Filipinos love to eat. Most say that the world eats 3 full meals a day, that is, breakfast, lunch and dinner. We Filipinos eat 6 full meals a day. It is broken down into breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner and snack. It is already written in the psyche of society. What am I trying to point out? We love food and we love to eat. Whenever there is something on the table or inside the fridge, we will tend to finish it.

Let me introduce you to one of the comfort foods of the Filipinos. It is made from cardava banana. I may be wrong here, but cardava is used solely as an ingredient for food shakes in other countries. Unlike here in the Philippines, it is grilled, boiled, fried, or made into part of a soup, as an ingredient in the famous Filipino halo-halo, or even in coconut milk. I will talk about it being fried though.

This is the banana sign. The name banana cue comes from the combination of the words banana and barbecue. It is fried with layers of caramelized sugar and placed on a barbecue stick. It is also known by the name of maruya in the southern Philippines. Anyone can see it being sold by the children of the owners or simply being sold on the side of the street on any Philippine afternoon. Its price ranges from 5 pesos (USD 0.10) to 8 pesos (USD 0.17) per stick or per order. It is always better to eat it very hot so that the banana does not become difficult to chew. It is stimulating for the palate and for the senses. The aroma is sweet and the taste too. It is crunchy and at the same time chewy because of the sugar and banana. The snack is heavy and rewarding for the stomach. One can enjoy coffee, tea, soft drinks or the famous gulaman and sago drink “sa-malamig” while eating this snack. There is also the famous special cut maruya that is a favorite among the locals. It is a special cut because the banana is cut into smaller pieces and covered with caramelized sugar. Each rooster is pure happiness.

Banana cue will bring energy during sleepy afternoon. Look for it near schools, offices, and streets with heavy foot traffic. Try it and tell me what you think.