Are we Filipinos really fond of eating?

Philippines
September 13, 2009 4:05am CST
They say that Filipinos are fond of eating and they always find ways to celebrate just to have an excuse to eat excessively. We have fiestas, anniversaries, all sorts of celebrations like Christmas and New Year. In my opinion, it depends, as for my family, we do not have fiesta in the place where we grew up. But in Christmas and New Year, we only cook a little since we go out that day and go some place else or visit out friends and relatives. So, what do you think?
4 people like this
22 responses
@Tantrums (945)
• Philippines
13 Sep 09
Aysus! Yes! I think so too... we really love to eat... Eating while watching TV, Eating while myLotting, Eating while walking, Eating while working Eating white eating.. heeheehee!
1 person likes this
@patofgold23 (5069)
• Philippines
13 Sep 09
i KINDA BELIEVE THAT... fILIPINOS DO ENJOY FOOD! iT iS EVIDENT IN FIESTAS...BIRTHDAY...AND OTHER OCCASSIONS...BUT tHEn i GUESS fILIPINOS nOT ONLY ENJOY THE FOOD bUT THE cOMPANY AS WELL... ooops I typed in all caps... but no time to retype!
1 person likes this
• Philippines
13 Sep 09
Filipinos not only fond of eating but they love to eat. Just look at the malls, the food chains are the only ones who is always full of people. In the supermarket there are free tastes that always run out. Eating is what made Filipinos gather together just like the fiestas, birthdays, anniversaries etc. Even if we do not have enough money to celebrate an occasion we borrow from neighbors or somewhere just to have food and celebrate it. Even if we do not have gifts to a birthday we still go and eat because its free food LOL.
• Philippines
13 Sep 09
Exactly, I think the only stores that never goes out of customers at the mall are the restaurants...most especially the one that children love most...Jollibee and Mcdo. hehe...Thanks for the response d_red_madelaine. :)
@Hatley (163781)
• Garden Grove, California
13 Sep 09
hi idaantipolo well I am not a filipino but I have a new table mate who is filipino and she is having a time with our food for some reason, i had always just assumed that a lotof the food we eat is eaten in other countries as well.apparently not in the phillipines'as she seems unfamilar with beets, carrots, tomatoes and she wont eat any meat but chicken and she seems unfamilar with pears and peaches.i am not up to what you eat as a regular basis except i know rice is one of your staples as potatoes are ours here in the US. please enlighten me so I can help my tablemate better.
@dhugoi (315)
• Philippines
14 Sep 09
I sure Pilipino's know beef, carrots and tomatoes, but it's not really the food, it's how you cook it, we have a different recipe in preparing our foods. I sure when you have a chance to be here in our country I know you will having a hard time eating with our kind of food, I'm sure you know fish, but would you eat them if they still swim? LOL, no, just kidding, actually it's already cooked "sinigang" is a recipe with a lot of water.
@jheLaichie (4438)
• Philippines
13 Sep 09
we are maybe so fond of those festivities. that is why we always find times to celebrate and eat. Filipinos are catholics and that is part of how we celebrate fiestas. the way we give thanks to our patron saints and all. anniveraries? well that is the very best and easy way to celebrate it. and just maybe we are just kind of used to having big celebration and even small ones, we then end up have to celebrate it in the restaurant or some places that we can celebrate, talk and eat. jhelai
@agv0419 (3022)
• Philippines
13 Sep 09
Yes I agree that we are fond of eating. During fiestas and Holidays foods are overflowing we spend much in food. We usually have snacks (merienda)before meals in the morning or in afternoon. In our house my mother cooks a big servings that we don't usually eat all of it. We only five in the family but sometimes I think she cooks for 10 persons.
• Philippines
13 Sep 09
oh! i know what you mean my friend. we do have snacks every end or before our meals. and my mom too would really love to cook a huge serving though we cannot even eat it all up! and now when i also cook i am being used to cooking huge amount though we are just 5 int he family as well.. jhelai
@rg0205 (2636)
• Hong Kong
13 Sep 09
I would call it a stereotype but I think it's more than eating, really. I find that Filipino families are fond of socializing, whether with their own family or others and the way they do that is through meals. Either that, or they drink. I am a Filipino, too, but I was born in HK. I think, yes, we do love good food but it isn't just about the food. It's about the whole shin dig.
1 person likes this
@rsa101 (37952)
• Philippines
13 Sep 09
I think yes, the fiestas are just evidences that proves that we really love to eat. Even on ordinary days, we Filipinos always have time to be together and share and bond with one another through eating. Even when celebrating something the best way to celebrate is through eating. That is the only way were we could escape and enjoy what life has to offer so why do we have to snob eating. It is one of the simplest and most affordable way to enjoy life.
• Philippines
13 Sep 09
You are absolutely right, our bonding time is eating....:) even simple merienda or snack time is like a feast sometimes...
@robert19ph (4577)
• Philippines
14 Sep 09
hello idaantipolo, i think so. for aside from what you mentioned, we also celebrate when our children graduated from elementary, high school and college. even when they are honors for that matter. more so when they pass their board or bar exam. not to mention when our little girls reach her debut. that calls fo another party. happy eating everyone.
