Isaw

Squid balls, helmet, leather, sago gulaman, walkman, IUD/ isaw, kwek kwek, fish balls, adidas, betamax, kikiam… do these seem familiar to you? Do you have the faintest idea of what they really are, aside from the literal connotations?

If you do, then consider yourself lucky. You are one of the people who are well acquainted with Pinoy food culture. If you don’t, how sad for you! Not only are you uninformed, you’ve also missed out on some interesting, not to mention yummy, and only – in – the – Philippines gustatory treats.

For those of you who are clueless about the street fare mentioned above, have no fear. All is not yet lost. Here’s a mini primer on Pinoy street food. Let’s call it Kwentong (Pagkaing) Kalye.

Kwek kweks are quail eggs deep fried in orange batter. (Never mind what that orange batter is made of. What you don’t know won’t hurt you.) The betamax is the hardened blood of a chicken. It is rectangular in shape, hence its well though of name. Adidas is chicken feet and helmet is the chicken’s head. Leather is pork skin. Isaw, also known as IUD, is either chicken or pork intestines. Walkman? Pig’s ears. All of the foods defined above, with the exception of the kwek kwek, are grilled to finger – licking perfection.

If you didn’t know any better, none of these foods would seem appetizing. I mean, who’d want to eat grilled pig’s ears? Or grilled chicken heads and intestines? Majority of the Filipinos, that’s who. Even I, never the courageous or daring type, mind you, have tried and even enjoyed some of our local street fare.

No one really knows just what it is that makes street food so appealing and tasty, but the one common answer that most people can come up with is that the taste is credited to the food’s surroundings, or the atmosphere where they are being cooked and sold. They say that all the fog, haze and the smoke just add to the flavor of the food. Take the “dirty” ice cream and the fish or squid balls as an example. Many have attested to the fact that the ice cream is so yummy precisely because it’s “dirty”, and that the fish and squid balls sold in the streets are much tastier than the ones you can buy in the frozen foods section of your local grocery store.

If you’re still unconvinced and wary about street food, then don’t just take my word for it. Ask those who have dared to live a little dangerously and eat street food. Listen to what they have to say and let them convince you to “go on to the dark side”.