Just for fun: Food culture in the Philippines

I accord 'pinoy' food at the bottom of the street food spectrum.
Want good street food?
Go to Taiwan night markets, Vietnamese pho restos, or Thai creekside breakfast spots.
Filipino street food is a staggeringly bad combination of  Spanish, Chinese and American offcasts that with poor ingredients = a mini disaster. As for what street food exists, those greasy fish balls are sometimes just enough to bring one down for a day or two.
I forget the other questions, but my assessment here precludes going further.
Oh yes, I'm a foodie with a keen eye for pho, spicy beef noodle soup, oyster egg omelette, chicken veg stir-fry and other super great street dishes. And a tendency for cooking all of them plus Indian at home, and from scratch.
Not sure why I answered this quiz...

The best food in the Philippines : seafoods  ! Delicious dishes with all kind of fishes, like Lapu Lapu,  and sweet and sour sauces or coconut sauces. Enjoy !

Even my wife does not eat street food in the Philippines with the exception of an occasional banana-q (deep fried banana) from a local vendor.

For us, it's not worth the health risk.

There is no great Pinoy sweet food.

I agree wholeheartedly.  My doctor has even warned me of the hazards of eating such food and most other ill prepared Filipino dishes.

My wife Merlyn is the best cook in the Philippines.  We don't do fastfood very often unless it's a very nice restaurant.  Most of the dishes here are very tasty.  I will never ever eat "balut" sorry I apologize but just doesn't look very tasty or healthy lol.

LOL

Glen Adkins wrote:

I agree wholeheartedly.  My doctor has even warned me of the hazards of eating such food and most other ill prepared Filipino dishes.

Some of my wife's friends brought some balut over one afternoon and asked if I would eat one, I did and judging from the smiles on their faces, I must have looked less than comfortable eating it 

They asked if I wanted another and I replied "No thanks, one is enough".  They then asked what I thought it tasted like, I said that it reminded me of what the inside of a golf ball must taste like. bland, chewy and hard to swallow.

Haven't had any since.

TeeJay4103 wrote:

Glen Adkins wrote:

I agree wholeheartedly.  My doctor has even warned me of the hazards of eating such food and most other ill prepared Filipino dishes.

Some of my wife's friends brought some balut over one afternoon and asked if I would eat one, I did and judging from the smiles on their faces, I must have looked less than comfortable eating it 

They asked if I wanted another and I replied "No thanks, one is enough".  They then asked what I thought it tasted like, I said that it reminded me of what the inside of a golf ball must taste like. bland, chewy and hard to swallow.

Haven't had any since.

Back in 1994 I joined the one balut is enough club, had no desire to try again.  Food is cheap enough that we never buy street food, want to prepare our own.  My wife likes to hit Chow King when we are out or Jollibee, but I just eat a little something to make it home.  I am happy with rice, fruit, vegetables, and beans with occasional chicken adobo or roast pig (lechon) on special days.  Philippines is a good place to eat to live rather than live to eat.

Well only few country you eat street food ! Even i would avoid eating Thai or Viet street food because of pollution !

Well .. the comment itself is incorrect. Just because it is "street food" doesn't always means that you eat it from the (polluted) street. Although the "street food" got its name as it is commonly the food sold on the street, doesn't mean that'd always be the case. Take example of "Nasi Goreng" or "Chicken Satay" from Indonesia, it is categorized as "street food" back in Indonesia, but they are quite often served in posh restaurants in various countries too.

For me one of the best food I want when I go there is adobo

curtis004 wrote:

For me one of the best food I want when I go there is adobo

Which kind of adobo?  Hoping to make aso adobo very popular in our barangay.

You can use chicken or pork.  Chicken is the most popular.  I like chicken thighs the best.  The key is not to cook it to death, so the meat comes out like leather.  Simmer slowly.

Me, I want pasiw? I do not know if my pronunciation is right. Haha

Bicol Express, Pompano Diablo, Lato (sea grapes), balbakwa (tripe soup), batchoy, chili crab, crispy shrimp, salt and pepper shrimp, blue marlin....the list goes on.

