Local Expert
Knox Balbastro
Having grown up outside the Philippines, Knox was raised on a diet of Macaulay Culkin movies, Barbie dreams, and the sounds of MTV. When she returned to the Philippines during her teens, she began to…
Having grown up outside the Philippines, Knox was raised on a diet of Macaulay Culkin movies, Barbie dreams, and the sounds of MTV. When she returned to the Philippines during her teens, she began to seek out a distinctly Pinoy culture. So far, she loves what she’s seeing. Manila for her is a fertile ground for art, music, fashion, and fun. Living in a little known, third world country definitely has its perks. Adventures are affordable and discovery doesn’t come in the usual package.
Her best advice for travellers new to the Philippines is to go out on the streets where faces, traffic, and landscape can create a collage of experiences that’s gritty and real.
Knox is a 24 year-old dreamer who also happens to be an advertising copywriter. She loves to travel and dreams of bag packing throughout the entire Philippine Archipelago. She hopes that through this blog, people from all over the world will find a reason to drop by.
More
How to be a Street Epicurean: Part 1
Also known as the post on how to enjoy cheap Manila street food. Manila may be poor but it’s definitely rich in flavor. At any given time of day, you can stroll by and get your fill just by going to a travelling food hawker. Sometimes, you won’t even have to look. They will come hollering to announce their arrival. In the morning, you’ll be awakened with comforting bellows of “Tahoooooooo!” and at night, the shouting turns into “Baluuuuuuuut!”. The question now is how bold your tastes are. I’ve listed down foods to look forward to, depending on how experimental your palate is.
Street Epicure Wannabe:
1. Fishballs and squidballs: Deep fried balls of fish or squid placed on bamboo sticks. It comes with a choice of dipping sauces that are sweet, savory, and spicy. There’s also kikiam, a longer, darker, spiced up version of the fishball.
2. Banana-cue: Another one that’s deep friend and skewered. It’s usually made up of of 2 or 3 whole bananas coated in brown sugar or sugarcane sap.
3. Kamote-cue: A version of the banana-cue. This time made of sweet potato but also stuck on a stick, coated with brown sugar and then fried.
4. Turon: A variation of the banana-cue that’s deep fried banana wrapped in rice wrapper and then coated with brown sugar. Because of it’s crunchy texture, this is my favorite in the banana street food category.
5. Dirty ice cream: Not dirty, just dirt cheap ice cream that comes in Filipino flavors like cheese, taro, and macapuno.
6. Pinoy Fries: Sweet potatoes cut up like French fries only fuller. It has the same texture and consistency as regular fries but only sweeter.