Hi! My name is Prechelle. I am a third year Public Health major from Marshall. I love lots of food, but I can also be picky!

Cultural Significance of Street Food

Filipino street food is an important part of Filipino culture and in Filipinos all over the world. Street food can signify hardship and challenges, but also hard work, dedication, and perseverance. Because of this, it is something that I feel should be celebrated, taught, and be shared with not only Filipinos, but with everyone in the world. One day, I hope that Filipino children will grow up knowing and celebrating street food, rather than hiding and being embarrassed by it.

Background

The creation of Filipino street food dates back all the way to the 1850’s. There is a painting by Karuth (1858) of a woman steaming the street food, puto bumbong, on the side of the road. This style of selling food was then continued into the American colonial period which was before World War 2. (Doreen, 1991) It is also known that in the 1970’s, the Filipinos went into a huge economic meltdown which caused them to find other ways to feed themselves and their families. They used all different parts of meat that they didn’t usually use, in order to use up all the resources that they had. This way, they weren’t wasting any meat or parts of the animal. They would then give these foods new names to make it more appealing. For example, they called “intestines,” “isaw.” After this, the making and selling of street food in the Philippines continued to thrive and became a vital point of Filipino culture. Street food can be sold in many different forms. They can be sold in carts, stands, buckets, bikes, etc. Vendors can be walking or biking around while selling or they can be in one place, but whatever form they are selling in must be “portable” because they usually move around and close overnight. Then, the next day, customers may or may not find them in the same spot.

Examples

There are two types of street food, sweet and savory. Some examples of the savory street food include fishball, kwek kwek, betamax, isaw, helmet, adidas, kikiam, etc. Fishball is made of fish meat, skewered, and fried. Kwek kwek is made of quail eggs coated in batter, fried, and then skewered. Betamax is cubed and skewered pork or chicken blood that is then grilled. Isaw is skewered pork intestines that are grilled. Helmet is skewered chicken heads that are grilled. Adidas has the same idea, except instead of chicken heads, they’re chicken feet that are skewered and grilled. Kikiam is a mixture of different seafood, such as fish, shrimp, and squid, that are processed together, skewered, and fried.

Some examples of the sweet street food include taho, dirty ice cream, bibingka, mais con yelo, turon, bananaque (pronounced ‘banana-q’), iskrambol (pronounced ‘scramble’), etc. Taho is made of silken tofu, sago (tapioca pearls), and a brown sugar syrup mixture. Dirty ice cream is ice cream that is sold in carts on the streets. It is not actually dirty, but Filipinos have called it “dirty” because of the way they are sold. They can come in flavors like ube, cheese, coconut, and more. Bibingka is “buttery, fluffy, salty-sweet banana leaf-wrapped cakes [that] are cooked in flat bottomed woks over coconut husk fires.” (Ponseca and Trinidad 2018, 282) Bibingka is very important during the holidays in the Philippines because it is a traditional Christmas food. People will go out in the streets to look for vendors just to have it during the holidays. Mais con yelo is a shaved ice layered dessert made of ice, sweet milk, corn, and ice cream. Turon is banana rolled in lumpia wrapper, fried, and coated in caramelized brown sugar. Bananaque is almost like turon, but without the lumpia wrapper. It’s simply just fried banana, coated in caramelized brown sugar, and then skewered. Iskrambol is a milky shaved ice dessert that can be topped with things like powdered milk, marshmallows, different syrups, sprinkles, and more.

Like I said, some of these savory street foods were renamed in order to make it more appealing. For example, betamax, helmet, and adidas are definitely foods that are not eaten by just anyone, especially in the Western culture. People would not regularly think of having grilled blood, chicken heads, or chicken feet on skewers as a snack or meal. To some people, this may seem gross or unappetizing, which is why Filipinos renamed these foods. “Some dishes were given special or funny names in the 1980s like Betamax (chicken-blood cake), Walkman (grilled pork ears), Adidas (chicken feet), and pope’s nose (chicken butts).” (Ponseca and Trinidad 2018, 245) Betamax was named betamax because the rectangular shape of the grilled blood reminded Filipinos of an old videotape, Betamax. Helmet was named helmet because Filipinos just found it amusing since they were chicken heads and you put helmets on heads. Adidas was named adidas, after the shoe brand because the three claws on a chicken foot resemble the Adidas logo. Street food is definitely important to Filipinos, including making it seem appetizing for everyone who eats it or wants to try it.

