You know, in the Philippines like almost all third world countries, street food is something that is very popular! In the USA where I come from, when you walk down the sidewalk you don’t see too many people selling food out there. In some locations you will – for instance it comes to mind that in New York City there are hot dog vendors on the sidewalks – but I believe it is much bigger here.
When you walk down almost any street in the Philippines, you will find all sorts of food for sale! Some of my favorite street foods are kwek-kwek, barbecue, and others. You will find fruit also, shakes, and all kinds of other stuff for sale from street food vendors. Some of the stuff, it’s better if you don’t know what it is!
If you enjoy trying a few different snacks on the street like I do, you do need to use a little caution, though. Try to make sure that the vendor is clean and that his stand is sanitary. Hepatitis is somewhat rampant in the Philippines, and some types cannot be treated, so just beware.
Hi Bob,
I enjoy banana or camote cue, broiled/boiled corn, boiled/broiled bananas or boiled/roasted peanuts, etc. I also pick who I buy from. If the location is on a busy, dusty street, then I pass on it. Boiled corn, bananas and peanuts should be okay since they still have their skins on. Can't wait to stuff my face with these! 😉 I'lll probably try kwek-kwek one of these days, just so I can say "kwek-kwek". 😉
always, as soon as i arrive in davao, i head to the illustre/camus area and search for the green mangoes stand (with salt and patis…lots of it — if i don't make a funny face after taking a bite, it's not enough 😉 ).
Hi Tina – Don't miss the kwek kwek, it's really delicious!
Macky – I can just see you with that funny look on your face! I don't really eat green mango, but I do like Green Mango juice!
I miss those days when kids sold and shout " ICE DROP. .." at the top of their lungs especially in the summer time. My favorite was buko bar. Then icecream makers popularized the sorbetero wheeled carts with their matching bells and assorted flavors.
Wasn't it fun when you saw vendors swarmed at bus stops and yell, " Itlog mo Noy, orange!" Feyma can translate this for you, Bob.
Hi Jul – Yep! I see signs on a lot of houses where they are selling ice drop or ice candy. My kids are always getting that too!
I thought the saying was "Itlong, Manoy? Orange?" It's still famous here too! 😉
My British friends were really amazed when I bought some turnips (Singkamas) in Kidapawan on our way to cliimb Mr. Apo last 2002. They were asking "what the hell am I going to do with those turnips? I told them it's my water suplement. Halfway to reach the top of Mr. Apo I started eating raw turnips with salt and my friends can tell that I was really enjoying it. So they decided to give it a try. At first, they said it's kinda' weird but after that first bite, they've asked for more. Since that day, when they visit the Philippines, they would never miss to grab some turnips.
Hi Teng – Not totally sure that I would classify Singkamas as street food, but that's OK, it's all food, right? I didn't realize that Singkamas would help in supplementing your body's water. That's good information! I am wondering, did those singkamas get heavy on the climb up the mountain, though?
Yes, singkamas is also sold in the street but not as familiar as the green mango. In fact I used to vend singkamas in the bus station of Kidapawan on the 70's. Singkamas quenches your thirst and it gives you potassium too to revive your strength. Just like banana, some tennis players have some bites of banana after its sets to regain some strength. Btw, I had only around 5 pcs. of singkamas in my backpack when we climbed Mt. Apo. If you have time try to visit Baranggay Ginatilan in Kidapawan where the foot of Mt. Apo starts. Ginatilan is the best place to start your climb and even if you don't climb it's an excellent place to spend your weekend. Mountain climber enthusiasts (local and expats) go there during the month of March/April/May as it has favorable weather during these months.
Ahhh, the street foods… used to live in Zamboanga City eons ago. What I miss most are the candied tamarind on banana leaves with hot sili salt. This brings to mind an unsavory topic, but i have got to ask – what does one do when ones gotta go, what are the condition of the public restrooms around town? Do we need to bring our own TPs?
Hi jd – Hmm.. I have not seen that food you are talking about! Is it a Zamboanga specialty? PUBLIC bathrooms? Ha ha… surely you are just joking? There are few such bathrooms in existence!
Oh, my mouth is watering reading this post! Yes! Banana and camote que, barbecue chicken and pork sticks! We also have many vendors selling fresh buko. They are amazinglyy talented with their very sharp, wicked looking knives for cutting the green coconut! I have never seen ‘kwek kwek’ on our side of the mountians, so I wonder if it is a Davao thing.
