Enjoying life in the city can be as simple as eating fishballs on the sidewalk. 
I used to do that a lot on my elementary days. For a peso, you already have 4 little fishballs. But a more enjoyable treat nowadays, and it has already become a favorite in the city, is munching on kwek-kwek. Yes. Kwek-kwek! For people inside the country, yes, we have kwek-kwek here in Cagayan de Oro; for people outside the country, I introduce you to kwek-kwek.
Kwek-kwek is a local treat not only present here in the city, but scattered around the country as well. It is sold in moving stalls put up by local entrepreneurs around the city after the sun sets. Lately, I’ve been seeing already a number of mini-stores selling kwek-kwek as their main product. 
The delicacy is made up of either chicken egg or duck egg coated with a mixture of flour, baking powder, water, salt, and pepper. After which, it is then deep fried. When already cooked, it is either served with vinegar, gravy, or a special sauce made by the vendor. Diced cucumbers are also available for those who want to top their kwek-kwek with a bit of veggies.
One of the biggest factors that make kwek-kwek sell is its affordability. Depending on the vendor, it’s either sold at P10.00 or P8.00. Another factor that made it sell is it being sold with drinks (soft drink or buko juice) that ranges from P5.00 to P7.00. It’s really very affordable. With P25.00, I feel like I’m already having dinner. I guess that’s also one of the factors why many people enjoy eating kwek-kwek. It’s really amusing seeing yourself being able to buy a lot with just a little amount of money.
I don’t know about everyone else, everyone has distinct tastes; but I really enjoy the feeling of eating out on the streets at night with that cold ambiance and all those colors that light up the streets. So if you enjoy that, too, then I guess you’ll enjoy your stay here in this city.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Enjoying Kwek-Kwek on the Streets
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Strolling Around Night Café at Cagayan de Oro City
It was a Friday night, and I just woke up from an exhausting day. Earlier in the morning, me and my partner in my final project two semesters ago (1st sem, 2008-2009) just passed our final output to our instructor. It was a product of a couple of months with sleepless nights trying to make our computer program to work. And it was hell. I have to ceaselessly read a whole book for two weeks straight trying to learn a computer language that I have encountered for the first time. It was like torture; considering we were given a time period enough only for us students to learn the advance topics in database that we were covering in class during that time; that is in my opinion of course (my apologies to readers not in the computer science field). Anyway, as I said before, I woke up that Friday night exhausted from all the things I’ve been through during that semester. I got up, took a drink from the fridge, and felt like I wanted to treat myself out. I wasn’t thinking of anything fancy; I just thought of giving myself a break from all the stresses I’ve been having for the past few months without spending a lot of money. I looked at the calendar, which was hanged just behind the fridge and remembered, hey, it’s a Friday night. How about strolling around Night Café?
Friday and Saturday nights have never been as alive as before. People of different ages and different walks of life have been flocking the streets of Divisoria ever since the streets were opened for the weekend Night Cafés. Various stalls are put up by local entrepreneurs. These stalls sell products ranging from food, to bags, to shoes, shirts, accessories, and a lot more. And they sell it a very affordable price—a hundred Pesos can buy you two decent short pants (by the time I’m writing this, the exchange rate from Philippine Pesos to U.S. Dollars is Php48.149 = $1.000). Here you’ll find everything under the sun, well in our case, moon. At one end, you’ll find a variety of food from a number of diners. 
Their menu varies from stall to stall. One stall offers assorted barbeques, while another serve exquisite dishes such as calamari, smoked bangus, kinilaw, and a lot more. It’s a food haven out there at night, not to mention the open air city ambiance that the place gives. And if you’re not in to open air but are looking for some place air-conditioned, then there are always the all time favorite fast-food franchises around the area. Also, if you’re in for some booze, they always have that around the area. Check the nearest stall to see if they offer some.
Activities at the Night Café are not only limited to food, accessories, and the likes. There are also a lot of happenings aside from those. One I failed to mention was the nightly live band happening at the city Kiosk. While people, families, and other groups have their appetizing dinners, they are also serenaded by the city’s local bands. And if you’re lucky, you might end up jamming with the country’s top bands such as Bamboo, and the likes.
So if you’re somewhere around the city for a couple of days, make sure you reach at least a Friday or start your week here on a Saturday.
Here are two more photos taken during the Night Cafes:
This photo is in courtesy of jarqz at langyaw.com.
This is a typical scene at the Night Cafe. People and booze get along quite well. In addition to that, one doesn't have to worry too much on security—police and other security personnel are deployed everywhere, scattered around the area. Although you still do have to be careful like we're always expected to. So as a tip: have all the fun that you can have, but be cautious as always. Below are stalls of diners. Families, groups of friends, or collegues usually dine here enjoying the atmosphere, and most especially the reasonable prices.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
A Mindanaoan Prologue
Here I will try to show in this whole blog how one enjoys life in the city, well, in my point of view that is. This I write in the context of living in a city situated here in one of the major islands in the Philippines—Mindanao. This blog can also be thought of as a travel guide for tourists who wishes or plans to visit the Philippines, particularly Mindanao. Or maybe for people from other parts of the country who were thinking of visiting the south side of the country but does not know what to expect from the place, they can make this their first step in coming to the shores of Mindanao. But perhaps it would be safer to say to people planning to do that kind of endeavor not to make this blog the sole basis of their travel guide. Here I just give the reader an idea of what it is like living in the cities of Philippines, particularly in Mindanao, and in the context of a young adult’s mind. I present this in the fashion of recounting the events that took place in cities here in Mindanao where I have resided or spent a considerable amount of time. Here I present a picture of the places and events with an eye deprived of bias. Here on this blog I will try and religiously paint a picture of people, situations, and places that made Mindanao an endearing home to me.
I am currently residing in Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines. As you can see in the map below, she is situated at the bay area in the Northern part of Mindanao. This means that beaches are just a ride away! That would be about 20% of the allowance given to an average student like me. Economists say that this city is an economic hub: people who travel from the North to the south or vice versa, have to pass by Cagayan de Oro City.
Anyway, I guess that would be enough for now. On the next blogs to come, I will slowly introduce to the reader the shores of a place I call home—Mindanao.
