Not known to many but Davao City is a melting pot of culinary diversity. We may not have popular town-distinct dishes like the fried kamaro of Pampanga, the Pancit Habhab of Lucban Quezon or the Bicol Express from the Bicol Region, but our homegrown restaurants and creative cooks can make up to that. But wait, there's more!

This article was also published in the University of Immaculate Conception - The Collegiate Immaculate Tabloid

I've been to nearly every must-go restaurant in the city (Thank you DFAT!) and I tell you what!? Food is so much better here in Davao. I'll spare all the yummy comparisons against food from other towns but I've got 5 reasons to back me up. If you want to know why I said food is so much better in Davao, then here's WHY!?



1. It's Cheap! - Some say it's inexpensive, some say it's affordable, but that's sugarcoating. What you may find 'inexpensive' or 'affordable' may not be the same to someone else. So allow me to say this while I still can. The food here in Davao? It's cheap. I'm sure you've heard of this one too many times. But these days, we go by "The cheaper, the better!". Right?

Where else can you find buffet places which prices range from a hundred to a thousand pesos? Where else can you find a food counter that can feed a family of five at fifty pesos? Does Garridos ring a bell? Where else can you order chicken joy that is only 25 pesos? Ever heard of JFC (Jenny's Fried Chicken)?

There's this ice cream commercial that asks its viewers “Hanggang saan aabot ang 20 pesos mo?” (How far will your 20 pesos take you?). Well, here in Davao, you can have 2 pcs of pork barbeque and 1 Pastil Rice at the same price.

 Just look for a BBQ cart in the street and you're good to go! Even a pastil rice at P10 would do. Where else can you find fast-food chains that allow students to turn their gravy into soup? Okay! For all I know, it could have just been us. But c'mon! I can go on with more rhetorical questions but I'm sure I already made my point.

2. WATER - We pride our city to have the cleanest potable water in the country. Well, according to W.H.O researchers we have the second cleanest potable water in the world. They also found out that our water is the sweetest tasting water in the Philippines and as you know it, water is used for cooking. Now, wouldn't any food taste good if the restaurants here in Davao use our very own 'dumoy' water? Think about it.


3.  STANDARD - The food here may be cheap but it's not of the substandard type. The people here, we have such high standards in food. I hear people compare prices, the quality of food, calculate the travel cost and even the coziness of the place is thrown into the equation.

Davaoenos are natural at being foodies but sometimes we tend to be food critics. We thrive for the negative criticism yet spit out a constructive one later. We complain. We don't adjust. It's the food establishments that adjusts to the Davaoeno standard. That's why they run promos and whatnots, that's why they conduct research and customize food menus, that's why they innovate and that's why they offer better food.

4. SAFETY - I know what you're thinking! What does safety have to do with food? But did you know that food is just half the factor of a person's total dining experience? We often disregard this but the reason why food can taste so great is because you feel safe. And Davao's been great on keeping its people safe! When you feel safe, you feel home and more often than not you'll savor the taste of home.

5. PEOPLE - Sometimes, it isn't just the security that makes you feel safe because most of the time it's the people around you. We go into our homes, share a laugh or two during dinner and feel safe because we're surrounded by family. We enjoy the food. We enjoy the company.

You'll get the same feeling while eating around downtown. Look around as you pass by food establishments.You see kids jolly with their spaghetti's, old lovers sipping durian coffee, or a barkada cheering their friend over beer, karaoke and kinilaw (ceviche). It's a consolation that we have food geniuses to offer us delectable Davao popular dishes like Bulcachong, Yellow Fin's Adobong tuna buntot and Lachi's durian sans rival.

Davaoenos are generally happy people and the resolve to our problems in life is food. And it's true that a Davaoneo would spend more on food than clothes, gadgets and other stuff. If good life equals good food, and good food equals Davao, then life is really here! I'll grant there's a lot of silly (and contrived) syllogisms in this entry, but you know what I mean. :-)