The UP Fair 'foodgasm'

Other than the infamous Oblation Run, there's another reason people flock to UP campuses: to take part in the university’s annual Feb Fair. 

 

Last February 18 marked the last day of most UP campuses’ fair, including Diliman's, while in Manila the fun just began on Feb. 20. 

 

Concerts, famous bands and booths competed for the students’ attention, but people were also most enticed by the rows and rows of food stalls that swarmed the university throughout the week-long affair. 

 

So here we prepared a recollection of our gastronomical trip to the different UP campuses’ Feb Fairs that gave us ‘foodgasm’, not once but… we lost count.      

Skewered then grilled

 

The ihaw-ihaw stalls probably hold the record for the most number of stalls present during the UP Fair in Diliman. Whichever direction you turned your head to, you would see (and smell) fresh batches of skewered corns on a cob, barbecues, hotdogs and of course, the house favorite, isaw and other innards lined up on a grill. Ihaw-ihaw stalls also offered a dine-in option where you could eat your favorite skewers hot and fresh off the grill paired with a steaming cup of rice. 

 

On top of rice

 

With all the activities during the UP Fair, such as the amusement park rides and games, some were prompted to go for heavy rice meals. And when you say rice and UP, and some tapa flakes, it could only mean one thing, the home of probably all things -silog: Rodic’s Food Express. We couldn’t complain to have breakfast all-day. Many stalls also offered rice and viand meals that satisfied every grumbling stomach.      

Teas, teas, teas

 

UP Fair just caught the bubble tea fever. There were probably about three bubble tea stalls present during the fair including the coveted Moonleaf Tea Shop. Everyone was apparently affected and in need of his/her daily dose of milk tea with fresh pearl sinkers. We could tell by the blockbuster queues!

 

Freshly squeezed

 

There are those, however, who thirst for bananas and watermelons more than teas. Lucky for them, a fresh fruit juice bar made it to the fair. Do you know what's better than fresh fruit juices? Fresh fruit juices housed in tall beer towers! This is how a sip of guilt-free pleasure looks like; tastes like one, too!

 

Warm wraps

 

Warm shawarma wraps never go out of fashion during every UP Fair. Thin slices of beef wrapped in pita bread or sometimes as toppings on a steaming cup of hot rice for lunch probably gave the cue that the UP Fair really has begun and we were in for at least a week of exciting lunches without having to go out of the campus—this thought alone changes everything.  

Sweet escape

 

To top all these savory and mouthwatering goodness, UP Fair gave us muffins, fried Oreos or wicked Oreos as others call them, cupcakes, cookies—in other words, sugar rush courtesy of OMAKE, an organization in UP Manila that promotes Japanese culture. 

 

This list is for all of you who are experiencing symptoms of withdrawal syndrome or those still nursing a hangover from the recently concluded UP Fair 2012, and here’s to making it worse. ‘Til the next campus food trip! –KG, GMA News