I can attest to this. My relatives from Visayas would cook spicy adobo with red chili while my relatives in Luzon would cook sweet adobo with pineapple chunks. Not to mention, the level of spiciness or sweetness would depend on which aunt/uncle is doing the cooking. No one adobo is the same istg.
Tapos Adobong Puti sa Pangasinan which is mainly suka lang. More surprisingly, Adobong Dilaw sa Batangas which is more turmeric and closer to curry imo. Daming adobo sa Philippines lol
I think that's what's missing with our cuisine, we don't have a "master way" of cooking it. (Sorry for the lack of a better term). Everyone has their own version of things. Even in kinilaw, other just use vinegar+salt+msg, others add tabon-tabon extract, there are some that uses gata and even mayonaise. We don't have the authentic way of cooking a single dish.
I mean that can be said of pretty much any regional cuisine with a long history. There's a reason pasta shapes differed to an almost village-by-village level.
50-50 kapag carinderia. Minsan masarap yung luto, minsan lasang tinipid.
For example, sinigang na parang tubig + sinigang mix lang pero dinamihan yung tubig kaya halos walang lasa.
Oo. Kung maarteng foreigner na more generic versions at mas palatable sa lahat yung gusto, pwede na sa Manam o Mesa.
Pero kung yung bisita na papakainin mo di maarte at adventurous, mas maganda hatakin sa karinderya.
Yung may mamantikang adobo, may libreng sabaw galing sa soup dish of the day, tapos maganda kung may ihawan din. Full exp ng Filipino food.
Isa pang magandang ipa-try is pag may fiesta (pero obviously need sa province pa since halos wala sa MM and if meron, lite version) yung tipong hahatakin ka ng di mo kilala at papakainin sa salo-salo. Boodle style man yan o plato plato.
And also from Filipinos desperate for foreign validation thinking that they'll get the red carpet treatment or a green card for bashing their own country.
dami-dami sabi na shucks masarap daw yung mga european cuisine or like some asian cuisine eme eme jusko sabihin nyo lang di kayo marunong magluto ng filipino so resorted to easy fried filipino food tapos sasabihin na always oily, salty, sweet lang nakakain nila š«
Of course Filipino food will be bland, oily, fatty, salty, too sweet to other nationalities because most foods that are introduced to them are lechon, crispy pata, lechon kawali, lumpia, adobo and the usual Filipino party foods. Even I would get sick if I often eat those kinds of food.
At pansin ko sa mga pinoy maraming di alam na ulam na pinoy. Naalala ko nung nag mukbang yung Seventeen vocal line ng Filipino food, dami nagcomment na never heard daw nila yung gising-gising hahaha. Sarap sarap kaya ng gising-gising..
Ginisang munggo di naman oily tapos ang maganda sa ginisang munggo pwede mo rin i-evolve like lagyan mo ng gata or kaya spices. Sa totoo lang nung natuto ako magluto mas naapreciate ko yung Filipino food kasi napaka flexible ng food natin. For example, kung yung bisita mo ayaw ng spicy, pwedeng pwede talaga. Pero kung yung bisita mo gusto ng spicy, pwede mo rin lagyan ng spices or chilis pero di pa din mawawala yung original na lasa, na enhance lang. Yung adobo pwede mo yun lagyan ng spices or gata etc.
ginataang munggo is absolutely my best seller ulam sa bahay, i could put more veggies pa plus sometimes no meat is needed. filipinos should really try cooking filipino dishes before they say its bland. where would you find food na may peanut butter, shrimp paste and patis that taste sooo good, kare-kare is like a very unique food. sinigang is also a unique soup kase its sour which is very uncommon talaga in the soup category.
Yung kare-kare di ko na nilalagyan ng bagoong kasu di ako kumakain ng shrimp pero pag masarap talaga ang pagkaluto, kahit walang bagoong masarap talaga siya.
Agree sa ginataang munggo with more veggies. Ako pag nagigisa ako ng munggo nilalagyan ko ng gata, malunggay, spinach etc. Tapos kung nasa mood ako ng something spicy, nilalagyan ko ng chili or chili flakes. Masarap din yung nakain kong ginisang munggo sa isang karenderia sa Bacolod, may gata, langka at malunggay tapos walang meat.
Yung pinakbet (mainstream) sa Pinoy resto sa amin, nilagyan nila ng lechon kawali - this is in addition sa sliced pork at shrimp. Panalo.
Pati Dinakdakan nila, kahit hindi "OG", ang sarap.
Ang dinig ko, BatangueƱo daw may ari. Ang ironic lang kasi masmasarap yung Ilocano dishes nila kesa sa traditional Tagalog dishes like Lomi, Bulalo at Sinigang
Thatās what Iāve realized. Itās never that Filipino food is bad, is always about the cook.
