Street food.

You will never suffer from hunger while walking the streets of Manila. Everywhere you can find street-corner vendors selling food and drinks.

You have the permanent stalls, the portable stalls, the open eateries, the make shift tables along some streets and the countless street vendors. 

There are so many popular street foods in the Philippines that it would take me months to describe them all. I suspect that not all my visitors are interested in food so I will limit myself to the most popular foods.

The process of producing and selling food seems to have begun in the tabu, the temporary and short-lived early morning market on streets and crossings; to which one brought what on grew, caught, made, or cooked. The sellers were all ambulant, without permanent stalls, and brought their goods in baskets and pots, on foot or in cards or on horseback. This seems to be where street food began- and continued (and continues to this day), filling the communal space. 

Street food is not only a convenience for those without time to cook; it is also an economic phenomenon that flourishes during hard times. It is, most especially, a way of life. 

Concerns of cleanliness and freshness often discourage people from eating street food. Lack of refrigeration is often interpreted as a lack of cleanliness or hygiene; on the other hand, street food often uses particularly fresh ingredients for this very reason. In Asian street food, the high levels of heat required for wok & oil cooking ensures that any bacteria are killed.

A word of warning:
Food is a window into culture and in many ways our comments on what other people eat says more about us than them.

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(Source: Palayok by Doreen G. Fernandez; Bookmark publishers)

Comments

[loie]

thank you very very much sidney for sharing your pictures namimis ko na toloy ang pinas

[John]

Sidney, I believe that the Japanese pancake in your picture is called "IMAGAWAYAKI". It's a cross between a pancake and a waffle and filled with red beans. Japanese pancakes are called "OKONOMIYAKI".

[gen]

i miss streetfood back home. fishballs are the bomb! no double dipping pls.hehe

[Ivan About Town]

Wow! Yummy! I'll post too about street food which I had the past few days when I get my thoughts together. Hehe!

[eric]

Very interesting as always, Sidney.

We were supposed to present a photo essay on Tindero at Tinda (vendor and his goods) at our workshop. I had a tough time doing it because most of those I approached refused to be photographed. At the eleventh hour, finally found a street vendor who agreed. I spent more than an hour with her. I used my point & shoot to be less obtrusive because I had to include customers making purchases as well.

I like this array of different food vendors that you've put together!

[chelsea]

wow. yummy. ginugutom tuloy ako.

[dodongflores]

Always a nice series from you, Sidney...

I haven't tried eating yet foods alongside the street due to sanitation/hygiene issues...

[vina]

hehe. baryaballs! as in variables, i guess? only in the philippines!

ooooo, maybe you could do a series or a post on those funny (brand/store) names sid! that'll be a blast! :P

[Rach]

I love squidballs but I'm wary of eating them in the streets. But when I was working in Ayala, my officemates would often come down and eat squidballs in the evening. One night, I decided to join them and was amazed that many were out buying fishballs infront of our building. I had a great time eating squidballs everytime we had an overtime at the office.

Now I get to eat squiballs at the mall. My latest favorite are lobster balls.

[Ashish Sidapara]

Wow, thats too many shops for the little stomach. Wonder if any of them was vegetarian, otherwise i would have to go hungry ;-)

[mariaela]

OMG! now I'm craving for Burger Machine! *salivating*

you are so right, you won't go hungry in Manila, not only because of the "street food" but also because everyone will more than welcome to have the opportunity to feed you!

Have a good chow, Sidney.

[Jayred]

Eating all day long is the national pastime in the Philippines. :-) Hence, the proliferation of food stalls -- permanent, portable, or what-have you -- on the streets.

[Photo Cache]

my fave is the classic fishball, then comes cornick with "hot" vinegar as some sort of a dipping sauce.

[lino]

ah food... that's where we pinoy can't live without... hehehe. filipinos love to eat... good series sidney... :)

[Barbro]

I like this serial. The stall are all very colourful and interesting looking, I would love to try out what’s on offer.

[max]

i havent had any fishballs and squidballs in years .. ils me manque bien ..

[Kyels]

OMG!

I seriously miss the Burger Machine. When I was in Pinas, I had that almost every day for lunch and dinner; Cheezy Bacon Dog ... I supah love it!

Seeing the photos in this post made me miss the food and streets in the Philippines ... ):

[david]

i love street food and have always been far less concerned about hygene on stalls than in hotel kitchens where you just have no idea how long food has been hanging around in fridges! a wonderful series!

[tina]

pinas is not complete without them!! hehe :P

[verns]

I love fishball and Burger King hamburgers!

[lagal[og]]

wow, another great post sidney. btw, thanks for your wonderful comments. it was a pleasant surprise to get a deluge this morning! hmmm, maybe one of these days i would take you up on your offer to help the street kids like those parola boys. i think it's not enough to take their pictures and do nothing to somehow alleviate their plight. anyway, have a good day and perhaps, bon apetit on your street food treats! :-D

[Laurie]

I think I'm actually more afraid of the food at street vendors around here.

[Rock Kauser]

It used to be very rare in Columbus to see street vendors except at fairs and festivals. With the huge influx of Hispanic and Asian immigrants to our city we now have a thriving street food environment. But it looks like we have a very long way to go before we reach the variety available in Manila!

[Gérard Méry]

Des marchands de rue à la sauvette, plein de petits boulots qui ne rapportent pas beaucoup.

[Mike Dougan]

I can see this is going to be another interesting series. I eat the street food in the Philippines, only ever had a problem with one food stall in Rustans, Makati!