JD, the CR situation is getting better. Most malls reataurants and gas stations have a public toilet, and some are very clean. It is still a good idea to carry your own packet of tissue, but sometimes you won’t need it. Better safe than sorry. You can pretty much count on a decent CR in a Jollibee or a McDonald’s, or any newer gas station.
Hi Paul – Some of those street vendors are so territorial, I know what you mean!
Hi Jio – Yes, they have IUD and isaw here in Davao. I haven’t tried it, though.
Hi AmericanLola – Maybe Kwek Kwek hadn’t made it to CdO yet, but it is popular in Manila and Cebu in addition to Davao. If you see it, give it a try! It is delicious.
Hi mady – How about a visit to Davao so you can recollect all the wonderful flavors?
During summertime in my wife's home town, it seems like kids on every block set up their own little stands and sell halo-halo and ice candy. Can't go more that 50-60 steps without entering someone else's sales territory! Yet, with all of the "vendors" and not many customers, one can't help but wonder if there's a lot of inventory intentionally left over at the end of the day that are eagerly disposed of by the "vendors"! 😕
Other than that, make mine barbeque or lechon manok with a side of green mango! 😎
Hi Bob,
Do they sell also there in Davao IUD or isaw? I always love that street food (especially one near our place in Cavite, a barbecue station complete with all kinds of barbecued stuffs). Sometimes that would be our dinner, along with barbecued pigs cheeks, chicken gizzards, and others. Add to that vinegar sauce with lots of chopped onions, garlic, and chili pods. Yummy. Now my mouth is watery now, haha.
I also got fond memories when I was in elementary school wherein me and my classmates would enjoy peeled unripe mangoes sold in bottles peddled by street vendors near our school. They add that tasty bagoong (fish/shrimp paste) sauce over, sometimes spicy and salty, but just right for the mango. Nothing like the Philippine mangoes, the best!
Sidney has more pictures of street food in his blog –> http://my_sarisari_store.typepad.com/my_sarisari_store/street_food/index.html
😥 😥 😥 😥 This is making me hungry and crave more of Filipino dishes, fruits and all edible including the Filipino Bizzare Food. I wish Jon will bring me to a Filipino restaurant here in US before summer vacation is over 😥 😥 😥 😥 Hahahayyy lechon, I even miss the Filipino chicken barbeque and chicken lechon too. It just taste different. Hahay Panghatag mo Bopiz be….
I hit the vendors all the time, saging grilled or fried, pork BBQ, Siopao, Ube, Balut, I can't think of anymore off the top of my head.
Hi Louis – I forgot to mention one of my favorites – siopao! It is indeed good stuff. My favorite siopao, though, is not from a street vendor, but rather from Dimsum Diner.
Yummy!…You guys are lucky…American Lola your very right about the buko. I found a refreshment coconut water in can last week made I think South Am or Thai even though I'm allergic to coconut lately, I have to drink one. The canned ones can't beat the Fresh stuff.
Bob, hopefuly summer 2008, Jon and I hopefuly will visit Davao. He mentioned it to you in the email. I have to take classes because my job will be at stake and hahahaha I didn't save kwarta last yr for a 2007 visit.
I have a question and pardon my ignorance on this one even I'm a pinoy. What is Kwek kwek? Is this a 'pato' made dish? This must be something new.
Mahdy – Check here: http://mindanao.com/photoblog/?p=1917
I love the corn, steamed and of course dirty ice cream!!!!!! My husband however loves the bbq chicken feet and intestines on a stick, can't quite stomach that, but the way he eats it, it must be good. My husband got drunk on some Red Horse one night and was told he wasn't a man unless he tried balut, he did of course. Its definitely an aquired taste, the way my grandfather eats it with salt makes it look scrumpcious, but I can't stomach that either, one time my husband was asked to try cow "penis" soup from Carbon Market, it was literally chopped up cow penis, but he only ate the broth, so funny the locals told him that the soup worked in favor of his libido!!! hahahaha!!!!!
The Philippines is truly unique because of its street vendors. What would it feel like if they all disappeared. The experience would not be the same.
