To Spoon or Not To Spoon

Ever notice how Filipinos use spoons to eat, and not just for soup? We use a fork on the left hand, and a spoon on the right hand. You use the spoon to gather the rice and viand, and the fork to "push" the food into the spoon. A good table place setting when using "western" utensils will also include a knife, for Filipinos do not necessarily cut or cook food in bite size portions like the Chinese do.

We can also just use our bare hands. This method of eating is called kamayan, "kamay" being the word for hand. Somehow, certain foods taste better when you use your hands (like shrimps, crabs, grilled meats.) A good and enjoyable kamayan meal will also involve having banana leaves as plates, or the stem of a banana plant as bowl/plate! Yes it is messy, but it is also a lot of fun! Living in the States for so many years now, going to the Philippines and enjoying a kamayan meal becomes such a treat! Soups in a kamayan meal are eaten with a spoon though, or served in a bowl that one may bring to one's mouth.

The Philippines is one of the few countries in South East Asia, where chopsticks are not a usual table utensil. We are not naturally adept at using chopsticks, and it is interesting to see my NY born and bred children better at it than me (it's all the exposure to sushi and Japanese cuisine that I did not have in early childhood as they did.)

I just recently began to think about why we use spoons, having taken it for granted for decades. I think I know the answer: Ever try to eat soupy sinigang or kare kare with rice, with just a knife and fork?