Thursday, September 13, 2007

Take It To The Street

Ah yes. Almost everyone likes dirty stuff.

Dirty talks.
Dirty shows.
Dirty scenes.
Dirty.
Dirty, dirty dirty.

Yes, dirty.

As for me, aside from dirty films and shows, I go for those referred to by parents as DIRTY FOOD.

Street food. Most commonly introduced by parents as disease-bringers and food that will take you straight to the hospital bed.

Inihaws, tuhog-tuhog, saw-saw, and anything sold on the street that is covered with an orange-colored substance and most probably burnt to toast will be the most beautiful thing for me to see on the street. Either they are sold on stalls or by carts, they will always amaze my taste buds and they will always be a part of my everyday budget.

Fishballs, Kikiam, Squidballs, Chickenballs - The little cute fried balls.

Fishballs are most common and most well-known of all fried street delicacies. Fishball was once the reigning king of streetfood until manufacturers decided to add other grinded stuff to the market. Fishballs are known for it's "fishy" taste. These so-called fishballs are much more appropriate to be called fish-circles since after they are cooked, they become 2-dimensional flat circles instead of balls.

Kikiams are such mysteries to me. I don't really know what kikiams are made of, probably the same old stuff fishballs are made of, only a lot more dirtier.

Squidballs and chickenballs are pretty much the same. You would think that you hit the jackpot because you can eat squidballs and chickenballs as large as a cow's ball. But as soon as you pierce them with your stick, you realize that they are as the same size as they are before they are cooked.

And that's what you call Marketing Strategy.

The truth is, there isn't anything special about these products. They are pretty much the same, no advantage on each other whatsoever. The one thing that differs them from one another is the sauce.

Definitely the SAUCE.

The sole source of bacteria, sickness, and all those icky-ikcy things that they show at dishwashing liquid commercials.

The sauce is the life of these balls. Pare-pareho lang ang mga balls na yan, sa sarsa lang nagkaiba.

B.S. in Fishbology, Major in Sarsology. That's the course offered for those who are willing to live a baller's life.

Kung ang fishballs ay gawa sa bulok na fish, ang squidballs ay gawa sa bulok na squid, ang chickenballs ay gawa sa bulok na chicken, saan gawa ang kikiam? Sa bulok na???


TOKNENE (TOKNENENG), KWEK-KWEK, ODOCs
- They are all together in the same family of fowls.

Quail eggs, Balut, Penoy, and One Day Old Chicks (ODOCs). Yes, the fowl street cuisine can really be a great anti-hunger tool. For about 5 to 8 Php for big eggs such as Penoy (sometimes coated with orange-colored starch and deep friend to perfection), it can really be a treat for someone who is low on budget. Quail eggs come in about 2 to 2.50 Php per piece.

As for the ODOCs, I haven't tried on yet. I just can't take the idea that a chick is sacrificed in place of a fully grown chicken. But street cuisine is street cuisine, and that there is no such thing as wastage. I will try one of those these days.

Balut
eggs are a different thing. At 9 to 10 Php a piece, they sometimes come in ducklings or chicks. Such a pleasant surprise inside. Although not a very preferrable meal to the hungry ones. It has been adviced not to eat Balut when hungry. It is said that the beaks and the feet of the chicks or the duckling can't be digested by your stomach, thus giving you excruciating stomach pain.

Penoy is the friendlier side of Balut. It's just soft-boiled egg, and very tasty with a bit of a wholesome, less-morbid theme.

Penoy-Baluuuuuuuurrrt!!!!

INIHAW SA KANTO - Yes, the smoking little cart of Mang I-don't-know-his-name.

There's always one of these in almost every kanto that you see. I guess it makes them the most accessible street food. Although they only sell these products at mid-afternoon or at night. Since nobody would like to be having these on lunch. These are preferably eaten at night or at the afternoon as a merienda. You could take them for dinner sometime and they're great on well-cooked rice.


You pretty much have to kill a lot of chicken and pigs before you can get that much amount of tinuhog delicacy. It's like a festival of inihaw every night. There's always a variety of treats to choose from, and I do mean a variety.

Almost every discarded part of a chicken can be seen in this type of store (except for the chicken shit and feathers). For chicken parts, we have isaw or bituka, ulo or helmet, paa or adidas, bato, balun-balunan, and other chicken parts that who knows what the name is. Even the throat of the chicken is now being served at our local ihawan.

