Tags: Exotic Food, Truly Pinoy Food and Drinks
By Joel Pinaroc
BORACAY ISLAND, MALAY, AKLAN – This Filipino delicacy has become a staple food fare for visitors in this famous island-paradise, sold by vendors peddling their wares neatly tucked inside a woven basket and shouting the familiar “Balut, balut, kayo dyan!”
Balut, or boiled egg with a duck embryo inside, is one of the most famous and often regarded as one of the most bizarre foods found in the Philippines and in some Asian countries.
Instead of offering their merchandise along city streets, however, these balut vendors have tourists and locals in the famous white sand beach of Boracay as customers.
Balut vendors have become one of the most numerous ambulant peddlers on the island. Like their urban counterparts, the balut vendors of Boracay also sell hopia, mani (peanuts), and yes, popcorn.
Everyday they trudge the shoreline of Boracay barefoot with their baskets in tow. The other merchandise are often found hanging on the side of the woven basket together with the vinegar and salt, which are essential condiments to the balut.
Boy, a balut vendor, shares that competition has become steep due to the growing number of vendors plying the nearly three-kilometer shoreline. But he says sales are always brisk, due in part to the curiosity of tourists, often foreigners, wanting to (or at least trying to) eat a balut.
Boy says it seems like peak season all year in Boracay because visitors keep coming to the island. However, he says weekdays are relatively “slow” compared to weekends, when more tourists flock the island.
He shares that a balut vendor like him does not wait until the sun sets before peddling his wares, unlike his urban counterparts. Although he did not say how much balut he sells for a day, he admits that there are ‘good days and bad days.’
Often, balut vendors as well as other ambulant vendors, are “walking information centers,” helping and answering queries from foreigners and local tourists.
Boy says he sometimes had to even act as a tourist guide to customers, even though he is a non-native in Boracay, as he hails from Iloilo. He says he does not mind because he sometimes receives a tip for this added service.
Boy shares he has no difficulties when dealing with tourists, either foreign or local, because very often, they are very polite and civil to vendors.
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