Street eats

Whenever you watch K-drama, one of the things they show a lot of is street food.

Because of that, we Pinoys became aware of, and started craving for Tteokbokki, fish cakes, gimbap, and such.

So, our first order of business in Jeju was to try out their street food. Well, street food-ish since these were from the Seogwipo Maeil Olie Market.

Mark and I had the mandu, a black pork bun - black pork is the other most popular produce of Jeju - and we washed it down with tangerine juice, of course.

The market was huge and there was so much to try. But we had to start somewhere, and this is where we stareted.

And yes, it was a good start.

Take it to the street!

After binge-watching "Street Food: Latin America" and "Street Food: Asia," the series that constantly and consistently made me hungry is back! Now, they're featuring street food in the good old U.S.A.!

Thanks to this series, I'm now seriously planning to go to Hawaii for their authentic Spam Musubi and Poke bowls. The Poi looks interesting, too. 

Also, watching this makes me want to go to New Orleans for Yakemein and Hansen's Sno Bliz, Portland for Mama Dut's vegetarian bahn mi and Loaded plates, and California for Carnitas del Momo and the Pinoy restaurant called Dollar Hits.

Hope they feature street food places in Atlanta and Houston as well, since that's where we frequent. But until that U.S. trip happens, let me just feast my eyes on American street food.

In the Mex

Why am I doing this to myself?

After watching "La Divina Gula," I'm now watching "Street Food: Latin America." Particularly, the episode on Mexico.

And after watching it, this brought back my craving for Tlayuda!

Gosh! It's been almost 20 years since I last had this awesome street food in Mexico. And watching this brought me back to that street stall with the uber delish Tlayuda!

Oh Mexico. Extranjo Mucho!

Sunday Street food

Yes, more food.

This weekend, I went to the Uniqlo store in U.P. Town Center in search of a nice pair of chinos. (They didn't have any.)

Since I was already in the area, instinct and a grumbly tummy brought me to U.P. Diliman. The craving for the street food that I used to eat as a student was just too strong.

And what was on today's menu?

Fish balls and dynamite sticks, of course!

Let's not forget dessert - ice cream in a bun!

As I messaged D' Frendz, street food from U.P. will never grow old.

Holy street food, Batman!

One nice thing about hearing mass in OLPH in 13th avenue is the street food cart outside the church.

This one cart has pretty much everything: fish ball, squid ball, kikiam, chicken ball, hotdog, sago't gulaman and mangga't bagoong. Seriously, what more can you ask for?

Street food carts outside churches remind me of my childhood.

Every Sunday, the family would hear mass at Sacred Heart Church in Kamuning. After mass, I'd see all these carts parked outside the church - fishball, scramble, popcorn, corn and nuts. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to eat any of that. So, all we could do is look.

So, I guess stopping by this cart every after mass is my way of making up for my lost street-food childhood. Harhar.

Seoul Food

Aside from checking out museums, churches, malls and supermarkets, another thing I like to do whenever I'm in a foreign country is try their street food. And that's what I placed on top of my checklist today.

Myeondong - aside from being a popular shopping district - is also littered with street food stalls that sell everything from safe (like cotton candy) to the shocking (grilled octopus tentacles - which were about 2 feet long!).

To help me decide which to try, I looked around and checked out what most of the locals were eating. And after about 20 minutes of observing, there were two items which were clear winners.

First, the potato sausage!



I tell you, just a whiff of this is enough to send a person's blood pressure skyrocketing! Harhar. It's a sausage (your choice of fish, chicken or beef) that's dipped in the usual corn dog batter, then rolled in french fries, then deep fried. Despite the cholesterol and calories, it's really, really good! And it's a multi-tasker's snack since you can now have your sandwich and fries at one go.

Second was this dessert they call the "super long ice cream." And here's the reason why:



Looked like it was more than a foot long, and it was quite heavy. But it was AWESOME! This Mango-Strawberry combination was simply divine! Good thing the weather in Seoul right now is cool, so it didn't melt that fast. This is so good, I'm thinking of getting another one tomorrow after mass. After all, the ice cream place is just near Myeondong Cathedral. (Or so I think.)

Now, it's time to look for some bibimap.