Filipinos LOVE food! It’s not only a way to stay nourished, but also a way to bond with your community. “Makikikasama” is a term that refers to the Filipino cultural importance of being a part of the group, and this especially extends to food. It is considered impolite in most cases to eat alone if there are other people around. I’ve found that eating Filipino food with Filipinos, even if I’m not hungry or don’t like the dish, has been the most beneficial thing I can do for my cultural integration. People take pride in hosting and feeding guests. It is considered rude to eat without first offering to share your food with the group. Staples foods are rice, vegetables, and fish. Rice is typically eaten with every meal. Traditionally, pork and chicken are eaten sparingly; however, as incomes rise, meat consumption is increasing, as well as consumption of processed sugars. Hypertension, high blood pressure, and diabetes have become more common as a result. We eat seafoods of all kinds! Abalone, oysters, spiral-shelled animals. Fish can be bought fresh, or dried and salted; including fish that Americans would consider ornamental only. Edible seaweeds can be dipped in vinegar mixed with chili peppers. Common vegetables at my market that would be familiar to Americans include tomatoes, eggplants, squash, carrots, onions, and sometimes bell peppers. Filipino vegetables that I only learned about while living here include kang kong (a leafy green often cooked with soy sauce and vinegar)... Pechay, or swamp cabbage, which is often included in soups... ...and ampalaya. In English, this is called "bitter gourd" and it lives up to its name! This is one of the few Filipino foods I haven't been able to acquire a taste for. Parties, holidays, celebrations, wakes, weddings…any of these big events will probably share similar dishes. Lechon, roasted pig, is a delicacy! It is not uncommon for families to take out loans to pay for lechon for an important event. Sweet spaghetti with hotdog is also popular, as well as pancit, a Filipino rice noodle dish with cabbage, carrots, pork, and sometimes shrimp. Desserts include sweet sticky rice cakes. Cold desserts are usually made from gelatin, condensed milk, and cream. Filipino “fruit salad” is a popular dessert that includes these ingredients along with pieces of canned fruit. Popular street foods include turon and banana cue (both versions of sweetened and fried banana)... Balut (fertilized duck embryo...haven't tried this one)... betamax (chicken blood) and adidas (chicken feet). Consistent with the rest of Filipino culture, the food represents a mix of traditional Filipino, Spanish, and American influences.
In my next post, I'll talk more about food security issues and how the environment influences the food that is eaten here. Ingat (take care)! |
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