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Para kay Doyle at Daday… sorry at hindi ko sinulat yung “Marichu’s pimple gone wild!” hindi tuloy nalagay yung “green hot lava” na phrase dito. ^^ ehehe!

Marichu’s Canteen: The New Lord of the Flies

There is not much UP Mindanao could offer its visitors especially if they’re looking for that X-factor they usually find in places like Boracay, Pearl Farm, Eden Garden Resort, and etc. But if they’re looking for something totally different or pretty much unusual from those they usually find photoshopped in brochures and leaflets of numerous travel agencies, then UP Mindanao might just be the place to visit.

Besides the gleaming bronze statue of a 4’11 nude guy who loves to extend his hands and show the world that is it only a mere leaf that hinders them from getting a glimpse of his small package, two buildings that solely symbolize that it is in fact a school and the randomly arranged trees and wild flowers that sprouts just about anywhere, it is also the home of the not-so-affordable yet popular restaurant that we call “Marichu’s Canteen” for obvious reason that it was named after the owner.

This canteen is not hard to locate. Just three or four few blocks away from the left of the covered catwalk going to the main building where the cemented nude guy stands still, and voila! You will see a medium sized barong-barong that had slightly succeeded in extending itself by setting additional column of tables and chairs on its supposed-to-be orchard. Wow! Truly Accessible!

Not only does the food in Marichu’s canteen a bit expensive compared to their few competitors, they also have delicacies whose presentation and aroma proved to be inviting not only to human beings but also to flies of all forms and sizes. In fact, it was the flies that always come first to reserve their tables and chairs, and most of the time which I mean always, it is us humans that simply shove them away.

But come to Marichu’s Canteen on an hour like 3pm and you’ll discover that there is more to it than the common perception of a first time visitor. It is surely a site to visit or rather a sight to see.

On one three o’ clock in the afternoon, I and two of my classmates made a trip to Marichu’s Canteen. Unlike its usual busy appearance during noon, at that time there were only a few people around and plenty of flies feeding on the leftovers that remained on tables. There were only a few food selections left; and the main merienda, which was the pale yellow palabok, was also on display. Its gaining popularity as a 3pm meal was quite evident on the yellow colored plates left by the few customers. As we sat there lazily waiting lazily and waiting for nothing, we saw one girl wearing black and white hoody shirt in one table with a lesbian couple, a plump girl wearing a sleeveless top and boyish girl wearing loose shirt and jeans. As we try to stretch our ears, we catch their conversation over the hottest topics in the vicinity: Marichu’s afternoon specialties, the Palabok and flies. Oops… I mean fries.

The girl beside the lesbians was very quiet, while the couple carelessly took advantage on the verity that no one was around to watch them express their fondness over the other. The three of us gladly preyed on a potential subject matter, gossiping about everything we saw and heard. But nonetheless we’ve enjoyed how their tête-à-tête jumped from one dish to another food concerning topic and how their constant display of affection was too mushy for television to air.

We’ve also laughed as the chubby girl comically pulled her original punch lines such as “Busog nako ba?! Maraba nako ani!” (I’m full! I’m going to get fat!) and also the most unforgettable part where the boyish girl put her nose right where it doesn’t belong, which made the fat girl react with “humutan ka sa akong ilok???” (You like the smell of my armpit?)

But our enjoyment was cut short when the three decided to leave the place at exactly 3:21pm. Oh Well! We’ll probably miss the laughter that the couple along with the silent girl has unknowingly shared to eavesdroppers like us. It was a scene funnier than one of the sketches of the trying-hard-to-be funny sitcom entitled Bora. A scene that only took place in a medium sized barong-barong we call Marichu’s Canteen at a certain time such as 3pm. Just like the flies who feast on the leftovers of tables that were left untidy, so are we who are happily preying on the innocent couple’s romantic moment.

This entry was posted on Saturday, November 18th, 2006 at 7:22 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.