A Filipino couple went viral on Monday for serving a simple feast of Filipino street foods during their drive-thru wedding reception held outside the University of the Philippines’ Parish of the Holy Sacrifice.
Newleyweds Arjanmar Rebeta and Khaye Medina, who is a survivor of the coronavirus disease, served isaw (intestines) and tokneneng (chicken eggs) on the open-air area outside the church, where vendors usually serve street foods of all kinds.
“Doon ka sa taong papakasalan ka kahit tokneneng at isaw lang ang handa. Laging magkasama, hamon man o isaw ang ulam,” part of the caption of their Facebook post reads, which has received 5,400 likes and reactions, 1,700 comments and 4,000 shares as of this writing.
Rebeta in an interview with Reportr said that the whole feast cost some P10,000, cheaper than a barkada restaurant meal.
"Doon ka sa taong papakasalan ka kahit tokneneng at isaw lang ang handa. Laging magkasama, hamon man o isaw ang ulam."…
Posted by Mediarama Creatives on Saturday, September 19, 2020
Rebeta added that the venue for the reception was conceptualized by accident when they had just secured the dome-shaped church for their wedding.
They stopped by an isawan for snacks on their way out and then realized that having an open-air drive-thru reception would be perfect amid the COVID-19 pandemic where enclosed spaces with poor ventilation are at risk of airborne transmission.
Rebeta said that they were “overwhelmed” at the sudden virality of their pictures and added that they only wanted to have a “unique” wedding.
“Medyo overwhelmed, hindi namin siya expected. Nung pinaplano namin siya, alam namin pwede mapansin pero hindi namin ginawa para mapansin, gusto lang namin kakaiba,” he said.
The comments section of their Facebook posts was filled with other couples who became inspired by the simplicity and budget-friendliness of their wedding amid an ongoing pandemic.
Filipinos are known for being fond of food and eating. Apart from their thrice-a-day meals, they also have merienda where snacks are eaten to satisfy their cravings in-between designated mealtimes.
These snacks could be in the form of kakanin or local sweet delicacies such as turon, puto and palitaw. They could also be in the form of meat from animals sold in streets such as the isaw, balut, fishball, kikiam, adidas and many more.
These snacks serve to temporarily ease the hunger of Filipinos who are especially on-the-go and those on a tight budget.
