Street Treats

If someone asks you to go out and eat, where do you want to go? Probably you’ll say at Malls, or Bars, to hang out, maybe an amusement park date would do. But who on this polluted earth would ever think to go on streets? Of course, we Filipinos would likely to do that. We are really fond of eating and filling our empty stomachs with mouth watering foods that we see on the sidewalks.

One thing that can be distinguished to us Filipinos is eating along side-streets. Regardless of the time, space and economic status, from all walks of life, they all meet up at one place eating street foods.

According to Wikipedia, street food is ready-to-eat food or drink sold in a street or other public place, such as a market or fair, by a hawker or vendor, often from a portable stall. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, a specialized agency of the United Nations, 2.5 billion people eat street food every day.

 

Filipinos are obviously a part of that 2.5 billion people who enjoys the pleasure of eating with their street foods dripping with sauce. Here in the Philippines we have “one-to-sawa” choices of street foods: Siomai, Banana-cue, Fish balls, squid balls and chicken balls, kikiam, Kwek kwek and tokneneng, Taho, Arroz caldo and goto, Batchoy, Chicharon, Barbecue, chicken feet, betamax (dried chicken or pork blood), helmet (chicken head), isaw (chicken intestines), and pwet ng manok (chicken ass), Calamares, Day-old Chicks, Balut.

Banana-cue: deep fried bananas coated in caramelized brown sugar. Banana cue is made from Saba bananas. Price: ranges from eight to ten pesos (varies from one vendor to another)

Siomai: It is a dimsum of Chinese origin which is loved by many Filipinos. Price: 20 pesos for four pieces (sometimes comes with one pc. of rice)

Fish balls, squid balls and chicken balls: Fish balls are made of finely pulverized fish meats. It is usually flat in shape. Squid balls and chicken balls are some of its recent variation. Price: 50 cents (chicken balls: two pesos)

Kikiam: A Filipino version of the Chinese quekiam; made of ground pork and vegetables wrapped in bean curd sheets. It is deep-fried to perfection and served with your choice of sauce. Price: one peso/each

Kwek kwek and tokneneng: Hard-boiled eggs dipped in orangey batter and fried until crispy. Kwek kwek use quail eggs while Tokneneng use chicken eggs. Price: 10 pesos/stick (four pieces)

Taho: Soybean snack with sweet syrup and tapioca pearls.  Also, we have strawberry taho. Price: 10 pesos (small cup)

Chicharon: Filipino cracklings made from different parts of the chicken and pig, seasoned, and deep-fried. These include chicken skin (crispy chicken skin), chicharong baboy (cracklings from pork rind), chicharong bituka (crispy, deep-fried chicken and pork intestines), and chicharong bulaklak (cracklings from pork omentum). Price: Varies on how it was served per tingi or in pack.

Barbecue, chicken feet, betamax (dried chicken or pork blood), helmet (chicken head), isaw (chicken intestines), and pwet ng manok (chicken ass)

Day-old Chicks, Balut: This is literally a one-day-old male chicks. They are deep-fried, served with spicy vinegar and eaten whole. Balut  is a hard-boiled three-week old duck egg, high in protein, and believed to be aphrodisiac. Price: Day-old Chicks, five pesos; Balut, 13 pesos

 

Isn’t all that a pleasurable foods to eat? You are missing half of your life when you still don’t have a taste on these should-be eaten street foods here in the crowded sidewalks of the Philippines. Let your tongue be drenched with a different penchant with foods. And after you did, I’ll say with all my taste buds, Kudos to you!

 

Source/s: http://www.google.com.ph/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=street+foods&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CDEQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FStreet_food&ei=NSLYTuqFOoeWiQe8m4DqDQ&usg=AFQjCNFUscBToOU_z0d82mUVKl9WPSzc2w

 

 

 

 

Anatomy of a student’s best food buddy

A typical life of a UE student will not be complete without meeting these people, err, these places.

A haven for almost anything, these places can be called the student’s best friends. From cheap books, ukay-ukay finds and, of course, the student-friendly food (never mind the instant thesis and medical certificates).

Meet Recto, Lepanto and Gastambide.

These places are very familiar to a UE student.  Aside from the fact that the three main gates of the University have the same names, these three streets are known to be the harbour of street foods.

Being such, these are the places to be when a student, who cannot afford going to various costly holes-in-the walls around the U-belt area, grabs a quick lunch or merienda to somehow ease his churning stomach. Or sometimes, when one has no break in between his classes that he usually takes a quick run in stalls outside and grab a bite of his favourite street food from his suki.

Now let’s take a closer look to what these three is made of when it comes to street food offerings for the UE student to enjoy.

The feet

Going to these places is as easy as going out of the University premises in no time. Recto Avenue, famous for its infamous selling of thesis and research works, is just a stone’s throw away from UE.

