Heaven’s Hell

Filipinos are known for being a food-lovers. This can be proved by the numerous Filipino cuisine
found almost everywhere-even in corners.

Street foods. By corners, it means that these are actual foods sold in public markets corners and
even by the road sides. Known as one of the most intriguing Filipino food. Street foods or “ihaw-ihaw”
turned out to be a well-loved and a ‘must-have’ dish to the adventurers.

It’s cheap and ‘easy-to cook style’, and “barbeques” as “pulutan”. What is better than a perfect
pair of cold beer and a grilled skewed chicken intestines dipped in a neutralizing sourness of vinegar and
chopped onions. One of which is, known as “isaw” or grilled skewed chicken’s intestinal organs. Also, the
popular ‘betamax’ or hardened pig’s blood, which is seasoned to fit the taste of the Filipino’s taste buds.
Not as popular as these two, but even an old-day chick is a sure treat to Pinoy food lovers. It is literally
called ‘one-day-old chick, a hatched chicken that stopped maturity at it’s first and early stage therefore
utilized as a street food. It is well-loved by it’s savory and uniqueness in taste brought about by the
whole-served chick, cleansed, deep fried and skewed in a bamboo stick or even served an ate by hand.
There are a lot of choices when it comes to street food but it’s uniqueness is always the sole key why
Filipinos or even foreigners keep on buying by the “ihawan”. Blanched chicken head and feet, even the
dressed skin of the pig are also sold by the street foods sides. But as experimental dish popularized meat
of chickens and pork, fish meats are also a bucket-list.

Paired with the boiling point hot pan filled cooking oil, instant foods like ‘kwek-kwek’, fish balls,
and squid balls are a local Filipino version of the ‘fish-n-chips’ of the western cuisine. Although pork and
chicken street foods are sold in the same manner with fish street foods, their compositions and
flavouring process are kind of different.

Fish balls, a mix of real fish meat and seasoned flour, is a delectable bite-size foods that are
deep-fried. Kikiam, Squidballs, and quek-queks on the other hand have one thing in common: Flour.
Flour ingredient plays an important role to finish the composition of those exotics and aside from
seasoning, they also give contrast to taste, crunchness and consistency. Flour is used as a coating to
quail’s eggs. Packed with some seasonings and food color, these make-up the famous ‘orange egg’ or
kwek-kwek. Even to Calamari-locally known as “kalamares”. A chopped squid covered into a seasoned
flour. With all these additives and unhealthy seasonings leads us to a path of uncertainty. Surely food
feels like heaven but the consequences are hell.

As heavenly as it feels when eating this one-of a-kind treats, there is always a setback. There are
numerous diseases one can get by simply consuming street foods. Your body’s capability to fight
unwanted bacteria’s and pathogens delivered by an outside factor like disease carrying flies, when they
transmit bacteria’s through contact or air-borne transport with the food will define your health and
danger. Once you consume street foods, it is pretty assuring that you’re susceptible to various diseases.
One is Hepatitis B, which causes yellowish eyes and depletion of one’s immunity, thereby, fatigue and
dehydration are some of it’s symptoms. Acute gastro enteritis on the other hand are caused by
intestinal worms probably originated from your food intakes. Worst-case scenario comes with the
diagnosis of Amoebiasis or Amoebiatic Disorder which causes vomiting, dehydration and can make one
person feel weak. Over consumption of these foods can trigger different ailments like Arterial blockage
and may contribute the risk of having heart attacks due to high amount of cholesterol and unsaturated
fats. All of these ailments lead to one thing: Death.

Almost in everything the idiom “Too much is dangerous,” like consuming street foods, we must
learn when to stop and cut down our food intake.

Filipinos are really known for having a perfect tummy for every feast. But although eating feels
like heaven, the dangers of street foods can be bloody hell.