@aerous (13434)
• Philippines
15 Sep 09
I don't think so, my friend. Because situation is only for Filipinos. Just look around the world. In some countries people is very much obese than Filipinos. If that is really true? I think Filipinos, is really have much big body than any other countries that have a number of obesity... It's really that we are fond of many celebration that is tradition and other unexplained celebration in our countries. But most people are poor and cannot afford to buy foods. But we witness more drunkard in the street that is real...
@cainam (493)
• Philippines
14 Sep 09
yes we filipinos are really fond of eating.but of course not all but majority only
@janebeth (2032)
• Philippines
13 Sep 09
i agree with this, i think Filipinos are very fond in eating.. have you observe this during fiestas?? it really the evidence on it.. in every fiesta, pinoy are always present.. maybe because it is free..!!
• Philippines
13 Sep 09
Thanks janebeth for responding :)...Yes, in fiestas I observed, too many times that some people eat like theres no tomorrow. LOL :)
@veronizm (907)
• Philippines
15 Sep 09
Hi Ms. Ida! I think I would have to agree with some of your responders like skalofong, aerous, and eileenleyva when they said that it's not really only us Filipinos who are fond of eating but as well as the other nationalities. Yes, it's human nature that we all enjoy food and food is a very tempting thing to humans that is why gluttony is classified as one of the 7 Deadly Sins because humans always tend to eat a lot. Even in America and Europe, their servings are really big and I usually hear some of my friends who've been to those countries complain that their "one serving" of steak/salad/burger and fries/pasta is already good for two persons. I guess we Filipinos are just fond of celebrations and festivities because of our socializing and close-family-ties culture -- we love to socialize and keep our friendship bonds tight -- that's why we're sometimes stereotyped as fond of eating :)
• United States
14 Sep 09
My observation here in Northern California is indeed that Filipinos here are not only fond of eating but are guilty of sins of gluttony or overeating. Just recently during our reunion in Buena Park, Ca, I observed with my own two eyes that a number of our members are guilty of overeating both in "All You Can Eat Buffet" in the Indian Casino but as well as taking so much food in their hotel rooms after a big dinner at the After Midnight Snack in preparation for Breakfast. I describe this in my blog, http://lifeinus1960present.blogspot.com
@asliah (11137)
• Philippines
28 Apr 13
i could say that yes,Filipinos really fond of eating that is why there are many restaurant and fast food here in our country,and i think its more good to be fond in eating rather than in materials because i am more enjoy to eat rather to go shop.
@dhugoi (315)
• Philippines
13 Sep 09
Filipino's are said to be with a sweet tooth, the evidence can be seen at dawn of night when a lot of street food line the street and only two kind of sauce, it's either sweet or spicy. Filipino loves to eat, and eat a lot of strange part of animals - adidas (chicken feet), iud (chicken intestine), pal (chicken wings), walkman (pig ears) to name a few. And oh, I love balut - a feathery fetus. Lol. And a lot of Filipino's are on "seafood diet" - when I see food, I eat it.
@hotsummer (13837)
• Philippines
13 Sep 09
yes i love eating. actually i always plan what i am going to eat for the whole week. LOL. like this day i had fish something. then tomorrow chicken , then vegetables, then i am planning when i will cook pansit, i have ingredients for that already. and so i am planning on what i can do with the vegetables sitting in the ref and how i can use them while they are still fresh. i don't want to throw anything away , i don't want to throw vegetables cause they just wither away in side the ref. and so i plan to use all the ingredients i have. i often check my cabinet for canned products i can use and so they will not reach expiration date. so it just shows how much i want to eat now. but when i was younger like below 30 i don't like to eat so much. but now i do eat a lot but mostly healthy food like vegetables before i eat less but mostly fast foods and unhealthy foods.
• Philippines
13 Sep 09
i definitely agree. I mean, eating is Filipino's hobby :) lol.
• Philippines
13 Sep 09
I don't really mind eating a lot.food is one of the best pleasures in life.I eat because I have and want to.we should feel lucky we are blessed with good food.it also shows that we Filipinos are good cooks.
@eileenleyva (27567)
• Philippines
14 Sep 09
I think fondness in eating is not confined to the Filipino. The Japanese and the Chinese love to eat, too. And the Italians take their pasta by the casserole. The French even pride themselves with fine cuisine. The Americans are so huge because they eat salad by the bowls. I think Filipinos are just a bit gaudy when it comes to celebrations. We love hyperbole in this country. Tasting all the viands on the festive table is just too tempting. We are good cook and our dishes are the best in the world. Ask the US president who has a Filipino for a chef. And Mel Gibson who can't resist adobo weekly? And many others...
@shhheila (1845)
• Philippines
13 Sep 09
yah thats true, in every occasion, even just a small feast of food will do, just pancit and bread is ok == thats a celebration... birthdays, anniversaries, fiestas, xmas, new year and etc... we also eat many times a day... in my observation first: before breakfast --- drink coffee with pan de sal breakfast snacks lunch snacks again dinner snacks again at night midnight snack again... its true that we are fond of eating. heheh...