WHEN going to the City of Mati in Davao Oriental, not one friend has ever said anything about going to its public market. The most that my wine buddy said was that the taboan on "araw ng tabo" of neighboring towns, Pantukan in Compostela Valley Province on Thursdays and Banay-Banay, Davao Oriental on Fridays offer super fresh fish and seafood at very low prices.
Thus, the visit to the public market during what was supposed to be a validation of their dive spots and amenities but was suspended because of bad weather, was a pleasant surprise. We only visited the fish section, by the way.
For why should you go anywhere else when you're in Mati, which is known for its marine resources (the very reason why we were supposed to be validating their dive sites)? It was already past 9 a.m., so there weren't much left. But the little left were still fresh, fascinating, and enticing.
Blue-spotted rays for cooking with coconut milk, huge bayang (batfish), pompano, a very fascinating oilfish or pinya-pinya (which Carlos said tastes very good and melts in your mouth like butter when grilled, but has a similar effect as guindara, and we were still going home that night and so we didn't dare cook it for lunch), triggerfish, octopus, cuttlefish, just about the whole reef denizens waiting to be eaten. I enjoyed the dried fish section most.
I have this fetish for dried fish sections that are not reeking with odor, and the Mati Public Market is just like that. The place does not stink at all, you wouldn't realize you are already in the midst of the dried fish section.
When there, ask where the dried fish from Mati are and gawk. While there are the regular dried fish from Zamboanga, the dried stuff from Mati can bring stars to the eyes of the bulad-eater. They have huge salmon, mahi-mahi or pandawan, talakitok, and at least two kinds of dried squid.
The City of Mati is celebrating its tenth year today, you might find yourself there to celebrate with the people. Don't forget to visit the market and yes, your ice box.