Because of tiredness, he again explored the length of Session Road in Baguio city to look for a good-looking, sosyal-looking and fine-looking restaurant with cheap food. Palagutom boy was about to see many restaurants in Session Road and he got frightened that he might starve to death because every restaurant he sees looked like offering an expensive food. "I have fear of expensive food," Palagutom Boy said to himself.

After almost an hour Kris-crossing Session Road, Palagutom Boy bravely entered a restaurant called Jimm's Retro Diner and to tell you, just entering the restaurant, you will really feel the retro ambiance.

Elvis Presley is singing at the background and he is the star of this day. He also got several photos displayed inside the restaurant and I just wonder if this restaurant is owned by Elvis Presley, just kidding!

Ok, I courageously entered the restaurant in retro, sited for a while and waited for the waiter to give me the list of food to order. And yes!!!! I saw a rice meal with drinks at 75pesos! Solved!

The food we ordered with my younger bro was  Yang Chow Rice . The size was just enough for regular appetite. In layman's term,  Yang Chow Rice  could mean Fried Rice, and yeah, it is fried rice by the way added with some spices and anything that can be added. For this version, there was a butter mixed and it was already about to go dark when we ate here and telling you, it is not breakfast! Just kiddin' boy!

Ok, just a warning, if you hate butter that much especially eating it for dinner and not breakfast, never try this suggestion of mine -  Yang Chow Rice  + Butter + Night Time = What I did, it might disappoint you.

But if you love butter to the extent that you eat butter almost everyday of your life, you have found a jackpot!

Anyway, have I mentioned that this  Yang Chow Rice  has butter yet? Well, when you taste this, the "buttery" smell and taste is evident and I find it soooo delicious! Sadly, my brother hated it leading me say to the waiter, "Kuya pabalot." 

McDonald's La Trinidad Benguet with the Mountains at the back

With my goal of featuring "sulit" foods in the country on a lower price, it is my first time to fail for this blog.

I was actually hesitant if I will be publishing this post or not because it was a failure on my part but I realized, I have also to share these things to learn from our mistakes and for others to know also what to avoid or not.

In fact, I was on a travel challenge for myself by traveling to 3 provinces for 1 day in looking for great yet cheap foods. 

For that day, I ventured to Benguet, La Union and Candon City (in Ilocos Sur). I have to maximize my time.

But as I was doing a walking tour in La Trinidad, Benguet, I got so tired and exhausted. I was able to see a McDonald's branch in La Trinidad where I have eaten my lunch.

I ordered a chicken and a spaghetti in one worth 106 pesos and that was 7 pesos more than the goal. I supposed not to include any drinks but the crew has told me that whether or not I will claim the drinks, the prize is still the same.

So to be fair on my part, I just took the softdrinks although I have no plans to drink that.

I think not giving you a chance to exclude soft drinks in your meal for a lesser price is very unfair. Although it is a combo meal, the customer must always have the chance to exclude what he wants as long as the item is a totally different product.

That's why I blame McDonald's for this (sorry, Haha) because I have failed for this mission. If the prize of the soft drinks should have been subtracted even for only 7 pesos, I should have triumphed for the 99 pesos. Sadly, that was the rule of this fastfood branch.


 In fact, I have begged the crew to just cancel the order and purchase a cheaper meal but the crew just told me that she has already entered it at the cash registry.

Well, the golden arch in this part of La Trinidad in Benguet has just taught me a lesson.

So next time I'll be going to fast foods like McDonald's better think 7X even you are hungry or else you'll be financially damaged like me who is a budget eater.

The hungry traveler landed in the country's bangus capital. But aside from bangus, I discovered some interesting do-it-yourself style of eating along the busy and traffic-jammed streets of Dagupan.

I said do it yourself manner of eating because just after you buy the food, the vendor is no longer accountable where you're going to stay.

But of course, if the food isn't that well, you might complain but for your space to eat, never ask for assistance.

You have to look a space for yourself and don't get surprised if everyone around you is standing while handling a food and eating in standing position.

Along Burgos Street in Dagupan and just near the fences of the Dagupan City plaza, there are food stalls there and everything can be considered a street food.

Some of the most famous Philippine street foods are here. We have the tokneneng, an egg wrapped by a flour with mixed ingredients then dipped in a sauce.

There is also the isaw, intestines of chicken griilled to create a chicken intestine barbecue. Speaking of chicken, better try the one-day-old. Yes, that's right. The name of the food is one-day-old because it is in fact a one-day-old chick just escaped from the egg shell.

There you have the one-day-old chicken and there is a technique in eating this. When I bought one, the vendor suddenly stopped me when I was about to eat that and told me to give the food and learned that there is a technique in eating it.

The vendor removed something from that one-day-old chicken and she told me that the removable thing out there tastes bitter. So, that was the technique and I don't know how to do it, lol!

This was really fun. In this part of Dagupan, there are no tables. You have to eat while standing and yeah, it was cool while viewing other people walking into rush and the traffic jam, I think this is another way to relax...

Don't worry, a lot of people there are standing eating with you so don't be ashamed, you're not alone. But make sure it is about 4pm to 7pm where the peak hour really peaks in. Just feel free to eat and relax alternatively!

Ok, he was offering us a bananacue for 10 pesos per stick. The boy looked so simple, with perspiration on his cheeks, wearing a large t-shirt and handling a basket of bananacue.

I happened to ask him what else he does for a living and he told me that the bananas of their town is what make them live.

The bananacue were still hot, have just been cooked. It was deep fried with the usual caramelized brown sugar.

Bananacue is usually made from Saba bananas which are very abundant in the town and it is a very popular snack in the Philippines. It I am not mistaken, this snack is endemic to the Philippines and in this part of Atimonan, Quezon, it is very present. You don't need to locate for it, because the bananacue vendors will come to you for a reason.


A bananacue for 10 pesos per stick is not that bad at all. In fact, I was moved to buy that time because of the will to help others considering that boy earn a living by selling bananacues for passengers of buses that pass by that road.

Physically, I wasn't hungry but deep in my soul, I am hungry to render a helping hand in my own little way.

As I went through the trip, I finally saw a linkage why this place is filled with people selling bananacue. Could it be a growing industry and there are banana plantations almost everywhere.



My companions have no plans buying bananacue but when I started to take some, they also conformed, well, this time, I must call it the Bananacue break in Atimonan, Quezon.

Everyone inside the bus is partying with bananacue and I was really glad that the boy earned a good money that day!



The girls' group inside the bus were enjoying the Bananacue and mind you, they are not just your ordinary girls, they are civil engineers who build dikes, dams, bridges and highways.

Before we called it a day, the gutom travelers were able to see the hidden beauty of Atimonan countryside seeing the serene and calm bay and the beautiful palm trees at the slopes of the mountains while having a bananacue party!


It was a party for a cause, we have helped the boy by buying his bananacue products! Hope he can have a good life with those bananas.