planet crap

I was stupidly wide-awake this dawn; I couldn’t sleep because I’ve been thinking about too many things: like Chun-Li, and siomai, and a bunch of stories that I had to work on.

But I was feeling lazy; that’s why I ended up rolling on my bed until sunrise.

At about 6 AM, I ate a bad breakfast in a Dim sum place somewhere in Bajada. I haven’t had any sleep and the siomai servings that I ordered looked gross.

But I didn’t mind.

Because on my way home, I have finally caught up with the sweet couple whom I now hail as the Brangelina of the mami world.

That’s Danilo and Merilyn; they are the folks behind the mamihan in Ponciano Street (near the post office). I like to think that they are celebrities in their own right because they have a huge fanbase: office workers, students, call center agents and taxi drivers who swore allegiance to their mighty mami, which is amazingly delicious.

And cheap. And flavorful. And not too oily. And awesome.

The couple was amazingly sweet. They named their mamihan after their youngest son.

Their staff was friendly too. And perky. And quirky.

I had to visit a couple of times to catch up with the owners; the mamihan is open 24/7! That’s why I ended up with lots of photos. Too many photos, actually. That can only mean one thing: lots of smiles.

I love this mamihan by the street. Not just because of the mami, but because they also serve Lucky Me! Instant Pancit Canton.

And some instant noodles.

Amazingly, they’ve also grown their menu from this

to this

O, diba? Bongga!

Mamihan feels like a pancit concept store—with all kinds of awesome in a bowl.

(Read the mamihan story in tomorrow’s issue of the Mindanao Times)