February 19, 2013

7 Annoying Dining Habits of Filipinos

204

Filipinos are known for a lot of endearing traits. Our hospitality is renowned, as it is common for us to place our guests’ comfort over our own. Jessica Sanchez and Manny Pacquiao put the Philippines on the map through their innate prowess in the fields of singing and boxing, respectively. We’re praised for our crazy adaptability and resourcefulness. (Leave us in a kangkungan, and we’ll end up making Adobong Kangkong.) But seriously, this list could go on.

But let’s face it. We’re not always the most charming human beings either. Ever heard of crab mentality and the Mañana Habit? Did you see “sottocopy” trend across Twitterverse? And when it comes to the dining table, we could make any outsider cringe with these annoying habits we can’t seem to break.

1. Tardiness at Gatherings

A dinner party that starts at “6pm, American time” is different from one that starts at “6pm, Filipino time.” It’s not unusual for Filipinos to arrive at a party at least 30 minutes past the official call time. Come earlier than that, and you’re perceived as too eager.

2. Sniffing Food

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with inhaling the heavenly aroma of the feast served in front of us. By all means, savor the zesty scent of Mom’s turbo chicken—she’ll be flattered to see your eyes rolling back as you appreciate her masterpiece.

But to sniff food like a dog searching for narcotics, especially when you’re a guest? Not cool. How would you feel if you labored for hours in the kitchen, only to find your guests regarding your labor of love with a suspicious sniff before they tuck in? Yup, your mother thought so, too.

3. The Hodgepodge Fiesta Meal

Judging by our over-decorated jeepneys, sari-sari stores that sell everything from achuete, walis ting-tings (a broom made of sticks tied together), and our famous goblets of Halo-Halo brimming with a mix of incongruous ingredients, we Filipinos have a thing about mixing stuff together, even those that should be kept separate.

Unfortunately, this also translates into our eating habits. Attend any town fiesta,and you’ll see every guest’s plate stacked with Menudo, Chop Suey, Embutido, Pancit, and a heaping mound of rice, all spilling indiscriminately atop each other. If the plate still isn’t full, expect to find a little serving of Leche Flan or Fruit Salad somewhere in there, too.

4. Eyes on the Unli-Rice

Speaking of rice, there’s no doubt we Filipinos are a rice-eating people. We consider meals without rice to be mere snacks, and all a restaurant has to do to get our attention and money is to offer “unlimited rice.”

Despite knowing the horrible effects of excessive carb consumption on our health (see ‘diabetes,’ ‘obesity,’ and ‘just plain feeling sleepy most of the time’), we insist on having our favorite carbohydrate with practically everything.

Is our obsession with rice just another chapter from our nation’s multi-volume book, Making the Most of What’s in Front of You? Both my siblings could eat rice with nothing but ripe mangoes or bananas—I kid you not. But regardless of this addiction’s root cause—whether biological, social, or cultural—this is one “Unli-“ offer that wouldn’t hurt our country if it expired.

5. Gravy: Dip na, Sabaw pa

If unlimited rice isn’t your thing, I’m pretty sure that rice with gravy perks up your appetite. Fret not if you can’t afford anything on a KFC menu beyond a single, tiny chicken wing, and a ton of rice. Just pour gravy onto your rice, as though this thick brown goo were a soup like Sinigang or Tinola. Voila! Budget and hunger problems solved.

And who could blame us? It would be such a waste not to take advantage of the seductive, shiny gravy pitchers in most KFC branches (especially with that free refill).

6. Recycling Anything that Represents a Container

We Filipinos have taken the slogan “reduce, reuse, and recycle” to heart. We like to maximize the lifespan of an object in every possible way, lest it go to waste. This is a positive trait until we invite guests to our kitchen or dining area.

A typical Filipino fridge is usually stocked with recycled plastic bottles in all sizes containing drinking water. In the same manner, we love buying hefty glass jars of instant coffee or peanut butter because they can be reused as drinking glasses.

Well, it’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt (or dies!) of either cancer from the chemicals leaching off the overused plastic bottles, or food poisoning from the ancient containers getting contaminated with a sundry of condiments and other substances that haven’t been washed off thoroughly.

7. Food Hoarding at Parties

Our unconditional love for freebies takes on a horrifying form at the buffet.

On a trip to Bangkok with the family, we noticed the strange attitude of the hotel staff toward us as we sat down to enjoy a breakfast buffet. As soon as we were settled at our table, two servers stationed themselves nearby, and discreetly watched as we ate. We eventually figured they were making sure we weren’t nicking stuff from the buffet, and stashing them in our bags (in the Filipino vernacular, nagbabalot)—from bread rolls and fruits that could be saved for merienda, to toothpicks and table napkins that could be kept for personal use.

