Sweet and Spicy Squid (Pusit)

A friend of mine from New Zealand abhors eating grilled dried squid bought at a Chinese grocery store. He calls it the "stinky fish". It may be unappealing to eat something that your eyes and nose disagrees. Culture also plays a big role in an individual's eating habit. Perhaps, my friend in New Zealand didn't grew up eating dried squid. Wait until he tries one of this sweet and spicy squid and I'm pretty sure he'll change his mind about dried squid.

(Left) a sweet-spicy squid from Blumnetrit-España (Right) a s sweet spicy squid from Maceda-España

(Left) sweet-spicy squid from Maceda-España, almost two jigger glass in measurement for P10.00

I bought two samples of sweet and spicy squid from two different food cart around my place. As you can see from the picture above, it's easy to tell who gives the most serving out of your P10.00. If you bought this snack while it is still  gooey and sticky, then, it  is a clear indication that, it is freshly made. But when you bought it dry with the sugar caramel crystallized or powdery, it means, that, it has been on the display area for quite sometime.

A shred of newly cooked sweet and spicy squid

Tough economic times also affects the serving and quality of snacks. The size of the sweet and spicy squid seems to be getting smaller as years go by. The once bite sized snacks turned into shreds or flakes.The sample I bought at Maceda St.-España is very sweet and not too spicy. A perfect blend to mask odor and the aftertaste of a dried squid. The sample I bought at Blumentrit-España is not as sweet, which, as you expect, the taste of the dried squid is quite strong.