Food prices have reached impossible levels. The typical poor man’s diet of rice and fish is now only for the rich. Bangus costs more than pork, and galunggong sells almost twice as much as chicken.

But all is not lost. With globalization changing eating habits everywhere, the shifts have been good for many sectors. One just has to look.

For example, Filipinos in the United States remember when pig’s feet and tail cost almost nothing a few decades ago. These are perfect for sinigang, nilaga, and other Filipino dishes but were not eaten by Americans. The same is true with ox tongue and oxtail, major ingredients for kare-kare and lengua.

The Japanese discovered that fish processors in Alaska were throwing away salmon roe, a very expensive delicacy in Japan, where the fish roe costs more than salmon fillets.

For the Philippine market, the answer is both. The heads and tails of bangus, sliced off the bodies and packed in half-kilo bags, are now a hit. Many fish lovers fight over fish heads, so this export byproduct is heaven-sent. Cook these with salted black beans or as Spanish sardines.

Very interesting is what happened to the world supply of chicken feet, which used to be discarded as scrap. The popularity of Chinese and other Asian cuisines, plus massive migration, has boosted demand for chicken feet to the extent that China now imports them from Western countries.

To save when shopping, note which items are not popular with the masses yet are good for our bodies. At the top of my list is zucchini, virtually still unknown even among vendors in Divisoria.

My kids love it in many ways: grated into omelets, diced in stews, chopped in soup, minced in fried patties. I have also used it in tinola and dinengdeng. I predict that this anonymity will end sooner or later, so we should buy while the bargain lasts.

Zucchini also is the best burger and meatball extender.