5 Food Trends We Miss

By Christian Jay B. Quilo

On the consumer side of things, the local food industry is fun and exciting with new brands and food concepts popping out every now and then. But on the other hand, the business side is cut-throat, especially with the Cebuano market that is known to be a challenging audience to please. Some thrive while others ride a hype, albeit short-lived, only to close down later on. We look back on ones we’ve tasted, lost and now terribly miss.

1 Frozen Yogurt

The sweet-tart “soft serve” which comes in different flavors aside from the classic, is great by itself but is also fun with a topping or two. Stores like Red Mango and Golden Spoon had quite the following here, but it didn’t last long enough for the trend to survive.

2 Mochi Ice Cream

Fans of buchi or any iteration of the glutinous rice cake would have loved mochi ice cream. Mochiko and Mochi Creme offered a wide assortment of flavors, from the standard vanilla to the more eclectic black sesame. Some supermarkets do still have boxed mochi but there aren’t a lot of choices.

3 Ice Scramble

Found usually at school functions and carnivals, the Ice Scramble – or colloquially spelled as “Iskrambol” – is hard to miss with its hot pink color. This one eventually made its way to the malls. Unfortunately, it didn’t sell as much as it did in the streets.

4 Pan de sal sandwiches

There’s comfort in the simplicity of it: our local pan de sal with a savory filling like pork adobo and egg and cheese pimiento. Aside from its affordability, stalls like Pandelicious and Panwiches were conveniently found in most malls and easy to eat on the go.

5 Budget-friendly Gyoza

You’ll find this crescent-shaped dumpling at any Japanese restaurant you would go to. However, back then, there was one food stall – Gyozilla – that democratized gyoza for everyone. Sure, it wasn’t the best quality-wise; but for its price, it was enough to satisfy a craving.