The most humble eats, World Street Food, often make the best culinary experiences that we remember of the countries we visit.
What makes eating by the roadside and alleys underneath clear skies or sheltered by makeshift umbrellas so memorable?
Surely, it’s not the cheaper cut of meats, stewed pig offals, or bits of chicken on bamboo skewers.
The comforting flavor of a home is not about dining in fine restaurants.
Our mothers and grandmothers would make it with cheap, affordable ingredients.
The food is cooked simply and quickly.
The best-tasting food is surprisingly made of starch and oil. Some greens and often a little protein from an egg knocked in.
This is how street food sold cheaply by roadside vendors is created. We flock to the cheap eats.
I took comfort in the homey feel of a hot rice bowl, curry rice, or soupy noodles.
Eaten quickly and hastily, street food has evolved into a cultural pastime.
K.F. Seetoh walks in with Anthony Bourdain. Photos: World Street Food Congress FB page.
World Street Food Congress Founder
Founder of Singapore-based Makansutra and creator of the World Street Food Congress, K.F. Seetoh saw the need for a congress to celebrate this cultural diversity as a tourism driver and global enterprise.
The charming Seetoh said that good food shouldn’t be expensive.
There’s a world of opportunity for real comforting and affordable food in the world marketplace.
After two successful World Street Food Congress in Singapore, Seetoh took the third Congress to Bonifacio Global City in Metro Manila, Philippines.
Bigger, Better, More Street Food to Eat
World Street Food Congress 2017 (WSFC 2017) saw over 73,000 visitors hitting the event staged over just five days.
Manilenos and visitors jointly queued in the humidity with temperatures up to 40C (104F) to join the feeding frenzy with gusto.
The street feasting festival had a two-day dialogue on the world’s oldest and most popular food culture.
As with all food extravaganzas, meeting celebrity chefs is the name of the game.
For diehard fans, they got to see their idol, chef, and TV host Anthony Bourdain in person.
The “Dialogues”, is an exciting gathering of Bourdain, fellow speakers, and chefs.
What’s Next for the World Street Food Congress
The event has garnered world attention.
South-East Asian neighbors promote tourism through this once-considered unremarkable and ordinary street food.
Eating cheap, affordable, and with many choices is a guaranteed tourism blueprint for drawing in visitors.
The lively Asian-style street food culture is on the wish list of many countries who want it on their home ground.
Anthony Bourdain set the stage to bring this experience to New York City in 2019 in the Bourdain Market.
“We’re carefully assembling a dream list of chefs, operators, street food and hawker legends from around the world hoping to bring them together in one New York City space,” said Bourdain.
Across print and social media platforms, Congress reached a tracked audience of a staggering 41 million, according to figures released by the organizers.
What to Eat at the World Street Food Congress?
Penang Laksa takes center stage! Photos: World Street Food Congress FB page.
What Would You Choose?
Faced with 25 stalls featuring some of the best street food from around the world, I was spoiled for choice.
Stumped.
When I regained my composure, going through the massive list of stalls was tough.
Here’s the list of just six popular street foods.
The participating countries are Singapore, India, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, the United States, Thailand, Mexico, Germany, Japan, and the host country, the Philippines.
Contents
MALAYSIA: Assam Laksa
Getting that sour, fiery balance of fishy tamarind soup right is the ultimate taste test. The best-known taste of Malaysia comes from its street food capital, George Town.
Penang Hawkers are reputed to inherit heirloom recipes and make a mean bowl of this reputed to die for the dish, Penang Assam Laksa.
INDONESIA: Sate Maranggi
A mind-blowing 125,000-stick Sate Maranggi, the region’s signature dish of marinated beef cubes, was skewered and grilled over five days.
This charcoal, charred meat served with a fiery chili, vinegar, and tomato salad is delicious!
THAILAND: Hoy Tord
Crispy flour batter seafood omelet, Hoy Tord, topped with oysters, shrimp, or squid, is brightened with cilantro, bean sprouts, and scallions.
I finish this with a dash of pepper and fish sauce.
VIETNAM: Banh Xeo
Sizzling Banh Xeo pancake is a cross between an omelet and a crepe.
This crispy pancake has seafood filling. Eat it wrapped with herbs and dipped in a sweet chili sauce.
INDIA: Hyderabadi Biryani
Hyderabad Briyani has an outstanding mix of fragrant masala spices cooked with chicken, yogurt, and basmati rice in a popular one-pot spiced rice dish.
PHILIPPINES: Sitti Tausug
Food Bloggers Johor Kaki Tony Boey said the charm of street food is watching the food being cooked.
Tony described Sitti Tausug beautifully in his Instagram post.
Food Blogger Johor Kaki Tony Boey wax lyrical about Sitti Tausug.
“The meaty chicken thigh wrapped in black grated coconut.
The natural sweet chicky taste is complemented by the toasty sweet taste of charred grated coconut.
Served with black rice wrapped and cooked in banana leaf.” – Tony Boey, Johor Kaki.
The Future of the World Street Food Congress
Some travelers may look to replicate home taste experiences in their entirety.
There is a new consciousness rising in recent years. There is a demand for authenticity in street food.
In Malaysia, many will look for the “Korchabi” taste.
As with evolution, even street food evolves.
Old recipes are tweaked with new ingredients.
This is when street food goes beyond originality.
The sensory experience of taste, sights, colors, or even sound is explosive.
Eating well is a privilege accorded to all visitors in the global village we all live in.
The cooks, home chefs, hawkers, or street vendors are sometimes several generations deep in their artisanal craft.
Street food is living and improves with changes in tastes and demands.
It is time to elevate the street food onto a common world stage, where the street vendors may one day realize their potential and turn professional.
Editor’s Note:
It is with great sadness that Celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain has died at 61 in a suicide; Anthony Bourdain was the source of my inspiration.
I’m crushed!
It was only last week when I was in Saigon.
I continue to look for the Bahn Mi that Anthony Bourdain inspired me to eat.
I ate at the original stall in Hoi An in January 2018.
