Today, we ended up closing long pages of Rizal with sigh and satisfaction in the class, as if the long journey of frustration and procrastination had ended victoriously. In short, we never have to study again the most boring subject we have.
Little wins are big wins when I stepped into college where little for ourselves are scarce. So, right after we finished our exam, my classmates and I decided to have lunch out together instead of heading home. Some immediately exited the classroom so there were only a few of us left to decide where to eat. Eventually, we chose Mang Inasal to best have our little feast.
Mang Inasal, ever since my younger years, is known for its savoury grilled chicken and glorious unli-rice, may it be plain or java, that allows the diners to eat like one in a feast. It became a culture in this fast-food chain to eat with bare hands and enjoy the juicy chicken and sauce without the hindrance of utensils. Of course, they have areas for handwashing before eating so that diners remain safe when doing the traditional act. I used to eat in Mang Inasal with spoon and fork but ever since I visited it often when I got to college, I learned to love eating with bare hands like my classmates do. It was another experience for me when I started doing it.
From school to the central market, we found the firm branch of it filled with buckets of people. I first thought of stepping back because I knew we wouldn’t be able to place our order immediately considering the number of people on the same quest like us. Regardless, we fell in line and waited patiently.
A minute later, we were just an inch closer to the counter and it was a relief. From the counter, a display behind the crew can be scanned to know what's best and what's available.
They have Chicken Inasal Regular, Sisig, Pork Barbeque, Liempo, and of course the Chicken Inasal—the mightiest conqueror of stress, procrastination, and time itself. Its large size and spicy flavor reign supreme like no other meal. The latter is everyone’s favorite. They also have a few add-ons but I never tried ordering them because I don’t see a point in eating a large grilled chicken and unli-rice with add-ons. I mean the former two are enough.
After we placed our order, we searched for a table and found one in the most unlikely place—beside the air conditioner, so we really had some cold treat to ourselves earlier. Lol. The table was not yet cleaned from the previous diner so we called Kuya to clean our table. He was very fast and keen on cleaning, and it amazed me. Workers like him are underrated but their skills are one for the books.
In front of me was this design that says "Sari-saring Sawsawan" (Various sauces) with calamansi, chicken oil, and vinegar most emphasized as sauces of Mang Inasal with characters' dialogue enclosed after the green box. Pedro, Tia Josefina, Mario, and Miguel are names I always hear in childhood stories way back then and they are very Filipino-coded.
Minutes after, one of the orders arrived and it was my friend's order, not mine.
Gradually, everyone's order arrived at the counter except mine and my friend’s. The crew made a mistake by giving us the wrong beep tool for our order so we never had a chance to hear it beep when our order arrived at the counter. I humbly asked for it and it soon arrived.
I ordered Mang Inasal Regular and their iconic Halo-halo. The first one cost at least $3 and the dessert $1.25. It was not that costly but the quality of the food remains expensive for me. One for the books and menus, honestly. I took a photo of our orders to keep it in my memory. It had been a long time since our block was able to celebrate a small feat. We had different kinds of orders and rest assured two of us ordered the glorious large Chicken Inasal spicy with unli-rice. I wanted to order it also but my stomach could not contain such an amount of food.
Some of the boys were already hungry but the girls insisted on taking selfies before eating. I could not resist because the girls really have this code every time they dine in. Reasonable.
We started eating like it was just a normal lunch out. Suddenly, we were all laughing because of two incidents. It was a ridiculous experience and we were ludicrously laughing even with other diners around.
First, one of my classmates slipped the sauce bottle in her hands and it made the table sound like a bang. The chicken oil almost filled her plate when it poured after she slipped.
The other one had her unfortunate moment when she also slipped the glass of water and it poured into her rice, looking like she had soup ordered. The barbeque was also filled with water and we had to ask for another ice. We were very chaotic during the dine-in and even if the two of them made mistakes, we turned it into laughter and it made our Mang Inasal celebration memorable.
We continued eating until no bone was left—grilled and smashed with our mouths like a victorious game in a battlefield. I had fun eating and was full when I exited the restaurant. I realized I ordered too much that I could not digest it all easily. When all was done, we left the place and headed to the park to search for tricycles. From there, we parted ways and got home.
It was a really fun, gustatory and humorous experience in Mang Inasal. I felt happy to feast with them because behind the scenes there were many things that happened I cannot enumerate one by one. But the synthesis is that it was fun and cheerful and joyful and any other adjectives that could best encapsulate our smiles. I felt grateful to be human and to experience this kind of celebration.