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Thursday, June 03, 2004
Weekly rendezvous at the Cagayan Night Café
By Frances Dominique K. Conejero, UP intern
Nothing comes close to the anticipation of the week’s end. For the Cagay-anon, Fridays and Saturdays are always something to look forward to.
From sundown to sunrise, the city’s historic center, Divisoria, is transformed into a gala of activity, leaving no street corner bare. Bright towering globe lights (that look like giant lighted lollipops), the familiar aroma of pork and chicken cooking on a grill, local entertainment wooing the crowd, friends and family in casual conversation enjoying both the company and the chow, singing, dancing, heartfelt laughter---in the midst of such ambiance and contagious merriment, there is absolutely no room for the melancholic in the Cagayan de Oro Night Café.
Launched during the city fiesta in August 2003, the Night Café has a striking resemblance to South Korea’s famous Night Market. A string of food stalls covers the entire stretch of Divisoria from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m., Fridays and Saturdays. Umbrellas spring like buds of May, both on clear and rainy weekends to add to the feel of an outdoor café. Local restaurants, through the participation of the Cagayan de Oro Hotel and Restaurant Association (Cohara), spearheaded the setting up of booths to cater to consumers. What is commonplace is of course the all-time Filipino favorite--- barbecue. Pork, chicken, fish, seafood…basically anything edible that can be grilled is grilled without question! About 118 concessionaires set up booth weekly selling just about anything from pastries to exotic Cagay-anon delicacies. Around 250 more are on the waiting list of applications so more food and other delights are to be expected, most probably for the next city fiesta.
Strolling along the stretch of barbecue stalls and refreshment stands, the Divisoria monuments that stand as proud witnesses to Cagayan’s rich heritage hover, seemingly watchful of the buzz of activity beneath. Like them, most of us are left dumbfounded at the shift from the city’s center being quiet and uneventful to being a regular rendezvous for both the young and the young at heart.
(June 3, 2004 issue)
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