On the other hand that *seems* to be an underground economy that escapes taxation. I wonder how much the Philippine treasury is losing from the _collective_ revenues generated thru street vending? Must be huge! This is just a thought, folks. Don't shoot. I do feel for the street vendors who must spend hours walking around, running or even just being stationary in one place. That must be physically taxing.
On the other hand, I can't help but think that this must be a huge underground economy…
I'm not familiar with any of these (IUD, kwek-kwek, isaw or even adidas) but they all sound exotic. I'm only familiar with with the "cues" – camote or banana or barbecue. And of course the ever popular ones like buko, sago, siopao, balut/penoy… and that white custard-like stuff with lots of syrup on it — I forgot its name.
Thanks Bob for the quick reply. Goshh!… That looks very delicious. Indeed haven't seen this dish before. Aii hehehehe I'll try to immitate that today.
Pia-The cow penis soup was also called Remember me (what a name!). It was one featured (printed in bold letters) menus in the carenderias that were frequented by drivers in Surigao City. I saw a few in CDO bus terminal years ago—those that were male dominated—might have to do with the libido aspect. 🙄
Angie- the white custard thingy—maybe it's leche flan. The city govts issue "arkabala" to the street vendors. They're collected right there on spot where they sell. I don't know how much each vendor pay daily or "per appearance". The local govt has a way of tracking down the itinerant vendors though.
Jul,
I remember now, the "white custard" is taho or tahow? I think it's made of soybean, isn't it?
Thanks for the correction. I did not know that street vendors have to pay for the right to vend on the streets. In a way, I was just curious about it, that's all. I'm not saying I know of the right (or wrong) way to deal with it.
Street vendors definitely add color to the local scenery and culture. I just wish, though, that children be spared from doing it as it's robbing them of the chance to be kids. It's also dangerous — I've seen them run after jeepneys, weaving in/out of the streets in Manila. Sigh.
Bob I am suprised. Street food? What is the meat-dog, cat, rat??? Vendors on the street means exhaust fumes, used cooking oil, flys, other bacteria, dust and who knows what else? Your stomach is braver than mine that is not in question. Ron
One more comment. Remember you are what you eat? 🙄
Hi Pia Sez – Your husband is a braver man than I am! I won't go near balut!
Hi Angie – How long since you've been back to the Philippines? I'm curious because of that list of stuff that you had not experienced before.
Hi Mahdy – Kwek – kwek is indeed tasty! I hope you are able to replicate it! You need some suka to dip it in too.
Hi Jul – Remember me? I think I'd rather forget! 😥
Hi Ron LaFleur – You can't experience the true Philippines without having a bit of street food!
Bob, Thanks for reminding me about suka as the sauce. I thought the one next to the picture is the duck sauce. I did try to make it today. Ammmmm.. my kwek kwek doesn't look like the one in the picture:sad: . So, I tried to find a recipe for it. The recipee call for quail egg. I wonder if I really have to use small egg (quail egg) or there are people that use chicken egg too.
Jul & Angie, Arkabelo is charge per appearance and when I was younger it's only 50 cent but presently I think it is piso or 2 pesos. I don't think it has increase more than that (by the way this is in Tagum) since they don't own stalls (permanent one cubicle or room in the market).
Agree with Bob when he says" You can’t experience the true Philippines without having a bit of street food!" I love the kakanin specially the Ilocano style kakanin e.g. tupig and their suman (made is sticky rice). Oh don't forget the puto-maya with the chocolate drink 😉 I wouldn't force Jon to eat the bizarre ones but barbeques would be fine with him. He just couldn't get pass those bizarre one. Ha, ha, ha which I love e.g dinuguan, sari-sari, barbeque intestine, steak liver, number 16 balut and also pinoy, bopiz, papait. I don't like to eat adidas though, same with pig feet dish (seems like it is just a bone).
Angie-adidas is the feet of manok (chicken) cooked like adobo. Sometimes they have a barbeque that are feet too LOL. I heard IUD mentioned by my brother and brother in law (I'm not sure if this is the barbeque intestine that I like).
In street food vendor, it is not bad as long as you know that seller practice cleanliness. Since not all vendors makes their edible product dirty. Usually you can determine a good vendor when most adult frequented that seller or someone recommended it to you. This is also how you will know that the vendor is a good cook (makes it delicious). Back then, the mom in law of my sister recommend a vendor of tupig, ilocano style suman and ube kakanin(almost like ube jam but made of ube and sticky rice wrapped in ice cellophane). She is an awesome cook and very authentic when it comes to Ilocano kakanin. There's no incident that we won't stop and look for that very vendor each time we pass the market. Her kakanin is very addicting.