Street Food Vendors

Street food is also a way of living for some Filipinos. Street food vendors make these street foods and sell them to make money for them and their families. Although street food doesn’t necessarily cost that much to those who buy it, it can make enough for a living for the street food vendors. Some street foods are considered breakfast in the morning and the others can be eaten at any time of the day. For example, taho is sold a lot in the morning because it’s nice and warm for those who have it for breakfast. Balut, a boiled duck egg that contains a fertilized and developing embryo, on the other hand, is sold mostly at night. With this, street food vendors are able to work the whole day and can be anywhere that’ll be filled with as many people as possible. “...vendors selling fried bites of fish or dough or skewers of smoky grilled meats to eat on the run dot Philippine plazas and parks, line the main streets of smaller villages, and are even found on college campuses and in the open-air markets where we buy our fresh foods.” (Ponseca and Trinidad 2018, 243) These vendors typically will go to places that they know will have the target buyers, such as students and workers.  In some parts of the Philippines, there are designated spots for street food vendors. For example, the Central Business District of Baguio City has a night market in which street vendors fill the streets selling food to locals and tourists. “Former street sellers who currently conduct businesses in storefront locations operate from early morning until early evening to best serve their regular customers, namely, local students and workers. Thus these storefront enterprises do not compete with the night market food vendors, whose sales do not begin until 9:00 p.m. To optimize their collective locations, vendors agreed to offer diners a wide choice of dishes in one location, and thus each vendor prepares a different type of food.” (Milgram 2019, 59-60) Although street food vending is a business, I find it admirable that the vendors don’t feel the need to compete with each other to make money. They don’t try to take all the customers by selling different types of food or selling them in different locations or at different times of the day. In the Philippines, we can see how people will work together, not against each other. We can see this in street food because they know that for some, this is the only way they are able to make money. To compete with each other is to take away what they will eat the next day or how they will pay their next bills. This is why I think street food represents the true hearts of Filipinos all around the world. Through hardships and challenges, Filipinos are able to find ways to work hard and make a living for themselves and their families, while also supporting those around them.

Significance

Street food is not only helpful for those who sell it, but is also very much important to those who consume it. Street food is very inexpensive and very accessible. This means that anyone who wants to get food fast and for a cheap price are able to. Street food is made especially for students and those who work, and for a meal, they can basically pay less than a US dollar. When I went to the Philippines, I experienced buying street food and those who were buying with me were mostly in school and work uniforms. I’m sure students are very grateful for street food vendors. 

Being born in the Philippines, but raised in the US, I feel a little bit of a disconnection with this aspect of Filipino culture. There are a lot of things that I feel I never experienced and will never experience due to me growing up in the US. I believe street food is such a significant part of growing up in the Philippines and it makes me sad that I didn’t directly experience it. However, when I went, I was able to get street food many times and even have my own dirty ice cream cart at my birthday party. That experience brought me a sense of comfort and belonging. The street vendors are always so friendly and know that they are not only selling food, but also providing memories. Everyone gets street food with loved ones, so I do believe that street vendors create a place for families and friends to get together. Here in the US, I have gotten Filipino street food and appreciate the fact that it is available for us Filipinos to experience a sense of home away from home. I’ve brought my Filipino friends who have never been to the Philippines because I think it is an important experience.
When I was in middle school, I was very ashamed of my own culture, especially of street food. I experienced almost a form of bullying. When some kids learned about balut, they would often come up to me and other Filipino kids to taunt us about eating balut because they thought it was gross. Because of this, I felt the need to lie and say I don’t eat it or that it’s gross. I disliked my own culture because of other people’s judgment and felt the need to lie about everything. I would say I was born in the US, or that I was unable to speak Tagalog, or that I never tried certain Filipino foods in order to disconnect myself from my own culture. This way, no one would be able to ask me any questions and hear answers that might not sit well with them. When I finally visited the Philippines, I learned to really enjoy and embrace my culture. As I grew up, I found the importance of celebrating your culture and not letting anyone put you down because of it. 

