The fried breaded squid or calamares that we all know today is sold in almost every corner of Manila. As the street food industry’s newest addition, it has gained greater popularity due to its very economical price and extraordinary taste. It’s worth a penny, as some would like to put it. But a friend disputes the entire ruckus and thinks that something fishy gloom the flourishing business.
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I’ve tried to ask the lady who sells calamares near our place about her business but to no avail, she seemed to be clueless about the raw products’ origin. The reason for my inquiry is because a friend from YM warned me about the possible danger of eating the street calamareses again. These addictive foodstuffs, he said, are imported from China and acquired in a very low price. How were they able to preserve the products when they’re shipped from afar? The secret, he added, is formalin.
I knew nothing of formalin so I won’t attempt to give you details about it (but you can click here to read some info). What I know is that formalin is hazardous. An ABS-CBN news report said recently that one died from accidentally drinking formalin.
Is BFAD (Bureau of Foods and Drugs) taking this matter seriously? They better should, because if this fishy … or squidy business is positive of formalin, thousands of lives will be at stake. However, if this is just a hoax from someone who’s bored of his own life … well, man, I give you my finger.
Peace out.
Photo Credit:
W. Belmonte
9 comments:
buti nalang i stopped eeating it na minsan kasi hndi na squid! octopus!
btw
plz visit and vote for ust-socc at www.aosicextreme.com tnx! go uste!
yikes! buti nalang i never get to eat those things. i knew it! there is really something with these calamares.
btw, are you still taking the CBA second course?
people come on!we know that... even the meat that we eat...formalin is everywhere for a long time.
you think mcdonalds has BFAD cert.?
Hey, Philippe.. Yes, I'm still studying but it's actually a CCS course, not CBA.. BS IT, to be exact..
I had also heard that kalamares had formalin content from a friend, so now I stopped buying foods sold in the streets.
Kahit na ano pa yung binebenta diyan sa tabi-tabi di ko na siya binibili.
anyways, I like your blog a lot, so I hope you wouldn't mind if we exchange links. Ok lng ba?
Thanks, Jaycee. Just let me know the title and link to your blog and I could definitely put u in that list. Thanks again.
Ur ryt reyville. DOH or BFAD should take some actions with the prolifiration of these calamares on d streets! hehehe, i do eat them though. but i dont find them cheap ah, for P3 a piece, dats P30 for 10 pcs (baka ako yata ang cheap,hehehe).
Actually last sunday, we had d usual squid cooked by mom with dad and mwa having lunch. I asked my dat if he has any suspicion on these street calamares. I asked him could these come from china? He sed dat, we are blessed with more aquatic food than them, and he doubts if these were from china. My mom on d otherhand sed, dat those kind of squid (a cattlefish perhaps) is really considered 2nd class squid and r sold cheap in d wet market. its flesh is not firm (malata) but rubbery & tough (matigas/sobrang kunat) as compared to d quality ones dat are firm but you can bite it. Now i'm making me hungry, hehehe! pabili nga dyan calamares....hehehe
Interesting. BFAD has a hotline and its best if we go directly to the authority in order to verify. they can do tests. BFAR (DAR) should also have a say on this somehow as this imported squid, possibly the effect of globalization or just plain smuggling/underpaid taxes costs less than half of what is the local harvest of our version of this big pusit, commonly called LUMOT.
And no, the street calamares is not cuttlefish nor octopus. it is plainly a larger size squid fished elsewhere (or hoarded in/near our shores by huge fishing vessels and sold to our country).
Most of the calameres on the streets are imported frozen, boxed and kept ih huge wharehouse freezers. Navotas fishport, before dawn sells these among the local fish. but the entire stocks is wharehoused.
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