For pig parts we have atay or liver, dugo or betamax, ears, and the intestine as well. And being innovative Filipinos that we are, I think that there'd be more additional treats to these favorites. Among the ones that will probably be sold are, kuko, bayag, mata, ilong, pwet, buntot, suso or utong (hey, who wouldn't go for these?), and whatever the people can think of eating. Although when they are in the cart, they all look the same, except for their varying sizes and shapes. They are all just a lump of edible disease on a stick. A very tasty and delightful disease on a stick. Well the disease comes depending on the strength of your immune system, and your stomach.



Manong Isaw: Ano po sa inyo ma'm?
Babae: Magkano ang isaw ng manok?
Manong Isaw: Limampiso po.
Babae: O sige, bigyan mo ako ng lima. Piliin mo yung may tae-tae ha?


Dirty Ice Cream - Nothing beats the everyday flavor of the month. It's the perfect alternative to Selecta or Magnolia Specials. Can't get enough of it. You just have to face the same flavor everytime you buy. Avocado, Chocolate, Cheese, Mango, Cookies and Cream, perhaps Strawberry once in a while, and that's it. I can't get my regular supply of them anymore because they are banned here in the in our place.


Tongtenong. Tongtenong. Tongtenongteng. Tongtenong. Tongtenong. Tonongtonongtenongteng!!!


The street is the sanctuary for a man that doesn't have much on his pocket but pennies. That's the kind of man I am. I love the street, and what they have to offer.

Oh yeah, I forgot the Peanuts. Extra garlic please manong. Sugar-coated or spicy is the usual flavor.

There are also some that I haven't tried before, such as deep-fried sebo ng baka and chicken skin. I think chicken skin is expensive because you have to get only the skin of the chicken and dispose the meat.

Well that's what my dad told me. I also like to try ramen on the street, although they have the highest possibility of being recycled. Chicharong bulaklak was rumored to be human intestines from hospitals. Most of the times, they taste like shit so you have to have extra chili on your vinegar.


Masarap talaga ang marumi...

Everytime you put one of those things in your mouth, be sure that you are willing to face the consequences of each and every little deadly bacteria they contain.

Exquisite food sometimes come at a very high price, which is your health.

So go, indulge yourself.

There's always vitamins and pineapple juices right?

6 comments:

yunisee said...

Gustong-gusto ang kwek-kwek! Energy balls ko yun kapag inaantok ako sa school ko! Hahahaha. At mas gusto ko ang maanghang na sauce kaysa sa matamis. May konting asim rin para mas masarap. :D

Isaw! OMG. Don't get me started. Naglalaway na ako haha! XD

Di ko pa na-try kumain ng helmet. Ano ba nakakain mo doon? Hahaha. Ang totoo nyan, ulam yun ng mga aso naming askal. :D

Makolesterol daw masyado ang chicken skin. Hmm. Pero gusto ko i-try. :D

Alam mo bang nagagalit ang tatay ko kapag nakain ako ng street food? Magkaka-hepatitis daw ako at kung anu-ano pa. (Pero nakain pa rin ako!) XD

luna_sy said...

haha ako gusto ko yun parang atay at taba yata ng baka o baboy.. tapos piniprito na naka stick pa! hehe yummy!! dun ako nagka amoebiasis!! hahaha

TanniX said...

Yunisee - Hay, alam mo lahat ata ng magulang eh nagsasabi na wag kang kumain ng street food. Dati bawal din ako sa ganun. Syempre, bata ka pa at makikinig ka. Pero ngayon yun na lang ata ang gusto kong kainin palage! Ahaha!

Yung helmet, di ko pa din na-try. Baka biglang dumilat yung mata ng manok! Isaw at betamax lang ang kinakain ko talaga.

Yung chicken skin, tinatanggal ng nanay ko pag napiprito siya dito sa bahay. Sayang nga eh

Luna - hindi ko pa din natitikman yung sinasabi mo! Bopis na pinirito ata yun eh, haha! Yung mabangong amoy kapag dumadaan ako sa tabi nung pedicab nung manong. Ang malas mo naman at nadale ka pa ng amoebiasis.

-mnel- said...

one of these days, tuturukan na kita ng hepa vaccines.

Duroy said...

Bakit wala rito yung mga maaalamat na pagkain ng ng kantunan, pansitan, siomaiyan at 664? Dapat, kasali rin yun nyahaha!!!

TanniX said...

Sir Duroy - Sir, yung mga pansitan at saka 664 eh may mga sariling pwesto. Di sila street food kasi wala sila sa tabi-tabi ng bangketa at kanto.

Although yung kantunan, pwedeng i-consider. Hayaan mo, may sequel pa itong entry ko na ito eh.