Now that I’m in my 20s, I feel protective of the Filipino culture. Although I felt a little ashamed of it before, being educated and having the experience that I did helped me feel more connected to my culture. Social media is now an amazing tool for education purposes, but can also be a dangerous tool for those who want to show others aspects of their cultures. I often see videos of Southeast Asians trying certain foods like Balut, and then reading some nasty comments. They usually say things like, “they eat everything these days,” or “just because you could eat it, doesn’t mean you should,” or simply just saying what they’re eating looks gross. I believe that everyone is entitled to their own opinion. However, when that opinion is something that is disrespectful to people’s cultures, then that opinion needs to be kept to themselves. Social media is a very big thing now and anyone can have access to it, especially young children. I would hate for young children to read these comments, decide that they need to fit in with society and end up hating their own culture.

I believe that if we can all be educated on other people’s cultures, we can learn to be respectful and accepting of those who are different from us. The US is a place where many cultures are found, yet it is also a place that isn’t always very accepting to those who are “different.” In the article, “How then shall we eat? Insect-eating attitudes and sustainable foodways,” it says, “Deeply embedded in the Western psyche is a view of insects as dirty, disgusting, and dangerous.” (Looy, 2013) This quote really stood out to me because of the previous personal experience I just mentioned and the comments that I’ve seen on social media. I wish we were more accepting of other people and the way to do this is by educating ourselves and others. With proper knowledge, we wouldn’t ever judge other people for simply participating in their culture and for being unapologetically themselves. With this, I feel the need to embrace my culture and to teach others about it. The video, Hawker culture in Singapore, talks about how Singapore has these Hawker centers in which people can celebrate theirs and other people’s cultures. Hawker centers are basically big food courts with stands all around that sell food from all different cultures. In these centers, people can buy food then eat together. (Hawker culture in Singapore. YouTube, 2020) I think this is such a good idea because this allows people to celebrate and learn about different cultures all around the world. With these centers in mind, I believe if there were more places in the US that sold Filipino street food, people would be more intrigued in trying it and could be more accepting of it. Although it is not something that is normalized in the Western world, I think being open-minded is extremely important.

Final Thoughts

Culture is something that should be taught and celebrated. It is something that should not be hidden or something that anyone should be ashamed of. As a Filipina who was once ashamed of her own background, I now want to express my appreciation to the culture that shapes who I am today. Filipino street food is a part of that. It teaches us to be grateful for what we have, to not waste what we have, to be kind to those around us, and to be open-minded to try new things. Street vendors play such a vital role in preserving this aspect of Filipino culture and they deserve so much praise for that. I hope they know how much they are appreciated by many students, workers, and families who sometimes can only afford to eat street food. They are appreciated by the Filipinos who are away from home, because they know they have something to look forward to when they get back to the Philippines. One day, I hope that the little Filipino children can grow up feeling so much happiness when they talk about their culture, including street food, and not be embarrassed by it. Education is an important factor in this. If we can all be educated to be respectful of those who are different from us, we can live in a more peaceful and accepting world.

Bibliography

Ponseca, Nicole, and Miguel Trinidad. “Fatty, Fried, and Salty: Snacks and Street Food.” Essay.           

In I Am A Filipino: And This Is How We Cook, 241–67. Artisan, 2018.

Fernandez, Doreen. “Balut to Barbecue: Philippine Street Food.” Essay. In Oxford Symposium on

Food and Cookery 1991: Public Eating : Proceedings, edited by Harlan Walker, 98–104.

Prospect Books (UK), 1991.

Milgram, B. Lynne. “(Re)Fashioning Philippine Street Foods and Vending.” AnthroSource,

2019. https://anthrosource.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/sea2.12161.

Looy, H., Dunkel, F.V. and Wood, J.R., 2014. “How then shall we eat? Insect-eating attitude

and sustainable foodways” Agriculture and human values, 31(1), pp.131-141.

Hawker culture in Singapore. YouTube, 2020.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOJLVclAY_4.