Filipinos Eating -Forks & Spoons

[August1991]

I understand the hand (in plastic bag) to mouth.

But why no knife?

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I reckon that this is a vestige of colonialism.

[Michael Hardner]

7 minutes ago, August1991 said:

I understand the hand (in plastic bag) to mouth.

But why no knife?

=====

I reckon that this is a vestige of colonialism.

You put the lime in the coconut.

And that's not sexual innuendo.

Right @Moonlight Graham ?

[August1991]

57 minutes ago, Michael Hardner said:

You put the lime in the coconut.

....

Huh?

Filipinos eat with spoons and forks. They don't use knives.

Unless they use their hand in a plastic bag.

Edited July 25, 2024 by August1991

[herbie]

All of Asia cuts their food into tiny pieces before cooking or when it is served.

It's us foreign devils who serve biog hunks of meat on a plate.
Exception for chicken. Everybody loves to chomp on chicken legs and wings, especially Filipino style.
And my Granma used to say she could spot an American in her restaurant. They all cut their meat into tiny pieces first, not one chunk at a time as they ate/

Edited July 25, 2024 by herbie

[August1991]

31 minutes ago, herbie said:

All of Asia cuts their food into tiny pieces before cooking or when it is served.

...

Agreed.

IMHO, there are three broad types:

Chinese eat with sticks.

Europeans eat with utensils.

Indians with their fingers.

=====

But Filipinos eat with spoon and fork.

Edited July 25, 2024 by August1991

[Moonlight Graham]

31 minutes ago, herbie said:

All of Asia cuts their food into tiny pieces before cooking or when it is served.

It's us foreign devils who serve biog hunks of meat on a plate.

I don't think others are inferior for serving larger or smaller chunks of meat.  We all just use different tools which changes how meat is served.

[August1991]

16 minutes ago, Moonlight Graham said:

I don't think others are inferior for serving larger or smaller chunks of meat.  We all just use different tools which changes how meat is served.

Agreed.

====

But why don't they use knives - only spoons and forks?

Edited July 25, 2024 by August1991

[herbie]

Filipino and Thai people eat rice with a spoon.
Common sense.

Inferiority has nothing to do with eating habits. Foreign devil is just an exact translation of what some Asians called Europeans.

My friend used to call me that when I didn't eat the prawns head, shell and all.

[herbie]

Being older with a shitty dental plan, I tend to cook most of my food Asian style.

But i"ll never give up a juicy Tbone I can hack chunks off and dip in HP sauce.... never. I'm one of those guys who when the server tells me how their ribs are fall off the bone delicious, tells them if I wanted soup I'd order it.

[Guest]

19 hours ago, August1991 said:

I understand the hand (in plastic bag) to mouth.

But why no knife?

=====

I reckon that this is a vestige of colonialism.

I think it depends on the tribe. Am not entirely sure, to be honest.

My wife is from Mindanao, and in her neck of the woods, I often saw Visayan people eating with their hands.

I had to quickly adapt to this, to avoid making any of her relatives feel out of place.

All the people I met, mostly ate with their hands. So I followed suit, and didn't mind getting dirty, as was enjoying the company.

Her family back home, are mostly fully indigenous. So, one with the land type of simple living, which was refreshing to see, coming from the west. I had never dated a woman who could slaughter a cow, pig, fish and prep and cook them from scratch. All family members can.

You have not tried pork, until you have tried tender Filipino lechon, slow roasted, smoked and cooked with herbs and spices in the tummy. Its just not the same. 

I dated a couple Igorot women, who were from Baguio City, and saw them using knives and spoons, along with their families. First time I saw people eating rice with spoons, was there. 

I socialized a lot, and never noticed people omitting knives, but saw many people using utensils. Even for eating pizza, so actually felt out of place, scarfing mine down using my hands.

There are so many different tribes, however, but I do believe universally, that some foods are to be eaten with your fingers (if considering traditional).

[August1991]

On 7/26/2024 at 6:17 AM, herbie said:

Filipino and Thai people eat rice with a spoon.
Common sense.

It is easy to eat rice with fingers or sticks.

Even the French eat bread with their fingers.

[August1991]

On 7/26/2024 at 11:15 PM, Perspektiv said:

I think it depends on the tribe. Am not entirely sure, to be honest.

My wife is from Mindanao, and in her neck of the woods, I often saw Visayan people eating with their hands.

....

Tribe? Neck of the woods?

These are island people, like Newfoundlanders. Fishermen.

=====

Wonderful post.

Edited July 28, 2024 by August1991

[herbie]

4 hours ago, August1991 said:

Even the French eat bread with their fingers.

I hope so. Never occurred to me to try to eat PBJ sandwich with a knife and fork.

