Named after the iconic boom of walkmans and pop culture here in the Philippines, walkmans are pig’s ears that are chopped up into bite sized pieces, skewered and, just like you guessed, grilled. Although a bit chewy and tough, this is quite popular amongst street vendors.
Even pig ears aren’t thrown out; they’re sliced into bite-sized pieces before going on the grill. Filipinos referred to it as Walkman in the ‘80s when Sony’s iconic gadget was all the rage, and the name just stuck. There’s actually a long list of pig and chicken parts that go on the charcoal grill, such as chicken neck, gizzards, and liver, but not all parts earned pop culture nicknames like the Walkman, Adidas, Helmet, and Betamax. As an alternative to the street Walkman, try the restaurant sisig — a hash of chopped pig ears, snout, liver, jowls, onions, and spices served on a sizzling plate.
There are quite a few common Filipino street foods that are somewhat adventurous, and helmets and Adidas are names used to refer to chicken heads and chicken feet. Just like isaw, they are poked onto skewers and grilled over charcoal.
No copyright infringement intended. Adidas, simply put, is barbequed chicken feet. It’s like eating the skin off your usual chicken wings, but with soft tendons instead of dark meat underneath. Let your teeth and tongue decide which parts are edible, and which parts to discard.
The night staple in major cities of the country is here in Cebu too. Balut vendors roam the streets of Cebu to the great delight of balut lovers. This famous and exotic night snack looks like an ordinary white egg when intact, but once the shell is opened it reveals a small, underdeveloped duck embryo. Balut lovers enjoy it with little salt or chili, garlic and vinegar. Vendors sell cooked balut from buckets of sand (used to retain warmth) accompanied by small packets of salt. Popularly believed to be an aphrodisiac and considered a high-protein, hearty snack, baluts are mostly sold by street vendors at night in the regions where they are available. Although baluts are produced throughout the Philippines, balut-makers in Pateros are renowned for their careful selection and incubation of the eggs.
Kwek-kwek is one of the more recent favorites among both children and adults. It is quail egg covered with an orange batter and deep-fried. Children prefer the sweet sauce for the dip, while most adults choose spicy one. The sight of kwek-kwek on stick skewers somewhat intimidates some, but others who have tried it are easily addicted to the unique taste, especially with spicy vinegar as dip.
Mangaon Ta's Colon 