{"id":1194,"date":"2015-09-22T07:59:51","date_gmt":"2015-09-22T07:59:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/?p=1194"},"modified":"2015-09-22T08:05:05","modified_gmt":"2015-09-22T08:05:05","slug":"trying-to-be-artsy-in-cdo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/trying-to-be-artsy-in-cdo\/","title":{"rendered":"Trying to be artsy in CDO"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yes, we\u2019ve heard about the so-called \u201cmilktea panic\u201d that emerged after at least two people (one was a customer, and the other the owner of the shop where the milktea was bought after he also tried the milktea that the customer said tasted weird) who consumed milktea concoctions died only a few minutes after they consumed the ubiquitous drink.<\/strong> \"Chingkeetea2\" With the bad press milktea got (Heck, even local government units made the rounds and had milktea shops closed!), it almost seemed like it was on the way out.<\/p>\n

Alas, the drink\u2019s here to stay \u2013 arguably best exemplified by milktea\u2019s continuing appeal in so many places, e.g. in Cagayan de Oro City in Northern Mindanao, where one brand continues to make a mark because of the milktea offerings, largely abetted by a blast-from-the-past, hippy, and even artsy-fartsy appeal of the brand\u2019s branches.<\/p>\n

And so welcome to Chingkeetea.<\/p>\n

WHAT\u2019S THERE<\/strong><\/p>\n

First \u2013 and definitely worth highlighting \u2013 Chingkeetea\u2019s major, major appeal is the vibe of its venues. Here, you see everything from the olden times \u2013 e.g. ditched desks from public schools, repurposed into retro seats; mismatched furniture pieces that, weirdly, work together; empty bottles of softdrinks and wines serving as decorative pieces; et cetera<\/em>. The only \u201cnew\u201d pieces there are these artworks\/drawings atop tables or clipped a la sinampay<\/em>\/laundry, so that they, too, become decorative pieces.<\/p>\n

There are some variations \u2013 e.g. the branch closer to Xavier University, for instance, is way bigger than the other one located a few blocks away (though on the same street). But the \u201cfeel\u201d of the place remains the same, what with all these knickknacks scattered around to give Chingkeetea this \u201clola\u2019s homey place\u201d appeal.<\/p>\n

Of course, it helps that the food isn\u2019t bad (even if it isn\u2019t world-shattering), and \u2013 to top that \u2013 they\u2019re cheap. Korean ramen, for instance, only sells for P75 a bowl. The drinks aren\u2019t bad either. No, don\u2019t expect kapeng barako<\/em>, but with the coffees (Java Chip, Butterworth, Mocha, Cappuccino) selling from P70, they suffice. Particularly considering that with Starbucks and CBTL charging double that, this place\u2019s offerings aren\u2019t too bad at all.<\/p>\n

And then of course we have the milktea drinks (e.g. wintermelon, strawberry, chocolate, vanilla, taro, honeydew, Oreo, and vanilla), selling from P60. Not as sugary as, say, Zagu; but not watery either. They more than suffice\u2026<\/p>\n

WHY GO THERE<\/strong><\/p>\n

It can\u2019t be stated enough \u2013 if you want that artsy feel, come over. Here, there\u2019s this sense of being laid back, as if everything isn\u2019t rushed. Great, therefore, if you\u2019re out to catch up with friends on lazy afternoons\/dusk…<\/p>\n

Not surprisingly, largely because the venues aren\u2019t too far from the city\u2019s biggest university, the crowd tends to be young (and yeah, the owner \u2013 nicknamed Chingkee \u2013 is still in her 20s) . And they vary, too \u2013 from the katkat<\/em> (literally, \u201cclimb\u201d, though locally used to refer to social climbers), to the yuppies, to the government employees, to the comparatively better-off students, and to the LGBT crowd (though most of them cisgender). So if you wanna be with the relatively younger crowd, check this out.<\/p>\n

For catching up without having to kick your pockets hard (check the prices mentioned above), this is worth considering, too.<\/p>\n

WHY AVOID<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is not to say this place is perfect \u2013 no, sir\/ma\u2019am, it\u2019s far from that. In fact, there are things that, well, get to me. For one, many of the offerings aren\u2019t always available \u2013 I, personally, had to change orders thrice on the first visit, twice on the second visit, and thrice again on the third visit because the ingredients of what I wanted to have weren\u2019t available. A ruder customer would say: \u201cMagsara na lang kayo<\/em> (Just close shop, will you)!\u201d; but let\u2019s not\u2026<\/p>\n

The venues can get full \u2013 good for business, but bad for customers (particularly those arriving in groups). It doesn\u2019t help, too, that the branch closest to Xavier University has a non-airconditioned space; meaning, you put up with the humidity or raindrops (depending on the season) when there\u2026<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no Internet connection, too. The selling point of the place \u2013 as this drawing states \u2013 is for people not to get lost virtually when they\u2019re in Chingkeetea, and instead start talking with each other. For a telecommuter like me, the word that comes to mind is \u201cbullcrap\u201d.<\/p>\n

And then there are the\u2026 religious writings on the walls, showcasing the owner\u2019s religious beliefs, which may not necessarily be shared by everyone visiting the place. If you don’t want other people\u2019s beliefs shoved down your throat, you can choose to ignore; or just don\u2019t visit at all.<\/p>\n

IN THE END\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you like the feeling you get when you\u2019re in a Papemelroti branch, then you\u2019d definitely like Chingkeetea. It\u2019s rustic; it\u2019s artsy; it\u2019s hip; it\u2019s\u2026 cool.<\/p>\n

But if your idea of having fun isn\u2019t to sit on chairs whose owners may have long died, then this isn\u2019t the place for you \u2013 go somewhere, instead, that\u2019s more generic, like Starbucks or McCaf\u00e9 or CBTL or something.<\/p>\n

Chingkeetea branches are located along Pabayo\/Corrales (near Xavier University).<\/em><\/p>\n

CHINGKEETEA BRANCH NEAR XAVIER UNIVERSITY \"Chingkeetea1\"<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\"Chingkeetea3\" <\/a>\"Chingkeetea4\" <\/a>\"Chingkeetea5\" <\/a>\"Chingkeetea6\" <\/a>\"Chingkeetea7\" <\/a>\"Chingkeetea8\"<\/a><\/p>\n

CHINGKEETEA BRANCH AT GRAND CENTRAL \"Chingkeetea9\" <\/a>\"Chingkeetea10\" <\/a>\"Chingkeetea11\"<\/a>\"Chingkeetea12\" <\/a>\"Chingkeetea13\" <\/a>\"Chingkeetea14\" <\/a>\"Chingkeetea15\"<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you like the feeling you get when you\u2019re in a Papemelroti branch, then you\u2019d definitely like Chingkeetea. It\u2019s rustic; it\u2019s artsy; it\u2019s hip; it\u2019s\u2026 cool. But if your idea of having fun isn\u2019t to sit on chairs whose owners may have long died, then this isn\u2019t the place for you \u2013 go somewhere, instead, that\u2019s more generic, like Starbucks or McCaf\u00e9 or CBTL or something. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":1195,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,8,3,7],"tags":[718,717,720,719],"class_list":["post-1194","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-destinations","category-dining-out","category-spotlight","category-travel","tag-cagayan-de-oro-city","tag-chingkeetea","tag-dining-out-cagayan-de-oro","tag-milk-tea"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1194","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1194"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1194\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1198,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1194\/revisions\/1198"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1195"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1194"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1194"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1194"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}