The Wonders of Street Food

CEBU, Philippines - Food is vital to life. People eat because they feel hungry, because they like eating, and because they feel that food is good for them.

The economic crisis is pervading over the basic needs of Filipinos, including food. Many resort to seeking out good food at low cost just to feed their rumbling stomachs. The quick answer to a tight budget is street food.

"It's very affordable. It will only cost me 20 to 30 pesos," said Ana Reyes, a 3rd year Engineering student.

Today, food of any kind is not only served at the family table or in classy restaurants but along the streets, as well. One calls it street food. Street food is defined as any minimally processed food sold on the street for immediate consumption. Different types of street food are sold by vendors using wooden carts or portable makeshift stalls. They are found mostly outside schools, plazas, or in any place heavily populated by people.

"It is very easy to manage. It only requires low capital. And we could actually sell anywhere at any time. We mostly sell outside schools, plazas, churches, etc," said Manong Leo, a street food vendor.

Street food today is growing rapidly in all varieties and sprouting everywhere that it captivates the consumers owing to its accessibility, price, handy packaging and distinctive taste.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, 2.5 billion people eat street food every day (Jay and Minni Del Mundo of Kumain.com-April 8, 2010).

"We eat street food almost every day especially after our class. My friends and I would probably find kwek-kwek, tempura and banana cue as merienda,"said Ana Lubostro, a HRM student.

In the Philippines, one of the best places to savour street food is Cebu, the Queen City of the South. Hailed not just for its scenic vistas, arts, customs, traditions, and rich history, Cebu is also known for the diversity of its street cuisine. Over the years, Cebu's street food has seduced tourists with meaty, salty, sweet, and spicy options, earning mentions in local and foreign food publications alike.

People can find not only the typical barbecue, fish ball, tempura and kwek-kwek (flour coated quail's egg) but also boiled sweet corn, peanuts, bibingka (rice cake), siomai, ngohiong, banana and even viands. These food, aside from their mouth-watering appearance and delicious taste, are also dietary satisfying, and nutritious.

Street food accounts for a part of the daily diet and so contributes towards meeting nutritional requirements, although the contribution varies. The easy availability of food in the streets of the barangay has helped students and workers cope with long periods of hunger.

"It's really accessible and cheap. We could actually buy outside, just near our office," Erica Patalinghug, a worker.

Due to the dust, pollution along the streets, these street foods may not be sanitary or hygienic. Thus, these may in fact lead to certain illnesses such as cholera, dysentery, giardiasis, typhoid fever, hepatitis A and E, amoebasis, echinoccocosis, poliomyelitis, intestinal flu, and E- Coli infection.

"Consumers of street food can acquire these diseases that we call and classify as water borne diseases. There is really a big possibility that they can get sick because of eating street food. Most of the consumers don’t know how the food was prepared," said Dr.Fe Cabugao, the Assistant City Health Officer.

However, despite this possibility, several customers still patronize street food.

"I am aware that these kinds of food are not really well-prepared and are said to be dirty, but I still eat street food because it's been part of my daily food intake. It's very cheap and delicious,"said Hannah Faye Reoma, a Masscom student.

One of the fascinating aspects of urban social life of Cebu is the widespread presence of street food vendors. Operating from all strategic locations at all hours of day and night, they serve customers with palatable food, colourful beverages at reasonable and affordable prices.However, the informal nature of street food sometimes allows for poor hygiene standards, making the consumption of street food a potentially hazardous source of nutrition.

Food is a basic commodity; it is not always served in fancy restaurants, fast food chains, or on the streets. People from different walks of life eat street food. Even if there is a notion that street food is dirty and is said to be not well prepared, still many Filipinos patronize street food. It has been part of our Cebuano culture. Cebu is one of the many places that are home to various street food businesses, which mirrors the Philippine repertoire of food. Cebuanos never fail to eat street food and enjoy the "wonders" it can offer.