Food

Paper 1: Food Paper

Austin Blanch | F11

Before there were pearl shakes popularized by Zagu and mocha frapscommonly purchased at Starbucks, one iced beverage ruled the Manila streets—Iskramble. This well-liked refreshment was present since the 80’s that paved way to the modern take of the product in malls. It was present near primary and secondary schools sold by street vendors as students as their avidbuyers.

When I was in first grade, I rode the school bus with my fellow neighbour kids. By the end of the school day, most of us waited for the other students to go down from the school building; and so as to kill time, we learned to navigate the parking spaces crowded with other school buses and found ourselves buying food from street vendors with our small allowances. We bought the ever famous fishball and the like, siomai, sorbetes, banana cue, turon, samalamig, and scramble etc. We tried to hide it from our parents since they kept telling us that street foods are unsafeto eat and can cause a lot of illness. Still we wanted to take our chances and try all sorts of food that are sold by the street vendors.

Until we were in third grade, me and my friends had our classes in the afternoon; and by the time we got dismissed, the sun was almost down and the weather was humid. We favoured to buy refreshments like samalamig and sorbetesmore than other street food; moreover, scramble was our favourite. What’s not to love? It’s colour, it’s cold, it’s sweet and it’s cheap. Personally, apart from the thirst-quenching benefit that I get from buying scramble, I was amazed on how manong prepares it for us. During those three years in primary school, manong knew us very well and we were his ‘suki’. We got the privilege to ask for extra milk and chocolate syrup for our scramble. It was an all-time favourite until we moved to intermediate school.This particular street food is reflective in the sense that I am reminded that I am no longer close with the people that I share my food with back in those years. I recall the times that I have to ask them to treat me a full stick of fish ball or a glass of gulaman;the times that we were left by our school bus because we were still buying; and the time that my parents scolded meand blamedthe street food for causing myamoebiasis when I was in second grade. These instances bring a lot of good memories that I can only summon up when I want to be reminded that I have great friends and parents who cared for me when I was young.

Currently, this cool drink sells nostalgia more than anything else. It is now present inside malls and establishments with pleasant food cart designs. Even more, they have included more add-ons to the classic scramble which still sells at a cheap price. People are no strangers with this refreshment and by placing it strategically, it gives them an accessible access to their precious memories with this thing called scramble. At least for me, every time I see a scramble food cart inside malls, a child inside me wants to tell me the silly things that I did that made me who am I today as I pass by that stall.