Well, thank you, Mahdy for explaining what Adidas is. Filipinos do have this sense of humor that is unmatched. Do you know how Adidas got its name for this specific dish? Why not Nike for instance? Just curious. Or is Adidas a more favored brand in the Philippines for sports shoes?
About the name, I find it kind of cute. It shows also the resilience of the Filipinos as it finds humor in almost everything.
One time at a small Filipino restaurant, I noticed the names had been changed for some dishes… like kare-kare became "Caring Cow" … and a dish cooked with much garlic was named "Breath of Fresh Air." I think the pancit was named "Long Life."
I was thoroughly amused.
Hi Mahdy – The kwek kwek that I've had was made with chicken eggs, not quail eggs. There may be different varieties, though.
Hi Angie and Mahdy:
To add to the unique ways of naming in the Phils, I found a blog that wrote the acronyms of these foods. Sorry I can't remember the website but I hope the writer won't mind if I will write some of these names here, without due acknowledgment.
Tapsilog- Tapa, sinangag, itlog (beef jerky ?, fried rice, egg)
Longsilog-longanisa, sinangag, itlog
Hotsilog – hotdog, sinangag, itlog
Porksilog- pork, sinangag, itlog
Luglog-Lugaw, itlog
Pakaplog -pandesal, kape, itlog
kalog -kanin, itlog (kanin = rice)
Pakalog-pandesal,kanin,itlog
kalkal- kalderetang kalabaw 😆
Bahaw = bakang inihaw
Dila -dinuguan, laing
Shoot- to- kill = sinugba, towa, kinilaw (fish menu: grilled, boiled, salad/raw ):lol:
Himas = hipon malasado
Himas Suso = Hipon malasado, sugpo, keso
Kantot = kanin, tortang talong
This partial list is mostly in tagalog yet I find the names very funny.
As for Adidas vs. Nike, I think Adidas was popularized in the Phil market early on than Nike.
Yes, Mahdy, the chicken intestine is termed IUD. There's this chicken all-neck barbecue but I forgot the term for it. 😆
Hi All,
I think Adidas was chosen to name chicken feet because of the logo. The original Adidas logo shows 3 prongs that look like chicken feet. 😆
I heard chicken feet refered to as Adidas in Mexico too, so maybe it is just fun to call them after shoes… 🙂
Angie, Sadly I don't know how they came of those names. I think both Tina and American Lola got it right in addition to addidas shoes is the fad at that time the addidas food was born.
Jul, those names are funny and LOL hahahaha
Hey all,
WE are watching Bizzare Food in Travle channel right now August 20 th 12 a.m. Guess what place their showing right now. Philippines! Yehey!… The host eat balut and other street food. Hey and thats in Travel Channel for you!…Mabuhay!…
Hello Bob, Bill Huff here. Well, i am down to 29 days before i leave Oregon for the Phili…..you said something here about Hepatitas..???…and that some had no treatment….???…i must say, i am surprised that thier were no reply's to this statement. My Doctor was concerned about this, so she gave me shots for Hep # 1…and Hep #2….which #2 is very deadly…….she said nothing about other strains. Could you please tell me more os these if you can…..?????
I will still be living in Butaun, just north of you….but will make my way south so to meet you, take care….
Hi Jul – quite a list you have there!
Hi Tina and AmericanLola – I always thought that Adidas got their name because they are "feet" and given the name of a "shoe." It just makes sense!
Mahdy – Cool!
Hi Bill Huff – Yes, you do have to watch out for hepatitis, no doubt! And, some forms cannot be treated once you have the disease. Watch out for it! Make sure your food is well cooked. Try to buy from vendors who are clean and well kept.
Hey!
I have another creatively named food item: The grilled heads of chickens are called "Kojak"
I always enjoy the word games in the Philippines!
Oh, RE: the pig's feet dishes that one previous commenter wasn't too fond of…there's this place over in Quezon where the crispy pata is just fantastic…I couild go for some now – too bad I'm stuck here in California.
HI Mike – Oh yes! I am also aware of Kojak! Haven't tried it yet though.