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Unusual street ‘burgers’ in Ozamiz City

Burger bun with spaghetti
Burger bun with spaghetti

The vendor and her loyal clients call these sandwiches, burgers. But even at first glance, the only thing that has anything related to burgers are the buns. We’re familiar with the literally, ice cream sandwich. But I was delighted and amused at seeing these street ‘burgers’ that a friend mentioned. Puto maya burger, spaghetti burger, bihon burger… and there are still burger buns with scrambled eggs and hotdog fillings instead of patties.

Alona Alferez, 37 year old vendor has been selling her sandwiches for the past 17 years.
Alona Alferez, 37 year old vendor has been selling her sandwiches for the past 17 years.

Alona Alferez, 37 years old, has been a vendor for the past 17 years. That wet day that I dropped by her burger cart, she was with her daughter, Jean. She told me that most of her loyal customers are tricycle and traysikad (pedicab) drivers in this busy Ozamiz City street near the Royal Garden Hotel.

Burger buns with different and unusual fillings: biko (sticky rice cake), spaghetti, scrambled eggs, bihon (rice noodles)
Burger buns with different and unusual fillings: biko (sticky rice cake), spaghetti, scrambled eggs, bihon (rice noodles)

The best thing? All the ‘burgers’ are priced at just P5 ($0.04) and is filling enough. Other than these sandwiches, she also sells pineapple juice, sweet jelly, candies, fishcrackers, peanuts and cigarettes. These so called street burgers are quite popular not only in Ozamiz City but in many places as well in Misamis Occidental and Dipolog City in Zamboanga del Norte to as far as Lanao del Sur.

Burger buns with "puto maya" which is equivalent to biko in Cebu
Burger buns with “puto maya” which is equivalent to biko in Cebu

I really bough the spaghetti and puto maya burger and it just tastes good. No wonder that Alona, selling from 8AM – 9:30PM sells about 500 buns in a day!

What about you? Have you tasted this one too in your travels?

8 thoughts on “Unusual street ‘burgers’ in Ozamiz City”

  1. estancabigas

    And its dirt cheap and good 🙂

  2. estancabigas

    it is. sarap and filling 🙂

  3. Puto maya is different from biko

  4. L, that was what the vendor told me which I captioned as ‘equivalent to biko in Cebu.’

  5. Sabel

    *thumbs up*
    but i suggest you must try all the flavors, not only the spag at biko.. It all taste good. My mother always prepared that to us.

  6. Thanx Sabel,

    Will also try the other flavors when I get back to Ozamiz 🙂

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