[Guest]

4 hours ago, August1991 said:

Tribe?

My wife calls them "tribes", but the politically correct term would be "ethnic group".

It is quite diverse, and you see the dramatic differences from one end of the country to the next, in cuisine, dialect and overall way of life.

In her "tribe", they are insanely close to their indigenous roots. Very different than what I experienced in the north.

Its also not a tourism hot spot (Mindanao), so you see poverty in its rawest form, due to lack of investment.

5 hours ago, August1991 said:

These are island people, like Newfoundlanders. Fishermen.

I find that island people in general tend to have mellow life attitudes.

Maybe its the proximity to the ocean. Not sure what it is, but it's dramatic, in my experience. 

People who don't have nearby access to the ocean tend to be a world apart in their ways of approaching life, which closer resemble a rat in a running wheel.

23 minutes ago, herbie said:

Never occurred to me to try to eat PBJ sandwich with a knife and fork.

I know tons of people who eat pizza with a knife and fork.

[CouchPotato]

 

[August1991]

On 7/29/2024 at 3:24 AM, Perspektiv said:

....

I find that island people in general tend to have mellow life attitudes.

....

Define "island" people. In Lebanon, one village is an island to another. French Canada is an island in a sea of anglophones.

====

My father, the Newfoundlander, had a more direct view of this. Farm people have to kill their animals and eat them. By nature, farmers cannot get close to people. Fishermen kill fish they do not know.

[Guest]

4 hours ago, August1991 said:

Define "island" people. 

I will pull out my British slang.

"Proper" Island people. IE surrounded by a body of water. Preferably an ocean.

[herbie]

Island like separated by sea, not where you can walk away in 10 minutes.

On our own West Coast the Islanders are certainly not as uptight as mainlanders. And look at the friendliest & most welcoming of all on the Rock in Newfoundland.
And look at people from the Caribbean or South Pacific... yeah mellow compared to someone from Toronto or New York.

Except for Saint Marie, gee there's a murder every week in Paradise and there's only a population of forty or so.

[Guest]

17 hours ago, herbie said:

yeah mellow compared to someone from Toronto or New York.

Hong Kong is surrounded by ocean, and laid back is the last thing you would use to describe the people living there. Its New York city, on cocaine. 

However, take a ferry to a place like Lamma Island, and you're in a fishing village where its a night and day difference.

You won't even find cars, or will be hard pressed to:

[August1991]

19 hours ago, Perspektiv said:

I will pull out my British slang.

"Proper" Island people. IE surrounded by a body of water. Preferably an ocean.

You miss the point, twofold.

-To live, farmers (people far from the sea) kill their animals. Farmers cannot be close to humans. Farmers kill their goats and cows.

-Fishermen keep goats and cows alive. They kill anonymous fish.

====

Once again, define island.

[herbie]

Used to enjoy Filipino food at the Farmer's Market when we visited my step daughter.
Asides from their spaghetti... Mama Mia WTF is that a bag of candy fell in the sauce pot? I got use to mangiacake sauce with so much hamburger it was more like chili, but WTF?

[August1991]

On 8/1/2024 at 9:29 AM, Perspektiv said:

Hong Kong is surrounded by ocean, and laid back is the last thing you would use to describe the people living there. Its New York city, on cocaine.

....

Dead wrong. Clueless.

Hongkong == Montreal.

Toronto == Singapore.

Edited August 17, 2024 by August1991

[August1991]

I was recently in the Philippines - what a name for a country - that is a bizarre series of islands.

Philip. Was he a king?

====

The local language, island language, varies. Be careful!

[Guest]

On 8/16/2024 at 9:23 PM, August1991 said:

Hongkong == Montreal.

Hong Kong is a mix. Its rather unique.

From my personal experience, I saw traces of London England, New York and this mixed in with a Chinese flair. 

The latter is highly prevalent, when visiting Mong Kok or similar areas. 

I always took Air Bnbs to get the most authentic feel of the cities am traveling to.

I don't understand where you're drawing the Montreal image from. The Hong Kong MTR subway system?

If so, then yes, very similar. IE very fast and efficient system. Hong Kong's is spotless.

On 8/30/2024 at 11:52 PM, August1991 said:

The local language, island language, varies. Be careful!

My wife taught me some Tagalog and Visayan. The latter is a bit challenging, but critical since  we intend on retiring early in Mindanao.

Mind you, very easy to find those who speak Tagalog or English.

 

[Guest]

On 8/30/2024 at 11:52 PM, August1991 said:

that is a bizarre series of islands.

Not sure what's bizarre about an archipelago. You get unique views like this, due to it:

If that's bizarre to you, then more of it for me!