But who could blame the foreigners for their wariness? To them, Filipinos always seem to be preparing for the Hunger Games, just like ants during rainy days. We got so used to hoarding food that special occasions in the Philippines are much more appreciated when hosts allow (or even encourage) their guests to take home some food. That, or guests themselves bring plastic bags, ready to pack food away as soon as the coast is clear.

Let’s come clean.Which of these habits are you guilty of?

[Illustrations via Kitkat Pecson]

204

Post Contributors

Addi dela Cruz

Writer

Comments

http://twitter.com/itsthatbaldguy George Pastor

Besides the sniffing, hoarding and tardiness parts, I don’t really see how the other habits can be annoying. Unli-rice and the pouring enough gravy to turn your crispy chicken fillet meal into gravy lugaw is just awesome.
http://twitter.com/dailymargherita Agnes Sanchez

Excuse me, chef Gordon Ramsay sniffs food like a police dog, so who am I to actually feel bad about my food-sniffing habit?!! HAHAHAHA!
- http://twitter.com/additur Addi dela Cruz
  
  It’s OK, I sniff my food, too! My mom hates it. Hahah
- http://www.facebook.com/adrian.b.deleon.3 Adrian Brion De Leon
  
  I sniff food like a low power vacuum cleaner myself. Hehehe.
- http://www.facebook.com/daniellelingat Danielle Lingat
  
  I don’t understand how sniffing is a bad thing, actually. After all, scent plays a large part in food.
  - http://twitter.com/dailymargherita Agnes Sanchez
    
    Yes! I’m actually guilty of judging my food based on how it smells.
rftreyes

The KFC gravy thing might just be understandable. Just came from a Singapore trip and all my Filipino (and a few Singaporean) friends could ask from Manila is KFC and a LOT of the gravy.
Apparently the gravy there costs about 1 SGD and tastes something very close to cornstarch with water, drizzled with pepper. Unlike the gravy we have here in Manila that is oozing with all the chicken fatty goodness of refried oil used by KFC.

Soooooo good

- Ray
for
Lynne-Enroute.com
http://twitter.com/nicogocs Nico Goco

we have someone from our neighborhood who is notorious for hoarding (or stealing) food during parties before the meal begins, he’s already taken his and his family’s share. and by share I mean the serving’s about two days worth of food.
- http://www.facebook.com/adrian.b.deleon.3 Adrian Brion De Leon
  
  May kilala din akong ganyan! Worse yet, he manages to show up to parties he wasn’t invited to. And he has the gall to take home food, too. Can you spell makapal? Haha
  - Vinnie
    
    May kilala din ako… mas makapal! Barangay Captain… I once saw him bringing an empty bilao… and used it to take home food good enough to feed him and his family for 3 days…
http://www.facebook.com/TimothyTe Timothy Xavier Te

the worst thing for me would have to be when people take calls while on the table. nobody seems to excuse themselves or have t he courtesy to reject calls while eating. seriously, nobody cares that carlo just broke up with carla because carla got a new haircut.
http://kisty.net/ Kisty Mea

I am guilty of the tardiness, the rice and food hoarding… at a hotel. :p
http://www.facebook.com/gisellejose Giselle Jose

Wow the illustrations are beautiful!
- http://kitkatpecson.com/ Kitkat Pecson
  
  Thank you!
  - http://twitter.com/additur Addi dela Cruz
    
    Thank YOU, Kitkat! :*
Alexena

I’ll be judge for reusing bottles and not washing them but plastic containers are a NO,NO hahaha!

Amen on the tardiness! You cannot do anything about it though, you just adjust to it hahaha!:P pretty annoying but only one or two people in a party of 30 would share the same sentiment Can’t help but laugh as well with the hoarding. Did it once but not my fancy although a friend who moved to the US at 13 still practiced this when they went to Europe

ANNNNDDDD what’s wrong with SABAW GRAVY?! LoL! It’s the best thing that had ever happened in the fast food industry. Proud and loud to be GUILTY of this.

Good read!:)
Miss Black

How come there is no mention of some Pinoys clinking cutlery together while eating?! I absolutely abhor that! This article should definitely have a second part!
Myka

Except maybe for # 1 and 7, I don’t think they’re really “annoying traits”. They’re more of quirks actually, and I’m guilty with the fiesta meal and gravy=sabaw!
http://www.facebook.com/dgsuniogranali Demelynn G. Sunio-Granali

I understand the food hoarding because some people really just have big appetites. but what annoys me more is the hoarding of tissue, salt/sugar packets, condiments, and other stuff that they don’t get to finish/use up anyway. especially the tissue! such a waste of resources!
- http://twitter.com/additur Addi dela Cruz
  
  Exactly. I think that’s also why in the Philippines, Starbucks napkins are now only available over the counter. My dad is very guilty of this. It’s like that Extreme Couponing show.
Sarie

I’m a sniffer and I’m always late. HAHAHA
http://twitter.com/mylenechung Mylene Chung

Lovin the illustrations!!!! And yes I am guilty of KFC’s unli gravy! What do they put in that stuff?! Lol on number 3, I’ve seen my dad do that a number of times.. at one point I’ve even seen him eat the leche flan with the rice haha!
- http://kitkatpecson.com/ Kitkat Pecson
  
  Thanks!
  
