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Just as I was checking my SMS, I received a message from a friend asking to join him on an ISAW feast at his place. He used to be my hangout buddy while he was still a Law Student at UP. I then thought it was just timely since I had been planning to blog about the street food we ate the past few days. As he puts it, “food is a window into culture.”
Last Saturday after shift, I, Ryan, Mia and Cj met Kate, Mike and their lovely Mika for an Isaw Adventure. As we all know, the UP campus in Diliman is a haven for street food.
We went straight to the isawan near the shopping center and the church. I’ve been there before with Gretch, Myah and Kate’s family too and that’s how I became a fan of isaw. Aside from pork barbeque, the selections of grilled chicken and pork innards, collectively referred to as isaw, include isaw baboy [pork intestine], isaw manok [chicken intestine], tenga ng baboy [pig's ears], goto, botsi, atay [chicken liver], balun-balunan [chicken gizzard], and betamax [pig's blood] among others.
Besides its stellar education, the University of the Philippines Diliman campus is a popular destination for college students in the area for the wide variety of delicious street food and affordable restaurants in the shopping center and various buildings. One of the most sought-after goodies in the campus is their isaw [intestines], which you can find near the Kalayaan Residence Hall. At around three or four in the afternoon, you can find the vendors from the UP Coop setting up their barbecue grill and bringing out their sticks of pre-cooked isaw baboy [pork intestines], isaw manok [chicken intestines], barbecued pork, chicken feet, and other barbecued meats.
After the isaw baboy and manok is grilled in front of you, you dip it in vinegar seasoned with garlic and onions. The crunchy exterior of the pork intestines and the chewy texture of the meat makes isaw baboy something I always crave for when I smell the aroma of barbecued meat. Be warned though - this snack is high in cholesterol, and eating too many sticks at once just might bring you a little bit closer to death
There is another isawan that used to be in front of Ilang-ilang Residence Hall but moved to vacant lot beside the UP Law Center. The main difference is in the sauce since this has a sweet brown sauce and spicy vinegar while the other is mostly vinegar-based.
Other selections in UP include the sorbetes, taho, lumpia, banana cue, camote cue, cheese sticks, fish balls, squid balls and kikiam among others. Immediately after the Isaw session, we went to Joanne’s place and had spaghetti and liempo over some bottles of beer. The videoke was also a blast.
Highlights were : Mia having a stolen picture with the “takaw sa isaw” Onemig Bondoc, Ryan imitating the bedimpled guy, Joanne & Ivan’s mala-sarsuela drama, Cj’s sleeping on the table and my own version of “I belong!” picture.
I’ve been trying to find hawker centers here in the Philippines just like those in Singapore and Hongkong. And the closest thing that we’ve got here is Market! Market! in Fort Bonifacio Global City, just along C5. So our next stop? Market! Market!
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