Culinary Bites: A flavorful enchantment

FILIPINOS love to eat. There is always an excuse to gather to make way for a food fest. A celebration, a casual home visit, or a day at the bank, food is always part of the equation.

Food festivals in the Philippines boast of the city or province’s culinary treasures or its known produce. Cagayan de Oro is a treasure trove of heirloom recipes and innovative creations of culinary delights that eventually gave birth to a food festival that has been in celebration since 2014.

If bookworms had their biggest book sale, food lovers have the Big Bite Food Festival. Locals eagerly await this, and my son is not an exception.

Ivan described the Big Bite gastronomy event as like the Big Bad Wolf experience, and that’s how I also felt. As you step inside the venue, you feel overwhelmed. As you move around, you realize it’s not as overwhelming as it looks. In his words, “It was an organized chaos. It’s categorized per food type when you check the festival map.” He discovered hidden gems—shops that were not readily accessible or did not have physical shops.

I planned to go on its last day with family but couldn’t resist since my social media feed was full of posts about it. My curiosity got the better of me. Lunch break it is. I was in for a surprise.

I had this feeling of being under a giant carousel with a bohemian vibe. It was one big carnival where teens and adults were chatting excitedly, savoring their food finds, and kids playing at the outdoor playground. People queued up for their favorite food or something new or exotic, which my gym mate and his friends did.

I moved from one stall to the next. If you visit close to a hundred booths, your sports watch will burst with notices of reaching 10k steps. I only had an hour, so I strategized.

The lunchtime crowd was a mix of employees and students taking breaks. Some sat down and dined while others hurriedly grabbed their take-outs. There were familiar faces. Ian likened it to a school foundation day feels, minus the school. It was convenient from his workplace, which is just across the street. He loved the choux pastry and couldn’t wait to try its other pastries while these are available downtown. He aimed to taste all flavors new to him.

Last night, I had another perfect excuse to go back. I went around. I loved savoring the aroma of coffee, the delicious smell of pastries, and the smoky smell of foods roasting.

Finally, I bought dinner from my favorite Italian deli and my favorite burnt Basque cheesecake and churros. The salad was perfect, and the Milanese chicken was flavorful. Topping it off with Pinot Noir was a perfect Italian (and Spanish) delight to cap off another eventful day at work.