While it offers these things, it is also a place of selling street foods for some.

For one, a man waits for students outside the Recto gate to buy his steamed corn while another one is busy frying fish balls for the hungry students to eat.

They usually position their carts near the gate so they can be easily seen by students.

In Lepanto, one would just have to walk along the so-called hepalane for affordable street foods. This hepalane, dubbed as such because it was said to be a food port where you can acquire hepatitis, is a refuge for street foodies. In there, one can choose from a vast array of street foods prepared for the hungry and the hurrying student.

However, pushcart vendors in hepalane are not authorized to sell in the area. Only those with business permits in commercialized building are allowed to sell food along the lane. So sometimes, they have to hide their pushcarts to a nearby place, as if running to save the lives of their small business from authorities who break-in.

The mouth

Vendors seem not to mind their other competitors when it comes to selling.

Together with some cigarette, cotton candy and sweets hawkers, amid the fast-food that seem to knock them out in terms of offering sumptuous food giants (Jollibee, McDonalds, Mang Inasal, KFC and Chic Boy to name a few) , they still battle their way in order to sell using their voice and charisma to gather students. They wake up early in the morning, arrange their push carts,  and get ready to for a busy day ahead.

Having their suki that regularly buys their food somehow let them earn their profit, though small, for the day.

The heart

If asked where the heart of all these street foods among the three is, a student will answer, the infamous hepalane—that is without a tinge of any doubt.

Being like a common ground for the hungry student of the University and two others (Far Eastern University and Philippine School for Business Administration), it never ceases to be busy and noisy of students who order food (not to mention the student reviewing for board examination from nearby review centers).

The siomai rice, sold for only 25 pesos is such a hit during lunch time. In hepalane, push carts selling siomai rice will not be down by at least six stalls. Next are the various hamburger stalls offering different variations. We also have chicken skin, fishballs, kwek-kwek, fried tofu, manggang hilaw, buko juice and banana cue.

Also a hit are the calamares and isaw that somehow take your hunger away for just a few coins from your pocket.

Meanwhile, in Gastambide, though surrounded by cafeterias and eateries, its busy street will not be complete with its various food stalls. Students can pick from a wide array of street foods like barbecue, scramble, cotton candy, hotcakes, hamburgers and turons.

 

                                                   

The soul

But of course, Recto, Lepanto and Gastam will not be as lively as it is today if not for the students who fill up its busy corners. They make the streets alive and breathing—from the time the University bell rings signaling the end of every class to the afternoon euphoria you see after a day of mind-boggling studying. The chats in between bites of footlongs, the laughtrips as they wait for their calamares to be heated, and the tight budgeting of 20 pesos for an afternoon of merienda.

More than the cheap price of these street foods, there is this reason why students prefer these. For some, these are not just eating places. In here, you’ll meet new friends (Manong may relate his life to you, how he manages to feed his family with his little income and all), get in touch with the old ones on either academic and personal matters, and keep up with your classmates (talk about your crushes or your professors and your toxic subjects), and even get in touch with those you know from other schools.

Because in between bites of cheeseburger with gulay and chilicon sold in hepalane, the additional order of siomai rice and the tusok-tusok of your kwek-kwek or calamares, is the learning of a real world.

A world where we are being prepared today to face without regression and doubts.

Recto, Gastam and Lepanto don’t just give you something to eat, somewhere to hangout after class or somebody to be with when you want to puff a cigar in between classes.

In here you not only see beggars asking for your newly-bought Zagu or kuya making pa-cute while your buying his siomai rice. here, you’ve got to see the reality outside the four corners of the classroom.

It is a clear picture of the world we’ll see come graduation time. It depicts and gives us a greater understanding of not only the Filipino food culture of tusok-tusok, ihaw and the likes but also the way we deal with life in a hurry, under a tight budget, and the life that makes us understand other peoples lives, whose job has been the hard work of selling,  and how we appreciate these little things that life offers, amidst our busy schedules and work under pressure.—  Gelyka Ruth R. Dumaraos

Filipino Street Foods – A Taste of our Own Culture

They’re literally everywhere! Every step I take, every move I make, there will always be street foods to save my day.

Various kinds of street foods.

I grew up eating various kinds of street foods. Believe it or not, I’ve tasted almost all of them. From the sweet taho for breakfast, to crispy chicken skin or steamed siomai with rice for lunch and dinner, and to exotic balut for midnight snack, I really won’t last the day without eating all there is to eat along the streets.

 

Food on the go

Because of busy time schedules, deadliest deadlines, and loaded tasks, I sometimes wish that time would stop so I can load my empty stomach with food. But of course, that won’t happen. Good thing there are food stalls around the university belt to at least ease my cravings and hunger.

One of the reasons why I love street foods is that I can just stand, walk or even work while eating them. There’s no need of plates, tables, chairs, and spoons and forks. And the best part of eating along the streets is that I can buy food without sacrificing my budget. All is cheap. 

