Culinary Joys of Weird Philippine Food
Part of the thrill that accompanies exploring the nooks and crannies of the Philippine metropolis is the vast array of Philippine food items that catches one's eye.
Have you ever tasted a stick of isaw? What about betamax? Frog's legs (the street kind, not the specially-bred ones found in the restaurants of Paris)? And let's not forget the Fear Factor favorite: balut.
What do these culinary delights have in common? Why, they're part of the Philippine food culture that is found only here in the weird, wacky streets of the Philippine!
Foreigners and first-time visitors to the country may find the culinary style of Philippine food a bit daunting at first.
For a totally eye-opening experience, scout around the streets of Manila or any other major city! Scattered around the metropolis are mobile street carts that cater to the indiscriminate palate.
A frying pan or a barbeque stand is all that is required to set up a stall-more often than not the vendor serves anything on a stick (and we mean that lightly).
There's the more conventional barbeque, a common Philippine food, which could either be pork or chicken.
We also have the "Philippine food balls" family, which basically includes anything that is roughly circular or globular in shape.
Thus we have fish balls, squid balls, chicken balls, and quail eggs wrapped in an orange breading (kwek-kwek).
And for the main course, the affectionately dubbed "chicken spare parts and accessories" beckons with its astonishing array of selections.
These Philippine food are usually sold on streets. Street vendors are usually well-stocked with any of these culinary delights, listed here in no particular order: chicken intestines (isaw), chicken coagulated blood cubes (betamax), chicken feet (adidas, after the shoe), chicken necks and chicken skin.
Along with these selections is the controversial "day-old chick", and the sinfully delicious "balut", dubbed by some prudes and politically correct traditionalists as the aborted duck fetus.
This amoral delicacy has reached a certain notoriety in some circles, managing even to become a mainstay in food reality TV shows like Fear Factor.
Philippine food critics and civilians with weak constitutions alike recoil with disgust and repugnance at the indiscriminate sense with which Philippine chefs approach the art of food preparation.
Indeed, they may have quite a point, especially when reports from the Philippine provinces reveal that folks from Pampanga extend the menu of Philippine food by eating and enjoying meat from dogs, while those from Batangas have an inclination towards horsemeat.
Arguably, the Filipinos have a different philosophy towards the edibility of certain food items. I mean, who in their right mind would enjoy eating cubes of coagulated chicken blood on a barbecue stick? The Filipinos, it seems.
However, whatever you think about Philippine food is a matter of taste and culture. Different cultures have different styles when it comes to cuisines and all we could say is that Philippine food is uniquely exotic.
Though it may seem intensely queer and sickening at first to a casual observer, the popularity of these weird culinary delights among that Philippine populace proves that there must be something fulfilling in eating weird food that the rest of the world might be missing.
But then again, maybe it is not so much the queerness of Philippine food that matters but the innate resourcefulness reflected by the Philippine culture of thrift and ingenuity-a strict "waste not want not" policy that is invariably extended to food, as well.
In fact, the Philippine culture is widely known all over the globe as food lovers, eating three official meals-breakfast, lunch and dinner-as well as four or more "unofficial" meals scattered throughout the course of the day-morning snack, merienda, afternoon snack, evening snack and the midnight snack.
Food actually plays an important role in the Philippine culture. The simple act of eating draws people together, giving them a common pastime to enjoy and make the most out of.
Thus, food does not merely supply nourishment to the physical body, but is an instrument to strengthen ties and friendships among Filipinos, a source of enjoyment and ultimately, a cause for celebration.
Friends, relatives, acquaintances and total strangers alike rejoice at the mere mention and sight of food. That is why in the course of human life-birthdays, baptisms, weddings, anniversaries, barrio fiestas, funerals, and even simple get-togethers are marked as memorable events through the inclusion of a grand feast, a smorgasbord of unbound proportions.
And even in ordinary days, the ingestion of food-yes, even coagulated chicken blood-is regarded as a celebration of sorts, a time for merrymaking and an exaltation of human nature.
So while the idea of eating chicken feet or unborn duck eggs may seem uninviting at first, it never hurts to try anything weird or exotic at least once.
Go ahead, and the next time you're gallivanting around the streets of the Philippine metropolis, approach one of these famed street vendors, ask for the works, and get ready for the culinary food trip of your life by trying out the most exotic of Philippine food!
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