  I do that gravy thing with fried chicken haha.
http://www.facebook.com/wesal.khalid Wesal Khalid

I’m guilty of the gravy and tardiness, i stopped the unli-rice.. haha! I HATE te hodgepodge and hoarding..
http://twitter.com/awsmchos Danielle

Guilty of #3 and 4 and not ashamed of it! LOL. The container recycling really is annoying though.
http://twitter.com/luvsblind22 Essie Atienza

But.. but gravy rice is so good! XD
Jaimie

Burping out loud! When was that ever acceptable?!?
- Vinnie
  
  Or even farting while eating… hehehe…
http://www.facebook.com/psychoCOW Benjamin Canapi

You simply can’t expect Filipinos to reprogram decades of programming in an instant. The hoarding, the plate-stacking, the unli-rice, the gravy abuse, the recycling, are all knee-jerk reactions, and have been subconsciously been hardwire into the general psyche. You cannot forget that the Philippines is, in most aspects, still a third-world country, and that generations upon generations of our countrymen live in poverty, or at least came from poverty. Can any of you imagine a world where you had to fight for your food, or a world where you most probably did not eat thrice a day? Unfortunately, that

I do abhor all the practices stated in this list, but if I was unfortunate enough to live a hand-to-mouth existence, and I happen to find myself in a party, goddammit, I would steal all the food and eat like there’s no tomorrow. Because for a lot of people, there isn’t one to begin with.

As with anything, reconditioning people that it’s okay not to eat tons of rice per sitting, or that you don’t need to steal sugar packets because you might not have money to buy sugar in the first place, it will take time. Being aware that these traits are ultimately NOT cool is a good step in the right direction. At the same time, I would be a little bit more patient with the rest of the country for now.

However, Filipino time and sniffing food is NOT cool. And no, Gordon Ramsey earned the right to sniff, not me.
http://twitter.com/incubusbaby Myleen Castro

The Hodgepodge Fiesta Meal >> Nakakahiya daw bumalik sa table kapag fiesta so damihan na ang unang kuha. including dessert.
http://twitter.com/dcintherye D Camacho

How about the “shy piece”? I hate it when people leave an itty bitty piece of food on the table! I mean cmon! I know you want it!:))
- http://twitter.com/additur Addi dela Cruz
  
  Parang mas annoying kung hindi ikaw yung nakakuha ng shame piece ’cause you’re too shy. “Shet, dapat akin yun e!” LOL
  - http://twitter.com/dcintherye D Camacho
    
    haha. Hiya hiya pa kasi e!:))
- Felicor
  
  I’m with you on that one! Specially when everything went in less than five minutes! then the last piece stays for hours.
http://twitter.com/alweena Weena S.

Guilty of almost everything mentioned above until I remembered I have my excuses.
http://www.facebook.com/aarendal Albert Rendal

I ♥ to smell food….in a proper way…
http://www.facebook.com/charlespaw Charles Paw

Okay thats it, I’m having KFC tomorrow hehe
http://www.facebook.com/jose.bimbo Jose Bimbo

Spell check “Pacquaio.”
tambour

i’ve never heard of the KFC’s unlimited gravy…as much as i love their gravy with mashed potatoes, this is a case of too much of a good thing. i can’t imagine the amount of salt and fat one could be ingesting given an unlimited option and taking full advantage of it…oh and starch. wow! kinda scary
TIMES

Great article!

… and I really should stop reusing my water bottle
CitizenGreen

Too sad that Pepper.ph is succumbing to mediocrity with rants that smack of cultural insensitivity, discrimination, colonial mentality and ethno-centrism by seemingly amateur writers who have not earned their stripes and who are unable write a cohesive introduction/lead. Except for #1 and #7, the others are cultural and don’t bother people. This article is not worthy of space and does not speak well about Pepper.ph.
- lavieboheme
  
  Yeah uh no one’s taking it AS serious as you though, so…
- pretty
  
  yeah right dude. the writter of this article was the one who is “ANNOYING”
Felicor

I sniff my food. I like to know the smell and guess what’s in the food I’m about to eat. and I have a rule (which really isn’t mine since I know I’m not the first to think of it): if it LOOKS bad and SMELLS bad, it most likely tastes BAD: DON’T EAT it…. so I’m not with you on that one… I don’t think it’s a bad or annoying trait at all.

