WHILE food had long been regarded as sustenance, there are those who have raised the bar and turned food into art. Now consider, food made art to inspire another art form?
This is exactly what residents and visitors alike will be witnessing at Marco Polo Davao on this Kadayawan Festival week where at the lobby itself you can find nine couture creations by nine local designers in an exhibit initiated by the Davao Fashion Design Council (DFDC) and Marco Polo Davao Hotel.
“They are garment interpretations of the flavors of Davao, the 11 tribes in particular,” said Emi English of the Emi-Alexander Englis Luxe Couture and the program chair for fashion design of the HZB School of Fine Arts and Design of the Philippine Women’s College of Davao.
Marco Polo reinterpreted the recipes from each of the tribes to be served in the hotel’s major restaurant during this Kadayawan month, he said.
“The Davao Fashion and Design Council earlier met with Chef Alex (Destriza) and sampled the reinterpreted dishes,” Englis said. “From there, the designers did their take on the food through their garments.”
Dodjie Batu of Patahian did his interpretation of Tinadradna Bakbak (frogs cooked in bamboo) of the Ubo Manuvu. Edgar Buyan of Edgar Buyan Couture interpreted the Linuod to Baboy (pork cooked in bamboo) of the Matigsalug. UAE-based Popoy Barba worked on Utan (taro stewed in coconut milk) of the Kalagan. Englis interpreted the Maranaw Palapa (meat with finely chopped spices). Windell Mira did the Omoy to Kuron (rice cooked in clay pot) of the Ata Manobo. Patahian’s Aztec Barba did Agal-agal (seaweeds) of the Sama tribe. EgayAyag of Styles-In-You by Egay Ayag interpreted the Tausug’s trio of desserts made up of Daral, Pitis, and Pakikambing. Benjie Panizales of Benjie Panizales Collections in Barrio Obrero did the Maranaw’s Landang (beef cooked in coconut milk). Bamba Limon of La Bamba C. Limon for Fashion Atelier did Guiangan’sPinit, a mixed vegetable soup.
“The shredded texture of Palapa was my interpretation for that garment,” Englis said. “I’m working with hybrid inaul using straw insertions in this fabric.”
Ayag, in doing his interpretation of the Tausug desserts, created a modern Filipiniana shift dress with a combination of three different laces with a beehive print fabric and inaul shawl.
Limon, on the other hand, drew on the clear soup of Pinit for his creation of lace and silk chiffon.
“The cut of the dress resembles how Pinit coats the palate bursting to flavors of nature, culture, and love,” Limon said.
The dresses can be viewed at the lobby while the food inspirations are offered at Marco Polo’s Café Marco the whole week until August 21, 2016.
“A special set menu will also be available at the Polo Bistro,” said the hotel PR officer Sarah Mama. The complete menu of all the indigenous cooking inspired food available for Kadayawan week are: the Bagobo Trio Dessert, Landang, Linotnotnamanok (chicken stewed in bamboo nodes), Palapa, Piassak, Pinit, Sinigapuna, Tausug Trio Dessert, Tinadtadna Bakbak, Tinalumbo no Baboy, and Utan.