NO TO UNLI LUGAW

FEATURING; Eulogio "Amang" Rodriguez Institute of Science and Technology  (EARIST) UNIVERSITY

Break time is second to class dismissal as the most favorite subject of all the students. Because this is the time when students can freely do unfinished assignments, chit-chat, retouch, “silay”, practice, and etc., but the most and foremost thing that a student can ever think when he/she hears the word “break time” is : “Kainan na!!!!” .Eating is what we, Filipino’s love the most. For this is the time when we get the energy we needed to continue the task we have to done in our everyday living. And as a student, we cannot avoid ourselves to spot any street food vendors along our way to school or way home.  Thus, we cannot also stop ourselves in buying these “street foods”

According to Wiki, Street foods were described as a ready-to-eat food or drink sold in a street or other public place, such as a market or fair, by a hawker or vendor, often from a portable stall. While some street foods are regional, many are not, having spread beyond their region of origin. Most street foods are also classed as both finger food and fast food, and are cheaper on average than restaurant meals. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, 2.5 billion people eat street food every day. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Street_food)

No wonder why many Filipino’s love eating street foods despite of the unguaranteed cleanliness, because it was so cheap and very delicious indeed.  

In connection to this, yesterday, September  12, 2012 the U-BEEZ members (Buzy-Beez) went to a chartered state college of the Philippines the Eulogio "Amang" Rodriguez Institute of Science and Technology (EARIST) on Nagtahan Road in Manila to conduct an interview on the certain segments of the U-BEEZ blog. And it is assign to me the BOOM-BEEZ or the bombastic businesses along the U-BELT communities. 

There’s a lot of street foods along the way to the main building of EARIST: bananaque, turon, kwek-kwek, sago’t gulaman, isaw, shake, barbi-que, etc., and each of them looks so “yummy!” Among all the street food businesses outside the university, the simple stand with a signage “LUGAW, LUGAW W/ EGG, GOTO and MAMI” caught our attention. It was located at the face of the EARIST College of Industrial Technology. We approached the “attendant” of the stand and ask if we may ask her some questions about her business for the purpose of featuring it in our blog (U-BELT; BOOM-BEEZ). And we were so thankful for she replied with a smile in her face accepting our request although she is busy at that time. We first introduced ourselves as the student from Polytecnic University of the Philippines-College of Communication. In the same way, she introduced herself as Anita Lim, the owner of the “Lugawan stand”. We also know what is the name or the title of their stand she said; “NICKIES SNACKSTORE”. It was only three months ago when she pursue the business with a one-thousand pesos (Php. 1,000) as the starting capital of the business. We also know that she pays for the monthly rent of the land which cost five-thousand pesos (Php. 5,000). Inalam din nmnin kung sapat ba ang kinikita nya para pang bayad sa lahat nang gastos at kung bawi ba ang tubo. And she anwered “Sapat lang naman ang kinikita araw-araw.” We next then ask kung ano naman yung pinaka mabenta sa lahat, at kung magkano ito. She answered “Ahmm…yung lugaw na plain, sampung piso” we also ask why. She replied “Kasi mura lang, saka masarap.” After that we next ask what are the prices of the “lugaw” with add-ons;

Lugaw (plain)-10

Lugaw w/ egg-17

Lugaw w/ laman (baka)-20

Mami-20

Tokwa-10

We lastly ask if she vey though about having a promo such as “UNLI-LUGAW” like in PUP. She was shocked, because she was not aware that there is existing promo like that. But she answered no. plainly she reasoned out that “Ay malulugi ako, pag nag unli. Saka ang imrtante naman eh masarap ang timpla para sulit sa mga estudyante.” After that, we then bid goodbye and say thanks of appreciation for giving her little time for us.

By this experience, I can say that eating street foods belongs in our customs especially among students like me. I myself was also eating street foods, and we cannot avoid it. Just like the quote said by Adam Scott “It's amazing how pervasive food is. Every second commercial is for food. Every second TV episode takes place around a meal. In the city, you can't go ten feet without seeing or smelling a restaurant. There are 20 foot high hamburgers up on billboards. I am acutely aware of food, and its omnipresence is astounding.”(The Monkey Chow Diaries, June 2006)

 There’s nothing wrong in eating, right? But despite of this, we should be aware and take notice of the sanity of the vendors of the street foods for our own safety. Because “we are what we eat, and once you put it in your mouth, it goes to your hips”, so we must still be careful in “too much”.

So, enjoy your food po!!

- Mary Narvi Mupas

Polytechnic University of the Philippines