by Raphael Gastanes

I cursed inside my head when I asked whether there were any Wagyu burgers available. I was talking to a WG Burgers concessionaire, who told me that the said burgers were unavailable, adding that they were sold out within an hour of opening their stall. Being a voracious meat eater, I begrudgingly bought a regular beef burger to satiate my urge for beef. In spite of being disappointed though, I was surprised. It was actually good, not one of those typical “normal” burgers; maybe because they were freshly made, maybe because the bread was different. Maybe I was just hungry.

This is one of many of my experiences when I encountered one of Ateneo LEX’s regularly held activities: the LEX minor sale. Influenced by the well-known gallivant Dora the Explorer, this year’s minor sale was dubbed as “DeLEXioso!” which, in my opinion, was befitting of the various goods the event had for sale. Though usually held from Monday to Friday, heavy rains and back to back typhoons had forced the event to continue further into the week after it was supposed to be held. But technically the event was still held in a week, opening only for five days. But…Eh. Never mind.

Though the aforementioned disturbing weather was an impediment to the enjoyment of the event by numerous people, including me (who doesn’t own an umbrella due to laziness), the grace periods between the torrential downpours was met with students lining up to avail of the various wares available at the event. Lucky for everybody, the weather cooperated for the final few days of the event, there being only light showers and relatively plenty of sunlight.

There were close to a dozen different, unique stalls during the event, each selling their own products. Some were innovative, some were typical, some were popular. All were awesome.

WG Burgers was one of those stalls that initially caught my eye. They sold the aforementioned Wagyu burgers, as well as “regular” beef burgers. I was particularly interested in the Wagyu burgers because Wagyu beef, or Kobe beef, for those of you who are not aware, is one of the most succulent, most delicious, and most expensive, beef in the world. The revelation that someone had the brilliant idea of turning that beef into burgers hit my like Manny Pacquiao’s left hook. I just had to had one, but, as evidenced by this articles introduction, fate was cruel to me.

Sharing a tent with the previous concessionaire was Buono, a stall selling frozen yogurt. It was selling frozen yogurt in a way typical to business that sell the same, with various topping made available for purchase. Buono had an awesome Penguin logo though.

Moving along with the topic of dessert food, stalls for Caratela Carabao as well as Monsta Pops were also present. The former sold Carabao Milk Sorbetes (Sorbeteses???), and the latter sold various ice frozen ice cream pops. I was kinda expecting Monsta-sized popsicle sticks, but my vain hopes were dashed. They were good though. I especially liked the distinct sweetness that the Carabao Milk Sorbetes provided.

For those who were thirsty, there was a Zhuper Zhots stall, ready to serve their Zhuper varied, and Zhuper good Drinkz, displayed in multiple towerz zo awezomely. (Too much?)

Potato Corner was there as well, a staple stall for any Ateneo sale-slash-bazaar event. This was one of those stalls that, during the event, were met with lines of students, probably craving for crunchy, flavoured french fries. Admittedly, I am one of those students. One Mega Barbeque Fries please!

Abiva’s Rice in a Box was there; ready to serve their delicious, affordable ulam-rice meals. With a couple of options to choose from, like Chicken or Beef, the stall appealed strongly to those whose wallets were on a diet.

Another notable food stall was Monster Burger who, true to its name, sold (relatively) Monster-sized burgers. This stall was special in a way because they issued a challenge to the Ateneo populace: eat on of their humungous burgers within 4 minutes and it’s yours for free. I wanted to try it, but my heart said no, you’re too fat already, and my brain agreed.

With the event filled with food-related stalls, Fashion Monster stood out from the crowd, displaying their fashion-related merchandise like shirts, accessories, and the like. Not much of a fan of fashion, I didn’t avail of any of their products. I was pretty sure they did well though! Haha! Haha…Umm. Yeah. Moving on.

Overall the event was, to me, a successful one. Looking upon the faces of the numerous customers (I ain’t no stalker, aight?), I was sure the event did its job; not as a source of income, or just another org project, but as an event that would put a smiles on people’s faces, appealing to their sense of wonder as well as their hunger. I applaud Ateneo LEX and the people who made the event possible, and I pray that they can keep on creating these kinds of events.

On the final day of the event, I went to WG burger as soon as I woke up for that day. My mind was clouded, my mouth watering. All I could think of was burger. Burger. Burger. Arriving about twenty minutes after waking up, at the early time of eleven in the morning, I saw that the stall was open, manned by two individuals. I quickly inquired whether there were any Wagyu burgers available. There were available. I quickly fished my wallet out of my pocket and took out all my remaining money. Never mind that I made myself technically broke for that day; all I wanted was that burger. The wait was agonizing, aggravated by the fact that the aroma of grilled beef wafting from the grill was so incredible. But after a few minutes, there it was: The Wagyu burger. It was enticing, alluring. I grabbed at it and opened it gingerly. I took a bite, and the rest is history.

Red is currently a 3rd year taking up BS LM, who was core head for DeLEXioso.

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