Kamayan, have you ever heard of this. I'm sure my fellow Filipino knows the word. It is a way of eating using bare hands and using no spoons and forks. This way you gather up the rice in a small mound using your fingers and add of whatever your viand is underneath the rice. You enjoy the food more using your fingers.
Before the Spaniards came and colonize our country, old Filipinos usually use their hands when they eat but they received a disgusting look from the Spaniards. They find it unhygienic. So since then, Filipinos are taught to use spoons, forks, and other kitchen utensils. But because it is already a part of our culture, it can't be eliminated from our tradition. Other countries in Southeast Asia like Malaysia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and India are using their hands in eating. The rest uses chopsticks and kitchen utensils.
It is good to share one's plate and do eat with our hands. It is one way of breaking social boundaries during some occasions and together with our families, we strengthen our bondings towards our loved ones and folks.
Boodle fight, English word aside from the meaning "eating by hands". Boodle means a collection of people while fight stands for the battle of the hands in which one has to grab the food as fast as he can. It is originated at the Philippine Military Academy where armies and its commanding officers eat together as a symbol of comradery, brotherhood, and equality. It is adopted by civilians up to this day. It's the use of banana leaves instead of plates and the absence of kitchen utensils sharing Filipino cuisines in one table. It is the only fight where you can't find bloodshed but pure fun and satisfaction in front of different foods. Don't you find it enjoyable? Well, I missed it.
We also do this during fiesta and Thanksgiving day in our open gym here in our village. We call it " kinammet" when using our hands in eating while "uv uvvong" the boodle fight. Steaming rice and newly boiled meat were laid over newly cut banana leaves with freshly cooked vegetables and pancit. Everybody, young and old alike gathered around the food and enjoy the festivity.
A study has found that eating using your hands can help stimulates digestion, believed to help lose weight, may help prevent type-2 diabetes, and enables manage food fractions.
An additional study states that we have bacteria, known as natural flora found on the palm and fingers of the hand. It is not dangerous to humans, it, in fact, safeguards us from numerous harmful germs in our domain. When you eat with your hands, the flora in the fingers is eaten up. It is helpful for our health and for different body parts such as the mouth, throat, and intestine, and it stimulates healthful digestion in the stomach. Handling food with your fingers sends out digestive fluids and enzymes. Furthermore, millions of nerve endings in your fingers transmit the message that you are about to eat, which includes the temperature of the food, it's texture, smell, and taste, thereby readying the stomach for digestion. The only way you need is to wash your hands thoroughly so you can ensure that you are only eating with the good bacteria in your hands.
Unfortunately, this pandemic has destroyed a lot of traditions we usually perform. This kamayan is one of them. Sharing food with our loved ones on the same plate is now prohibited. Same with this boodle fight, as it can be one way of spreading the virus to your comrades. Let's pray that this pandemic will vanish so that we can get back to our normal activities once again.
How about you? What part of your life you missed most about "eating by hands"?
I used my hands in eating especially in the field when I am not sure how clean are the utensils. It is better in our bare hands than those being used by anybody especially today's pandemic.
We used to celebrate in boodle fight with group of friends during outings. Hassle free and informal, you act and eat naturally. Easy cleaning for everything will be thrown away and eco freindly.