1. Balot

Balut

The very first thing a foreigner will come up with when you ask him about the eccentric food he encountered in the Philippines would be the famous savory unborn chicken or duck still in its egg called Balut. You eat it with the feathers, beak, legs etc... This could be a very scary experience to a lot of people like its from some horror flick. Now foreigners are not the only one that feels eating this food as Taboo. Some of the younger Filipino generation is staying away from this stuff, specially those that grew up in cities. But to those that haven't tried one yet, you should. Its not as bad as it looks, its full of protein, vitamins and minerals. Now, I don't want to sound like your eating this as if your survival depends on it, i'm just saying from experience that if you ignore the appearance barrier, its actually good for  you. Filipinos don't eat balut everyday like some  people think. Its mostly eaten as a form of a snack, before they go out drinking or while your drinking. I recommend that you do the same. Alcohol helps clean your taste buds just in case you didn't like it. I can offer you some tips on how to eat this mouth watering delicacy. First would be, do not look inside the egg. Have the salesman open it but if you're daring enough, you can always give it a try. The usual would be adding rock salt, put your mouth in the opening of the egg then quickly put it in your mouth, chew then swallow. You'll find out the first time if you will like balut or not, expect the texture to be weirder than the taste. The other way would be, place a teaspoon of vinegar (ask for the ones with spices) add a little rocksalt then down it quickly and as safely as possible. Also, if you are in country and you want to bond with the locals, show them that you can eat this stuff. Its a very good ice breaker specially if you're a foreign national bonding with your girl friend's parents and relatives. It works every time, its almost like they're watching you doing a slam dunk in slowmotion.  If you're in the Philippines just on a vacation, you should try this at least once. It completes the whole Filipino experience.