DREAM CATCHER
The man behind UP student’s favorite isawan Mang Larry’s Isawan, Lauro “Mang Larry” Convencido was the little boy from Camarines Sur who had big dreams. He knew there was a great life waiting for him beyond the boundaries of his family’s farm. So, at 17, he decided to try his luck in Manila.
“After grade school, I decided to leave my hometown and chase after my dreams. I wanted to be independent. I wanted to study high school but our family couldn’t afford it. So I decided to look for my relatives at UP and learned that my cousin was studying at the Miriam College Adult Education (MAE),” says Mang Larry.
Mang Larry was a janitor in a film company by day and a student by night. He finished high school in five years. His perseverance led him to become a janitor supervisor and, later on, the head of quality control in the company he was working for.
“When I graduated high school and started to have a stable job, I realized that my life was getting better because I was able to eat thrice a day. It was during these days, when I would pass by Cubao to get to Katipunan, that I discovered isaw. It was literally a street food then that only the poor would eat because you couldn’t even be sure if it was clean and safe. That was when I had the idea to study quality control for the product and make it a favorite not only of the people on the street but people from all walks of life. I opened my first isawan food cart at UP. I didn’t expect it to be a big hit. I just tried it and it worked,” says the 55-year-old.
For 33 years, Mang Larry slowly but surely achieved success in business. He was even able to open branches in other parts of Manila. A restaurant in Boracay even orders from him once a month. He pioneered the use of plastic cups when eating street food instead of using sticks and double dipping it into the sauce container to avoid contaminations and the spread of diseases. For R5 per isaw, and now other products such as fish balls, grilled tilapia, grilled squid, grilled bangus, and many others, Mang Larry was able to provide for his wife and five children.
“MAE helped me get my dream of finishing high school. Knowledge really is power, and everything you’ve learned, you’ll always have with you, unlike material things. Don’t let your dream be just a dream. Work for it, believe in yourself, and don’t forget to pray. I’m still not done chasing my dreams. Someday, I want to have my own restaurant. I always tell myself that if I want something, I should get it,” he says.