SOMETIMES HOPE COMES IN SMALL, BANANA LEAF PACKAGES

Gubat in Quezon City hires displaced tricycle drivers to deliver binalot-style meals, so they can earn during the quarantine

- MONICA ARANETA TIOSEJO

Now that the rains have come, a socially distant summer is another thing we can tick off on our “unprecedented” list. Granted there was heat and humidity, but how could we have known that the days were longer than what we have been enduring already? The signs of the season weren’t there. There were no picnics, road trips, playlists, linen, spandex, lotion, and our sunkissed bodies on the beach, frolicking free while breathing in the salty air, unmasked. Sensuality is a good word to capture the summer feeling. Good vibes.

Having hunkered down for safety, we had to bridle many physical aspects of life and be content with nostalgia. For city folks, an escape to the beach sounds like a dream or a memory, and for the time being, it will remain to be.

Beach aside, it’s not too late to save summer, especially since we live in the tropics. Gubat in Quezon City brings a piece of surf town Baler to Manila and into our homes through its food. The restaurant is an outpost of Kusina Luntian, a popular “hidden” eatery in Aurora. Both establishments serve rice meals with pako salad, salted egg, and the usual Filipino fried ulam, like lechon kawali and chicken. “Pre-ECQ, we were a kamayan-only establishment trying to practice sustainability. Now, we would like to offer our meals for pickup and delivery,” Cereb Gregorio says. She is a co-owner of Gubat.