As all Filipinos know, rice is the staple food of the Filipinos. Bread
is an alternative to rice, because it is easy to eat while on the way.
Filipinos can often be late for school or work, so they prefer to eat
bread when they are behind schedule.
Plain bread is seldom eaten alone. If bread is to be brought to
school or work as snack, or simply to be enjoyed at home, they are often stuffed with any of the following:
- Patty - Most of the time, the patty to be sandwiched in bread is made of beef, but can occasionally be chicken or fish. This type of bread snack will be burger, and should be done with burger buns. In the Philippines, this is the most common type of bread meal available.
- Hotdog - If not burger, hotdog sandwiches are common and make good snacks, especially when drizzled with cheese, ketchup and coleslaw.
- Footlong - This is a version of hotdog, but tastes different and is only good in combination with bread. As its name says, it measures about a foot long, and eating it makes you look like you have a lot of appetite when you are in view of people. This is cheaper than hotdog sandwich in the country.
- Ham - This type of viand is occasionally available in the Philippines, only available on special occasions and holidays. After such events, ham is available as an appetizing partner for bread or rice for several days.
- Beef / chicken / fish - Some Filipinos prefer natural ingredients over processed products. They produce more healthy sandwiches than most of the others, but having fresh and natural viands takes time to prepare, which makes these uncommon.
- Mayonnaise - A combination of egg and vinegar, mayonnaise provides a strong taste to bread, especially when put in combination with meat. In the Philippines, this is often used in sandwiches and occasionally in burgers.
- Butter / margarine - If the consumer avoids meat, then butter or margarine (usually the low-fat and low-cholesterol ones) can be stuffed into bread. However, this is not as satisfying as having a bread snack with tasty, chunky meat.
- Nothing - Just like anywhere bread is a meal, it can be eaten on its own. In this case, this is only an option if there is no ingredient or time to prepare burgers or sandwiches.
Filipinos believe that staying healthy does not have to compromise the enjoyment of eating a satisfying meal. Though most of the options above may look unhealthy, Filipinos have the freedom of choosing what gets into their food.