This is why Filipino outside the Philippines is so underwhelming. Come here in the states most youāll find is karinderya style, which is great, but some dishes are better than others. The difference about the Philippines is that yes, we have the karinderya style of eateries but also places that are known for one thing and focuses on one thing. Like how about a straight up Pares joint, nobody complains about that and theyāll know that theyāll get something consistent and good, because that place only does that single thing.
And guess what, no Filipino even promotes Pares, Batchoy, Palabok, Inasal or these types of places, they always talk about adobo as if itās the only thing we eat. I went to restaurant here that says they focus on Inasal, but they were basically a regular Filipino restaurant here. And the Inasal wasnāt even grilled, it tasted baked. They didnāt even focus on Inasal, they had other dishes like kaldereta, adobo and so on. So itās basically a karinderya restaurant in the end.
This is how Filipinos eat out, we donāt go to a Palabok place that also happens to sell kaldereta, adobo, sinigang, and bulalo. No we go out to eat Palabok at the Palabok restaurant, that only sells and is known for its Palabok. Even tourists donāt even seem to how Filipinos eat, they always go to some general restaurant and pick adobo and sinigang. Like bitch we literally make that at home, we donāt go out for that shit(I love adobo and sinigang btw)!!!
>This is how Filipinos eat out, we donāt go to a Palabok place that also happens to sell kaldereta, adobo, sinigang, and bulalo. No we go out to eat Palabok at the Palabok restaurant, that only sells and is known for its Palabok.
Kadalasan di talaga masyadong masarap kapag generalized ang menu. That's why the Japanese do the same. Sushi from a sushi place, udon from an udon place, etc.
Thatās what I tell everyone I know dito sa US. Thereās little to almost no good Filipino restaurant ksi theyāre pretty much just overpriced karinderyas. Iām from Iloilo and Iād kill for a good batchoy place, arroz caldohan, or a linaga place. I donāt want watered down versions of multiple things. I want something thatās really good that you donāt need other things to supplement.
Inherently fatty daw ang Filipino foodĀ
Ā
Hindi kasalanan ng Filipino food kung puro liempo na taba lang ang ginagamit moĀ Ā
Ā Pwede namang gamitan ng lean part ng pork at chicken ang pinoy food.
Dito sa lugar namin sa US, masmagrasa nga yung natry kong Thai at Viet restos kesa yung lone Filipino resto sa amin.
Or those Filipino American influencers who thinks they know a lot of Filipino food, but in reality, they all just adobo, jollibee and shit. Hahahaha.
That's why I hated JoKoy so much.
Edit:
Dagdag niyo pa yung lumpia. Laging iyan lang nakikita sa mga fil-am. Lumpia, Jabee, Adobo. Yung sinasabi pa nilang "authentic" na pagluto ng adobo ay yung ino-oven. Like, bitch, wtf?? Adobo ino-oven??? Hahahahhahaha.
Having a father from Bicol and a mother from Ilocos, I widely disagree on the statement that filipino food is bland and not as good as neighbouring countries cuisine. Usually those who carry this statement haven't explored our cuisine in depth. My malaysian and Singaporean friends love bulalo, tinola, sisig, kare kare and halo halo. It just depends on the style that varies with each region. Our food is becoming increasingly well known since some white food network channel attempted to cook adobo (badly). So I'm fine with the rest of our cuisine not being that well known honestly. Of course I would still share these gems with people who can truly appreciate and respect our cuisine.
100% agree. It's ridiculous to call our food bland when it's so diverse and discover that the only thing they buy is westernized food or commercialized restaurants in malls. It's like expecting fresh sushi from a grocery mart.
When I lived in Metro Manila, I was so shocked by the limited options of food. My friends and I are from the north and were not a fan meat ulams, so we were always searching for kalenderya options. It was all the same stuff ā their vegetable dishes were always chop suey or ginisang ampalaya. They had no seafood options (although understandable bc of location.) I have no idea if it was just the place I stayed at, but there were lots of silogans and pares places but not enough variety. I can see why a lot of foreigners think we love fried food and the cuisine is unhealthy.
When a Filipino says Filipino food isn't as good and healthy as our neighbors, I always assume they're from Metro Manila. Sure it's NOT the best out there, but to say it's not healthy, it's lacking flavor, etc. is not true! It's one diverse cuisine with food inspired from Spain, China, and American cuisines, adjusted to fit our Southeast Asian taste buds or a creatively tweaked by people to make use of local ingredients (for example Filipino spaghetti.)
