Table etiquette in the Philippines Automatic translate

Unless you attend an official hotel ceremony or dinner party, most of the meals in the Philippines are informal or casual and do not require special etiquette. No rituals are performed, unless the Filipinos habit is with someone, rather than sitting at the table alone. When they eat in company, usually before prayer they say a prayer. Typical Western practices, such as not putting too much food on a plate and holding back burping at the table, are also recognized here.

Western-style cutlery is common at formal and business dinners in the Philippines, with a fork, spoon, and knife for each person. In a less formal setting, Filipinos are used to eating only with a spoon and fork, using a fork to push food onto a spoon. Since both Japanese and Chinese restaurants are present in large numbers, the use of chopsticks is also very common.

However, in rural areas it is usually accepted to eat with hands. It is possible that those you have stayed with will invite you to try traditional Filipino dishes. He or she can invite you to a restaurant where visitors eat with their hands. There, before eating, you may be given a clean, hot towel, or, most likely, you will be asked to wash your hands in the sink next to the table.

There is a basic strategy for eating with your hands, it is to take food from a plate with your fingertips, and use your thumb and index finger to put it in your mouth. Never let food touch your palm; it’s untidy. You can get tips from Filipino food partners or see how they deal with the situation. If you are not comfortable using your hands, you can ask for a spoon and a fork.

Naturally, such food as pastas, soups and salads, it is inconvenient to eat with your hands. The one who treats you should anticipate this and provide plates, plates and utensils for food that cannot be eaten in this way. Traditionally, hand-eaten food is served on pure banana leaves. Many local restaurants serve food in this manner or use banana leaves as napkins for laying under the plates. You can consider banana leaves as disposable plates. Serving food can be organized as a buffet or in a family style, and can also be delivered by a waiter to everyone individually. At the buffet, do not be surprised that Filipinos go to the buffet table and pick up snacks, main dishes and desserts at the same time and bring them all at once, sometimes even on the same plate. This saves them time walking to the buffet table. And also it is quite acceptable, first take snacks, then return for main dishes, and then for desserts.

Filipino delicacies include lechon, or a whole skewered roast piglet; the skin is usually crispy. This is a favorite dish of many Filipinos. Yesterday’s lechon usually goes to cook paksiw na lechon (lechon cooked with liver sauce) or pritchon (fried lechon). In more modern regions of the country, pritchon has evolved into a gourmet meal prepared by wrapping pritchon and green vegetables such as celery in pita, which is then served with various dipping sauces such as honey mustard or garlic mayonnaise. This is a favorite dish at parties, which is definitely worth a try for a foreigner.

Other local delicacies are balut, a boiled duck egg with a half-formed embryo inside, or penoy, a boiled fermented duck egg. Not everyone dares to try the duck germ, do not hesitate to refuse if the food is too exotic for your taste. You can also refuse frog legs, which are served in some restaurants, if you can’t stand this dish.

The main dishes served in most homes include tinola, chicken with ginger and broth with fish sauce, and sinigang, a sour tamarind-style soup. You can try these dishes if you prefer soup-based foods. As in most Asian countries, rice is the main dish and is served with almost any meal. For dessert, the halo-halo dish is popular, a mixture of ice, milk and seven different sweet ingredients, including leche flan (something like custard), ube (yam root crop), nata de coco (coconut gelatin), chick peas )in Russian it is called "chickpeas", "nahat" or "Turkish peas"), brown beans (literally, "brown beans"), etc. All these ingredients are very popular among children, and it is also easy for adults to appreciate them. Components can also be eaten separately.

Other dessert options include a lot of mouth-watering local fruits that you might want to try. Popular among foreigners are green and yellow mangoes, bananas, melons, watermelons, strawberries, tangerines (known locally as ponkan), pineapples. More exotic, but equally tasty, are langsats, rambutans, mangosteen, jackfruits (known as langka in the Philippines) and others. Remember that durian has a strong (some consider it disgusting) odor and may not be liked by people who are not used to it. Although ardent fans swear that he has a great taste.

If you are concerned about special diets, such as following a halal or kosher tradition, need food suitable for diabetics, etc., do not hesitate to notify those you have stayed with, or the manager of a hotel or restaurant. Be prepared to bring along some specific foods you may need, such as kosher salt, because it may not be in stores. For example, many Filipinos simply use rock or table salt and may not have a clue what kosher salt is.

Diabetics and people with heart conditions should watch what they eat because some Filipino foods contain cholesterol. One way or another, Filipinos are usually more than determined to cater to the health and food restrictions of their guests by offering and providing healthier meals. There are many different cuisines in restaurants and hotels throughout the Philippines, so making a healthy choice is not so difficult.

Oksana Mokrova