I, as a student, have a tight schedule in school. After my second class of the day, I already feel my stomach crumbling.  So what I do is I go outside our university, and see what I can bring and eat inside my third class. I usually end up going to R. Papa Street where different street foods like burgers, calamares, chicken skin, isaw, tokneneng and the like can be found. Problem solved!

 

 

My favorites!

Eating is one of my hobbies.  Whenever I crave for something to eat, I would just go outside and buy at least one of my top five favorites – these are balut, tokneneng, fried isaw, siomai, and dirty ice cream.

Let me start with balut (aborted duck egg). It is a special delicacy in Pateros. The best way to eat it is to crack open it on the bottom part and sip the “sabaw” or soup.  After removing the entire shell, I put salt on it or dip it in vinegar and take a good bite at it. The elders say that this street food will help me strengthen my bones, particularly the knees.

Next on my top list is the tokneneng. They are breaded boiled quail eggs that are deep fried. This food is one of the favorites of college students. It is served with the sweet brown sauce or spiced vinegar. This should be eaten lightly because quail eggs are notoriously high in cholesterol.

Another street food that I like is Isaw. This is made out of chicken or pork intestine and marinated in many different ways. Each stall has its own flavors or tastes. It is basically barbecued or deep fried. Unlike the first two items, isaw is sold on stationary spots on the street and is not peddled by vendors who go around. I usually eat this as it is or I make it as my viand for lunch or dinner.

My second most favorite is siomai. Along the busy street of R. Papa, I could see almost ten stalls selling siomai. Sometimes, it’s the answer to my growling stomach. On such a low price, I could already order this with rice with fried garlic on top. This delicacy can be made out of pork, beef or shrimp wrapped in wonton wrapper. This can be dipped with soy sauce with calamansi.

The last but definitely not the least is the sorbetes or “dirty” ice cream. This sweet dessert is not really dirty. It is just a term used by many because it is not as commercial as the ones that could be bought from the supermarket. Commonly known as sorbetes, this ice cream is sold anywhere. Its usual flavors are cheese, chocolate, mango, and ube. For me, the fact that sorbetes is homemade, makes me feel that it is more special that those commercialized ice cream sold in supermarkets.

 

The risks

Eating street foods is okay, but we always have to be careful. We should make sure that what we eat is clean and the vendors know how to prepare their food and clean their utensils.

I often become a victim of this. I usually end up having a diarrhea. I was lucky because I didn’t acquire Hepatitis. I did not have the chance back then to sue the vendor who prepared dirty food because he does not have a business permit and he does not permanently stays in one place.

Though it happened to me, I still take the risk of eating my favorites but of course, I am now more observant and careful in what I eat.

 

I just can’t get enough

No matter how busy I am, Street foods are always there to save the day. 

My love for street food will never fade because it is already a part of our culture – a purely Filipino culture.

Of course, there are a lot more street foods aside from what I have mentioned. All of these foods offer their own great tastes and with each street delicacy comes an interesting cultural experience. I just can’t get enough! There are more to try, taste, and love.

Photos retrieved from:http://www.google.com.ph/imgres?q=street+food+in+the+philippines&start=8&num=10&um=1&hl=tl&biw=1024&bih=537&tbm=isch&tbnid=KOuMji2JbIrkZM:&imgrefurl=http://forgetfulghee.blogspot.com/2011/05/filipino-food-street-foods.html&docid=mFOnz3PKWCYVcM&imgurl=http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FmJx-pGgiUk/Tb5AclKHiXI/AAAAAAAAAtI/JqpBYX9MQeM/s1600/street%252Bfoods.jpg&w=500&h=324&ei=hsXXTunYM8LyrQf14LHtDQ&zoom=1

http://www.travelblog.org/Photos/2605059

http://www.google.com.ph/imgres?q=siomai&um=1&hl=tl&biw=1024&bih=494&tbm=isch&tbnid=sNfodu2Ie6HPiM:&imgrefurl=http://www.badudets.com/the-big-siomai-at-the-big-little-store-at-gilmore/&docid=RM3qjOqouQ_85M&imgurl=http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__mil619qot8/SR2gtlxv7pI/AAAAAAAAAXw/z4SUrUujZsE/s400/siomai%252Bwith%252Bchili.jpg&w=400&h=300&ei=FMjXTvKIGMStrAeNta3XDQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=294&vpy=124&dur=36&hovh=139&hovw=186&tx=97&ty=84&sig=114139387754801724452&page=2&tbnh=124&tbnw=157&start=10&ndsp=10&ved=1t:429,r:6,s:10

http://yodisphere.blogspot.com/2011/08/banchetto-street-food-fiesta-for-hungry.html

http://blog.gohunt.ph/tok-neneng-quail-egg-business-secrets