ARE YOU TIRED
and hungry from the day-to-day hustle-and bustle of life? But Oh God!
You have only ten-peso bill left in your pocket. What will you do?
Hey! Life isn't that burden. Why not go with me, magkumo tayo sa
canteen.
Kumo, what's that?
Perhaps, this will be the question of first timers here in Odiongan.
Come along let's gather some information about it.
Mrs. Percy Tayap,
a restaurant owner, first introduced the menu to the masses here in
Odiongan the very first time she opened her business in 1977. It is
a plate of rice topped with either dinuguan, taghilaw, giniling,
bopis, gulay, etc.
The term actually
came from our own dialect kumain or to crush and mix the food by hands.
But it's not that nasty, for it is not literally applied in the proper
serving of kumo.
She came up with
this idea because she wanted people to enjoy meal at a very affordable
price of only P5.00 then (now P 10.00-15.00). She patterned this from
the rice and toppings menu commonly served in fast
food chains in the cities.
Now almost every
restaurant here serve kumo for it has become the hot craze menu in
town.
"Does the
vast spread of kumuan bother you, Aling Percy?"
"No, it doesn't
for I cannot control it as long as people eat at their eatery and
besides that is business,"she answered.
Even the Student
Canteen and RSC Coop Canteen are said to have earned more profit in
serving this kind of menu to students and even to school employees.
I myself had observed
that students are not the sole patrons of kumo for there are those
office workers, drivers, businessmen, and others who prefer to order
this budget meal.
"I have long
engaged in this kind of business and I can tell you that this is the
most successful business here in Odiongan." a municipal employee
butts-in during an interview with an eatery operator.
But are the customers
really satisfied in the amount of food being served?
"Minsan
bitin," some BSED students chorused.
"Before kasi
marami, ngayon pakaunti ng pakaunti," complained by an IAS
instructor.
" Siyempre,
kasi pag konti ang pera konti din dapat ang kain, " answered
Aling Percy when told about those comments.
Maybe you also
wonder why people still resort over this value meal.
The answer simply
goes like this, because everybody especially students whose consideration
is to budget their allowance to be able to survive weeklong sacrifices
and studies, hence, will not rebuff this low cost meal.
But wait! Is that
the only thing that one must consider in saving money? How about proper
sanitation? Do these kumuans make sure that the foods they
serve are safe and donned in sterilized utensils?
I am not discouraging
anybody to eat kumo because I am aware that restaurants are
not allowed to operate unless they are given sanitary permit. But
are there personnel who monitor this public concern?
I just want to
remind kumo-patrons to look far and wide before eating, so
you can save more money and still continue enjoy eating kumo
in your favorite eatery and not in hospitals.
Until then, enjoy
your meal!
