2. Boy Bawang Cornick

Crunch crave: The Pambansang Pasalubong Essential is ubiquitous in any Filipino store in the planet. Since its Garlic flavor became a hit in 2003, Boy Bawang (P14.25) has expanded its line and now offers Chili Cheese, Adobo, Barbecue, Hot Garlic, Tamis Anghang and Lechon Manok flavors. But even with the birth of all these new munch-worthy cornick options, nothing hits that salty, fatty spot quite like the original Garlic flavor. That variant is made of fried corn, iodized salt, garlic, sugar, chili powder and MSG, among other ingredients. You can eat Boy Bawang by the handful, dip it in vinegar with chili bits, or try crushing it and using it as pancit canton garnish as seen here.

Junkie fuss: Boy Bawang claims to contain no preservatives and artificial color but the big 100-gram pack fills up three-fourths of your saturated fat needs for the day (not to mention the sodium content). Better grab the tiny 10-gram packs to somewhat limit your cornick craving.

1. Marty's Cracklin' Vegetarian Chicharon

Crunch crave: Touted as the "vegetarian chicharon," Marty's Cracklin' is treated as a healthy sin by some. Made from dehydrated green peas and potatoes, it looks like chicharon and tastes close enough to the real thing--crispy and a little oily with an earthy aftertaste. It lacks the porky flavor of the chicharon but its cholesterol-free claim more than makes up for that. Marty's Cracklin', which comes in Plain Salted and Salt and Vinegar variants--may have been out in the market for only the past few years but it was already much coveted for its "guilt-free" deliciousness even before that hilarious "Hindi siya baboy, gulay!" TV commercial. At P16.50 for a big bag (90 grams), it definitely gives you bang for your buck.

Junkie fuss: While it proclaims to be guilt-free, it's not completely so. Though it is said to be made from vegetables (see "Marty's Story" for a quirky tale on the origin of the vegetarian chicharon), it's not as good for your health as, of course, actual fresh greens. It still packs some sodium and saturated fat--like most  chicheria--so don't get too addicted.

Photos by Warren Espejo. Prices based on Robinsons Supermarket price list.