Deliciously unattractive

In our search for finding the most distinct Davao dish, we stumbled upon a very peculiar delicacy. It is a very unattractive dish. Dull in color and uninviting all over. This is a dish of the Dabawenyos called “law-oy.” When I saw it, it didn’t make a big impression nor did it lure me to taste it. At first sight, I was completely repelled by its looks. The only other color I saw was that of the squash, the rest was completely dominated by green vegetables. My parents tried their best to force me to eat it. They said that it was good for me and that looks didn’t matter. But in my perspective, looks do matter, especially in food.

Although its look was unpleasant to the eye, its aroma was the complete opposite. My nose tingled at its scent. A soothing aroma enticed me to sit at the table and taste it. It was the fragrant smell of the lemongrass which dominated the entire dish. I have always loved its smell. It soothes me and makes me feel better because every time I smell it, I forget all my problems. It’s like the smell of an old temple that has been surrounded by fragrant flowers. Apart from the dominating odor of the lemongrass, I also smelled a whiff of saltiness in it. It may be caused by the fish. These two scents mostly dominated the dish, but I discovered a hint of earthiness in it. I believe that it was because of the mixed vegetables put into it like squash, okra, string beans, eggplant and many more. It really brought out an earthy scent which made the food taste even better.

When I started to dig in, it tasted somewhat sweet. This is mainly because of the squash. Soon enough, I have already eaten more than I had expected. Every single bite and sip made me crave for more and I could not stop myself. Every cell in my body kept yearning for more. I could taste the freshness of the green vegetables like okra, as well as the sweetness of the squash.  The vegetables are so succulent and tasted really fresh which made my taste buds explode. The sweetness of the squash was just right that it complemented the saltiness of the fish very well. And also, its texture was a bit slimy, probably caused by the okra, which made it more alluring for me. I know that people would be disgusted by the thought of eating slimy stuff, but as for me, it just adds to the excitement of eating it.

 In the end, it was not as bad as I expected. In fact, I enjoyed eating it and I would like to have more as soon as possible. Despite its lack of good looks, it was a wonderful dish which I believe could be put in any restaurant and would blend in perfectly with other dishes. We should be proud of this for it is not just a simple dish, it is a distinctly Davao flavour.

Mariel Moralde    

Izzy Kate Ortiz   

Shannen Urbiztondo

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