The latest Pinoy food obsession is the leveled-up version of a street food classic, the balut. Pinoys love eating it in its simplest form — boiled fertilized duck egg drizzled with vinegar or sprinkled with rock salt — but some vendors have recently upgraded the traditional balut into a smokier, spicier version, the grilled balut. But is this food innovation killing the business of traditional balut vendors? One grilled balut owner believes so.

Goodbye grilled balut?

There have been a handful of grilled balut vendors since the delicacy skyrocketed to popularity in mid-March. Pinoys were curious to know what it tastes like. The delicacy involves cracking open the top shell of the balut, putting a generous dollop of chili sauce, and grilling it under a cover until the soup boils into a tasty mixture. But even though it’s only been a few weeks since it was introduced in the streets of Metro Manila, one vendor decided she was done with the hype.

“Grilled Balut is now signing off!” she wrote on her Facebook post. The vendor went on to explain how happy she was that her grilled balut business drew long lines daily, to the point where they have to close early from lack of manpower. But then she saw how her business affected the sales for traditional balut vendors who now have fewer patrons and are forced to go home early.

The vendor thanked everyone for their support and said that they’re now only selling Sweet Chili Jam. “Pwede niyo i-halo sa binili niyong balut kay manong,” she said, suggesting a DIY spicy balut that would benefit everyone.

Some netizens are dismayed

One would think that netizens would agree with the vendor. After all, it’s soul-crushing to see manong vendors being forced to end their shifts still with full baskets of balut. While many applauded the vendor for her decision, others ended up grilling, erm, criticizing the grilled balut vendor’s post.

“This should serve as a lesson to accept improvements and innovations. Diskarte ang tawag dyan hindi pang lalamang. Saying as a street vendor,” read one comment intended to teach readers about the concepts of establishing a business.

“This is the main and only reason why our country is part of the 3rd world. We stop innovating just because we got a soft spot for those who don’t want to up their game not because they can’t, but because they don’t want to try. We easily step away from success,” said another.

“Business is business. Wag isabay ang emotion sa business. Si SM nga nag-tinda ng turon, ‘di nmn nya inisip mga nag-titinda rin ng turon sa labasan,” commented yet another.

Meanwhile, some offered a solution: Grilled balut vendors should get their supply from traditional balut vendors. It’s a win-win situation!

Is grilled balut toxic?

Business talks aside, is grilled balut a healthy snack for anyone? When the upgraded street food went viral online, it earned mixed reactions from Pinoys. Some love the spicy, smoky flavor while others thought it wasn’t anything special. But one post that went viral claimed the grilled egg is lethal because it produces too much hydrogen sulfide (H2S), a toxic gas. So is it?

The short answer: No.

According to the Philippine Association of Food Technologists – Alpha Chapter, the accusation was misleading. While heated eggs do produce H2S, it’s in “such small amounts that cannot pose any health risks.”

“For additional context, the highest H2S concentration that can be produced by an egg is around 0.2 ppm which happens when the egg is already rotten. Meanwhile, the allowable exposure limit for H2S is 20 ppm and must reach a concentration of 100 ppm to cause dangerous effects on health and life,” it said.

So if you haven’t hopped on the grilled balut train yet, it’s not too late to see if you’ll love it or hate it!

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