The others…. hmm, I don’t like being late. I’m horrified at the idea of being late. So much so that if I know I’m going to end up being really late, I decide not to show up. Now THAT is a bad habit.

I like to separate my food… even when cooking, they line up even though they’ll all end up in the same pot anyway.
Ken

So when will the intelligent discussion about food come back on Pepper.ph?
Vinnie

I will definitely relate with “hoarding” habit… Since my grandmother is completely illiterate with anything that has gears, buttons, monitors and wirings… I am, therefore, confident enough to blurt out (without any fear or regret) that my grandmother is one serious party food hoarder. It came to a point that I had to outwit her everytime I am forced to tag along with her to a party! For instance, here are my rules to avoid the humiliating scenario of being the unexpected and unwilling accomplice to the crime:
1. Do not bring an oversized bag.
As much as possible, carry something small enough to fit your money, make-up and cellphone. Anything bigger than a handbag is good enough to be used as a stow-away bag by my grandmother.
2. Do not agree to her persistent urging to bring plastic bags.
And when I mean plastic bags, I mean the big kind of grocery bags! YES! She brings plastic bags to a party… apparently with the keen intent of taking something from the table, whether it be the small floral decorations or the knick-knacks on the appetizer plates.
3. Use the “bathroom” excuse
The moment she starts whispering to my ear, ordering me to stealthily tuck whatever food there is in my bag, I make the immediate excuse to go to the bathroom. As much as possible, I have to stay away!
4. The DENIAL
This is the last and desperate act of defiance and I am sorry if I have to do it… I love my grandmother but when it gets too out of hand, I can’t help but to deny my relationship with my grandmother to other people. I’m sorry… shame on me I know… but better this shame than the shame I get being caught hoarding.
It’s actually ok when it’s a party of a close family friend or a relative… pabaons are expected and willingly given. But it does not apply to other parties, and i’m sorry but I just can’t stand the humiliating act, all the more when people start looking at us.
http://twitter.com/mikeyllorin Mikey Llorin

Sigh. I hope “silly and rebellious” doesn’t transition into “haughty and pretentious”.

Love, a pepper.ph fan.
Kat

Except for the first, which touches on insensitivity to the time of others, and probably the last, which can be insensitive to other people who have yet to get food, everything else on this list is snobbery on Filipino culture. This article is ridiculous.

Not everyone is required to eat a certain way, and we all have our own quirks but to downright generalize these cultural practices of the Filipino as negative traits shows how narrow-minded the bourgeoisie can be. Yes, some things also piss us off about other people but that is as much on your part as it is the other, especially when they have done nothing wrong. These may incur some frowns in a formal reception/fine dining event, but you are describing things that happen in fiestas, or birthday parties, or other gatherings where the normal Filipino takes part in. This is the context of the Filipino way of having fellowship and you have the gall to criticize it. I understand your concern about being watched by the staff in some foreign country, but that in itself is because of their inability to understand Filipino culture, which is not their fault anyway.

I’m sorry, but so-the-fuck-what if people want to take home some food from a party? Your mother may not feel this way when she hosts her tea parties, but many other Filipinos are glad to give their guests some “balot” to take home. It signifies the guest’s enjoyment of a particular dish, and it’s a great way to get rid of extra food that may only spoil. Sure some people are “abuso” that it becomes embarrasing, but for most, that is not the case.

I am also saddened that a lot of people are quick to agree and judge others about their eating habits. Yes, we might have differences in how we eat but that does give us the right to feel as if we are better people because we know the difference between a salad fork and a dinner fork, or because you use less gravy than the average Filipino.

Everything here seems to operate on stereotypes of the Filipino lower class, and there is the subsequent judgment of how unacceptable they are as human beings.

I have learned nothing here except how pretentious this blog is getting. I used to love the recipes here but I don’t like the judgmental direction Pepper.ph is going. I’ve yet to see the article on the “Filipino obsession with unli-rice” but I feel as if it will be more of this garbage.
apet

whatever you are saying dude..it’s a matter of survival, and it’s not really a pinoy thing.. it was only introduce to us by Spaniards the so called “crab mentality”, and other habbits if you know the story of Noli Me Tangere then probably you will get it….so what if we have all this habbits in the country…the fact that all nations have their own annoying habbits!
http://www.facebook.com/annroelle.sanpedro Ann San Pedro

hahaha so true! Aside from hoarding food, some also take home the centerpiece from the tables. Not annoying, just funny. Also, how some of us will just pour water on a used glass (of coke or sometimes, even ice cream). Just so we can “save” water & dish washing soap. haha Other people will cringe at this
Ruwan

Food hoarding – major problem. 0.O