakery in Dandan.<\/p>\n

-CHRYSTAL MARINO
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Herman\u2019s Pullman White Bread is as iconic as the 80-year-old bakery itself.<\/p>\n

-CHRYSTAL MARINO
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The Herman\u2019s Modern Bakery entrance in Dandan is both a familiar and welcome site to those seeking solid baked goods.<\/p>\n

-CHRYSTAL MARINO
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A sign to celebrate the 80th year of service, stands outside the Herman\u2019s Bakery in Dandan in October 2024.<\/p>\n

-CHRYSTAL MARINO
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Not wanting to scare anyone from these delicious treats, this happy scarecrow is chillaxing and welcoming customers instead to Herman\u2019s Modern Bakery in Dandan.<\/p>\n

-CHRYSTAL MARINO
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