One of the traditional ways on eating handed down for generations for many Filipinos is eating without any utensils and just using your hands to scoop your mix of viand and rice.
While not necessarily unique to the Philippines alone, the art of ‘kamayan’ doesn’t only help you clean less after a meal since you didn’t use any spoons and forks, it also allows you to enjoy a more fulfilling bonding moment with those whom you shared a meal with.
This practice of eating food has since been seen as a way to better enjoy their food over tons of stories, laughter and precious moments shared by family members and loved ones.
Here’s a step-by-step guide for your foreigner friend on how to eat in ‘Kamayan’ style as suggested and laid out by Primer.com.ph:
Gather up the rice in a small mound. With your dominant hand, scoop up a small amount of rice with your fingers along with a portion of your viand to go along with it under the rice.
Squeeze in, then press down. After gathering the rice and viand with the same hand, mash the rice and viand together and press down.
Lift and push. The final and most awaited step is for you to lift your hand and bring the chunk of rice and viand to your mouth to enjoy the flurry of flavors – be sure to chew your food!
