Eating is one of the most enjoyable activities that can be done by a Filipino. They have a lot of ways to enjoy eating their food.
- By hand. This is the quickest way to eat any meal (just avoid touching very hot or cold foods). Every house or dining establishment has access to clean water and soap, because it is best to clean the hands properly even if utensils will be used during eating. Eating by hand is a really satisfying moment for a hungry Filipino whose meal is roasted or fried chicken with rice. Some types of food, especially those called "finger foods", should not be eaten with any utensil, in which some common examples are bread (burgers, sandwiches, any kind of bread but not pizza).
- By fork. This is used by Filipinos when eating dry noodles and meals with large pieces (such as hotdogs).
- By spoon. Eating using only the spoon is used by Filipinos when the type of food is either soup or dessert (i.e. salad or ice cream).
- By spoon and fork. This combination is used for eating meals with rice. Rice is the staple food of the Filipinos, so it is abundant anywhere in the country. The spoon is held by the right hand and is used to scoop small several food pieces (such as rice). The fork is held by the left hand and is used to pick up larger pieces (such as meat) from the plate and assist the spoon in picking up food.
- By fork and knife. Eating using a fork in the left hand and a knife (non-bladed) in the right hand is used when eating pizza. This is also used when eating special dishes that do not come with rice.
- By pair of chopsticks. Last but not the least comes the chopsticks. A pair of chopsticks can either be disposable (made of wood) or non-disposable (made of stainless steel or quality polished wood). They can be found only in homes or dining establishments that produce Chinese-recipe meals in the Philippines (and also in supermarkets providing a complete set of utensils). A pair of chopsticks can be used as replacement for fork or spoon when picking up food.
In any way that you want to eat, listed above are the ways of eating that a person in the country can choose. Happy eating!