"Kamayan" eating by hands

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4 years ago

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.

Photo from google

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.

Photo from google
Photo from google

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"?

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4 years ago

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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.

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4 years ago

I love to eat using my kamay specially if the ulam is roasted fish or meat with some ginataang gulay yum πŸ€€πŸ˜‹ (haha so conyo eeew) I would love to experience budol fight with my family, we didn't do it even once because everyone in my family is sooooo maarte, even without this pandemic we are not fond of using utensils that others already used and we don't drink on glasses that someone used thinking there might be a virus or something πŸ˜…πŸ˜‚ So budol fight is a big NO NO πŸ˜‘ Maybe I'll do it with my own family in the future (with my husband and kids 😍)

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4 years ago

Your family is just being safe and its a good practice also. Im pretty sure you will be having an enjoyable family soon. 😁

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4 years ago

I love kamayan when my viand is dried fish πŸ˜‹..

Haha that would be great and a good plan for the future. I am pretty sure your family- soon - to - be would be very enjoyable😁

You are just being safe and keeping yourself from being contaminated and that is also a good practice. πŸ‘

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4 years ago

It's a good practice but when I'm with other people, such as my friends, they find me odd for not using things they already used and I'm always deemed as maarte though I'm just trying to be safe πŸ˜…

And yes, it's good to eat with your kamay of you have dried or smoked fish with tomatoes πŸ˜‹

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4 years ago

yun lang. people will find you different but let them be. You are doing the right thing anyway. ..yes with tomatoes.. yummy

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4 years ago

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. If you best ariticle.

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4 years ago

Yes... we don't enjoy the food using those silver wares. It will just prolong the hunger.

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4 years ago

Continue doing that so you will be banned. Can you at least create your own postπŸ™„

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4 years ago

I suck at doing this because i eat like a kid pag nagkakamay πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚ i thought at first the title meant the kamayan na handshake and not the kamayan na magkamay habang nakain

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4 years ago

🀣🀣🀣 right the words are the same. I forgot the term about two same words with different meanings.

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4 years ago

Antonyms UwU i was mistaken by the title but seriously, it's sad that I'm pinoy pero di marunong magkamay

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4 years ago

My daughter reminds me of it.. Its Cognates.. Same word with same meaning. You miss some part of your life...πŸ€£πŸ˜‚

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4 years ago

Ohh it wasn't antonyms? Orz i don't think i missed a lot but i can't eat the rice with hands properly, only the ulam πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚

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4 years ago

Antonym is an opposite word of a certain word😁 like beautiful and paNgit but that kamayan is a cognates. I just learned that last week. I even had a hard thought of it. Sadly i came up with this article late so she can include the word. Kamayan- eating with hands and kamayan-shaking hands🀣 tsk sayang.

Atleast the ulam you learned to pick, it would be worst if you don't know how to pick even that 🀣

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4 years ago

Oh I'll remember that word. I was sure it was either homonyms or antonyms. But maybe you can edit it though?

Even my mom thinks so but she doesn't even use her hands to eat that much too πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚

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4 years ago

I can't edit it. She already submitted her module. πŸ˜… That's no big deal.. As long as you don't forget that you are a Filipino and you are not ashamed to be one that's all that matter😊

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4 years ago

Ahh it was for a module XD I'm not ashamed to be a Filipino, per se but i slowly am because of the newer generations that seem to get dumver and dumber :""

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4 years ago

Hahaha.. Yes it is. She is trying to think of words in Filipino to English without the help of internet πŸ˜…. Oh you should not be.. Not all of us though.😁

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4 years ago

I think I'd fail at that instantly, my tagalog is on a very common level. Yeah not all but idk, these kids are getting too rude and they just mindlessly follow trends without even trying to understand anything

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4 years ago

Though you fail in it, you excel in another.

I agree, in some kids, but i believe in my daughters intellect. As much as possible she wanted to learn without the help of the internet and don't want to be dependent on it.

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4 years ago

Your daughter has a good mindset in that way. I hope all the best for your daughter and in her schooling

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4 years ago

Thanks for that. 😁 Likewise to you. πŸ˜‰

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4 years ago

I also have an article like this before and I attached photos. It is the photos of my family whenbwe have boodle fights in our backyard hehe.

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User's avatar Yen
4 years ago

Ooh really.. Share me your link pls.😊 I want to see your version. Unfortunately, I don't have our photo when we did it during the fiesta. It was all in my old phone.

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4 years ago

I will try to find it because I published it a months ago I think. Hanzell also commented on it na di sya sanay magkamay hahaha

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User's avatar Yen
4 years ago

it is such a shame that firstly our parents, at least from my region where I live, teaching us how to use fork and knife while eating and when we grab food in our had they simple say that is not right! such a shame for my parents since hand eating style is the best and the most tasty technique- thank you for article - SirPotato

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4 years ago

Yes sir... You miss half of your most enjoyable potAto life when you don't do it.😁

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4 years ago

I haven't tried that Boodle Fight, pero mukhang masarap pag ganyan 🀩. Pero pagkakanay ka talaga sa pagkain, the best yan naku, lalo na ulam mo tuyo, daing may kamatis sarap kamayi nyan 🀀

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4 years ago

True sis. Here we do not use spoons whenever we go to the field. You caN appreciate the taste of whatever food you have when you use your hands in eating in the middle of the vast ricefield. You mentioned the foods that can turn the rice pot upside down.πŸ˜… and yes boodle fight is the best.. πŸ˜‰

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4 years ago

This one is informative. it's more than just nagkakamay topic but loaded of informations. Thank you so muchh

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4 years ago

You are welcome dear. Hope it's feeds your mind with good information.

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4 years ago

Good

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4 years ago

Nice article I Love Thet

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4 years ago

I used to eat with my hands when I was still a kid. But when I got in High School, parang nahiya na ako magkamay. Nakakasar. Haha But I still get to eat with my hands everytime we have boodle fight in our house. Hihi

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4 years ago

Hahaha why naman. Oh I understand when some of the schoolmates are bullies or you don't want your crush to be disappointed.πŸ˜‰

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4 years ago

Yes eating with hands is also better for our health.

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4 years ago

Yes. You are right. I hope you can share some other benefits of it.

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4 years ago

With bare hands used for eating, more appetite is directly attached to it. In bisaya we call it, kinamot. Hehe

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4 years ago

Ooh I know dear.. Most especially when the bi and is alamNg paired with hot riceπŸ˜‹

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4 years ago

We still practice kamayan at home. We call it kinamot from the word kamot (hands).. Indeed it adds more appetite in eating, I don't know why.. πŸ˜… By the way are you ilocano?

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4 years ago

I'm an igorot sis. But I know how to speak in ilocano and I can understand Cebuano bisaya because I was raised in Mindanao.πŸ˜‰

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4 years ago

Asa gani ka sa mindanao? πŸ˜… My father is ilocano, his hometown is Nueva Ecija.. So I understand a little bit of ilocano

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4 years ago

Tagum city sis.. Oh so you are part ilocana. 😊

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4 years ago

I was about 2 years old when I came back to mindanao, they said I used to speak ilocano fluently.. But I grow up in mindanao so I got used to speaking bisaya and now I can listen and understand a bit of ilocano, cannot speak it anymore.. πŸ˜… Just a few words na lang..

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4 years ago

πŸ˜… we are the opposite, I used to speak in Bisaya fluently but after coming home here in our hometown, I can't speak it anymore.🀣

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4 years ago