Ateneo de Davao University Matina Campus is not only for the brain and the heart, it is also a great niche to spend a day to make those pallets and potbelly brimming with these exotic finds!
Kwek-kwek
“Quick,Quick”, as what the outlanders would enunciate it, is a hard-boiled egg covered with batter made of flour and water and is deep-fried into searing oil. This mouth-watering delight is perfect paired with cucumber and some sea weeds and is usually dipped in well-seasoned vinegar that spawns the taste dance through your tongue’s pallet. For only ten pesos, it’s not that bad to grab a piece or two! This delish treat is also filled with protein, so stop stressing yourselves health conscious peeps!
“Proben”
The name itself is as odd as it looks but once you get the taste of this crunchy on the outside soft and yummy on the inside goody, you’ll find yourself asking for more! It is literally the proventriculus that is found in the digestive tract of a chicken where its name originated from. It is cleaned and boiled then bathed in cornstarch and finally deep-fried in oil. It is stacked in a stick for easy dunking to the choice of different sauces of your preference. You can choose to dip this sumptuous treat with well-seasoned vinegar or flavorful catsup and to top that, you can also have it sweet and/or spicy. And this my friend, is what exotic is all about!
Chicken Skin
Yep, You got that right! It is from chicken’s skin basked in seasoned cornstarch and deep-fried into searing oil. Just the smell of this enticing grub within a ten meter radius will definitely get you hooked up. This is a very simple yet very flavorful bite that makes you want to cheat from time to time. And just a little caution: consume this while hot, fresh, and in moderation. This is also perfect soaked in seasoned vinegar sweet and/or spicy. Once tasted, you will never wish to throw all those chicken skin away ever again.
“Isaw”
One word, many definitions! Be it fried or barbecued, this impeccable treat is a sure hit. Isaw is a chicken small intestine that is properly and keenly prepared to make sure it is spic and span and ready to be munched. It may look simple but the preparation is as complicated as the curves of this epic chow! Just by boiling this takes a lot of effort especially in seasoning (that’s where the magic begins). Then it is up to you should you wish to avail this grilled or singed in oil, in any way, the taste is just out of this world!
“Taho”
“Tahooooooooooo!” This was music to my ears on my younger days. I can still remember that there never goes a day without having this splendiferous slop. My siblings and cousins would run, look for a container, and catch our breath racing because everybody is excited for Manong Mangtataho to serve first the one who spurts the fastest. It is made of soy being custard topped with teeny tiny tapioca pearls and caramelized brown sugar. Feasting on taho brings back the sweetest memories of my childhood just like the cloying taste of it. Now, enough with nostalgia, and on with finishing my third cup of Taho.
So when in Davao and/or just around the corners of Matina, dash your way to Ateneo de Davao University Matina Campus for a splendid and a pound heavier cheat day!