For street foods I like dynamite lumpia, crablets (addicting), pork, liver and chicken BBQ sticks.  Just be sure and order the sticks 'well done'.

Hello everyone,

We all know Filipino food tastes great. Do you consider yourself a foodie? Share with us your unique food experience as an expat.

1. Name 3 best well-known Filipino street foods according to you.
lumpia, barbecued pork, lechon

2. Which are some unusual dishes that you have discovered ?
balut, dinuguan, taho

3. What makes up the typical breakfast in the Philippines?
pandesal, fried eggs, toyu (salted dried fish), rice, coffee or cocoa

4. Name 3 of your favourite festive dishes.
Lechon, Kare-Kare, kilawing kambing

5. According to you, which essential ingredient defines Filipino cuisine?
Patis (fish sauce)

Thanks for participating,
Diksha

herberttaylor wrote:

Me, I want pasiw? I do not know if my pronunciation is right. Haha

Maybe paksiw? That´s a food cooked with vinegar!

Hobbit112 wrote:

Bicol Express, Pompano Diablo, Lato (sea grapes), balbakwa (tripe soup), batchoy, chili crab, crispy shrimp, salt and pepper shrimp, blue marlin....the list goes on.

For street foods I like dynamite lumpia, crablets (addicting), pork, liver and chicken BBQ sticks.  Just be sure and order the sticks 'well done'.

Batchoy, yes. Pompano diablo... is that a strongly peppered fish food? What´s the difference of Dynamite lumpia with the regular one?

Glen Adkins wrote:

You can use chicken or pork.  Chicken is the most popular.  I like chicken thighs the best.  The key is not to cook it to death, so the meat comes out like leather.  Simmer slowly.

I pressure cook chicken adobo for 20 minutes! Pork: around 35minutes...

geolefrench wrote:

Well only few country you eat street food ! Even i would avoid eating Thai or Viet street food because of pollution !

Pollution? It´s everywhere - any country. Dust, carbon particles you name it. Eat and let live!

TeeJay4103 wrote:

Glen Adkins wrote:

I agree wholeheartedly.  My doctor has even warned me of the hazards of eating such food and most other ill prepared Filipino dishes.

Some of my wife's friends brought some balut over one afternoon and asked if I would eat one, I did and judging from the smiles on their faces, I must have looked less than comfortable eating it 

They asked if I wanted another and I replied "No thanks, one is enough".  They then asked what I thought it tasted like, I said that it reminded me of what the inside of a golf ball must taste like. bland, chewy and hard to swallow.

Haven't had any since.

The hardened egg white is hard to swallow. The yolk is buttery with a little salt. The soup inside naturally comes like it´s been salted all along... Be adventurous. Yummy!

mugtech wrote:

curtis004 wrote:

For me one of the best food I want when I go there is adobo

Which kind of adobo?  Hoping to make aso adobo very popular in our barangay.

Aso adobo??? Ha ha. Kinilaw nga aso... Yes! Your dog treat Mug!

Jazz14mg wrote:

My wife Merlyn is the best cook in the Philippines.  We don't do fastfood very often unless it's a very nice restaurant.  Most of the dishes here are very tasty.  I will never ever eat "balut" sorry I apologize but just doesn't look very tasty or healthy lol.

Balut eating is something conditioned culturally or a learned reaction to that certain type of food stimulus. It´s nutritious and healthy like any source of protein if prepared properly. Some people even eat insects and worms like in Mexico.

Glen Adkins wrote:

There is no great Pinoy sweet food.

Not even halo-halo, bibingka, dodol or puto?

Glen Adkins wrote:

I agree wholeheartedly.  My doctor has even warned me of the hazards of eating such food and most other ill prepared Filipino dishes.

I assume you haven´t eaten any street food in Mexico our neighbor!

geolefrench wrote:

The best food in the Philippines : seafoods  ! Delicious dishes with all kind of fishes, like Lapu Lapu,  and sweet and sour sauces or coconut sauces. Enjoy !

I agree with you! I´ve also eaten street foods in Paris!