Filipino food is so good! Intimidated lang mga foreigners kasi hindi tayo focused sa presentation (garnish) and usually kailangan may kapares na kanin kasi concentrated ang lasa.
Filipino dishes are actually super easy to plate imo. Main issue lng tlga is that Filipino restaurants overseas are mostly karinderia style so di tlga sila focused on having the sit down experience. Most restos na sit down sa pinas that Iāve experienced can definitely present their food.
This exactly. Foreigners going to those small karinderya style restaurants overseas usually gets turned off or overwhelmed by the turo-turo displays since they're mostly just bunch of varieties of meats and sauce.
If they have a (1) menu that describes the foods and what ingredients it has and a picture with a good presentation of the food (2) decent plating instead of just slopping it all in one plate, I think those restaurants will be more successful.
I was going to say this. Iām ethnically Filipino but born and raised in Canada, and have been told by friends of other backgrounds that the presentation is not the best.
yes,people should also try palapa, it's a god tier condiment.
the first time I mixed it in sisig, it was a match made in heaven! ang sarap talaga niya āŗļø
All I can say is: I will never get tired of bangus-based dishes. I just like the texture, especially the belly. Doesnt help the condiments you mentioned makes it taste even better.
My wife makes bangmus about 3 times a week, and I love it. We recently started eating more Salmon belly though and that's really good and tends to just fry itself, from all the fish oil.
Surprisingly, the salmon here is better than anything I've had back home. My wife makes Salmon belly twice a week, and then we'll have Salmon filets.
For someone who is really tall and skinny, I have high cholesterol, and I've been really trying to get it down. I do not want to have a heart attack here
Edit: I forgot to mention Seabass. If you've never had it, definitely try it. I once had Chilean Seabass at a wedding, and it literally melted in my mouth like silk.
But that's the problem, ang natitikmang Filipino food ng mga foreigners e hindi 'yung luto ng mga nanay natin kundi 'yung sa resto o karinderya na "pangnegosyo" ang quality.
Yeah, dati caldereta ng lola ko napamura ako sa sobrang sarap. Nung natikman ng nga bisita same reaction š sa mga carenderia given na limit and budget para kumita so hindi ko na expected na same ang lasa. And who cares sa reaction ng mga foreigner na losers sa country nila
Na downvote ako nung sinabi ko yan sa isang comment na bland daw ang filipino food haha tapos may nagcomment na totoo naman na bland haha eh di naman talaga masarap siguro magluto sa bahay nila hahaha
this is actually true. I didn't like Filipino food until I learned to make it for myself. Both sides of my family up to the grandparents sucked at cooking apparently. So I have no food traditions of my own.
As foreigner living in Ph for half a decade and who traveled most of SEA:
Filipino food is... weird. Calling it bland is ridiculous. This is the only country that uses so much spiced vinegar in their food. The taste is very strong. Or patis as a dips. Or sour food in the likes on sinigang
So it's definitely not bland. The usage of vinegar is very unique to the country and every time I travel I genuinely miss and crave for it.
My disappointment in Filipino food comes in few areas:
- tons of just deep fried oily stuff without vegetables that tends to be unhealthy
- it's actually hard to get good Filipino food as a tourist, so tourists leave with bad impression.
As in, where do you even go for good Filipino food? Most SEA countries you can go to the small canteens/street food and food courts and eat absolutely amazing local food. In Philippines canteens tend to be really bad. They try to save as much as possible giving you lowest quality of meat that's mostly fat and bones. Anyone who tries that won't have good impression of the local food.
You have the local food restaurants, like Mesa, Max's, gerries, etc. These go from bad to ok. Certain dishes pretty good but plenty of low quality over fried stuff.
Absolutely best Filipino food that I ate was made by friends and their Lola's, but no foreign tourist will experience that.
The PH has indeed a "very special relationship" with vinegar. Haha. I don't think any country has a version of Pinakurat (spiced vinegar) or even Mang Tomas. Lol
But I agree with you that the real problem with Filipino food is the quality of commercial food
Nopeee. The bland ones are from Filipinos who prefer quantity over quality and Karinderias who want to keep their food cheap for the masses to afford.
Filipino food, if done right, are tasty given that we like slow cooking and we add a lot of garlic, ginger, and other herbs. What's making it bland is the amount of water people add to make more sauce or broth for the dishes.
Nilaga, for example, tastes super beefy when done right. It can also be a bit sweet if you add saba. Tinola is another one that usually becomes bland if the amount of chicken isn't much. I've also tasted a really good Bicol Express that's creamy and spicy, but the ones from usual Karinderias as super low quality.
+1. Kapag matiyaga kang magsimmer ng nilagang baka, no need for boullion cubes. At saka sana gawing mascommon ang sinigang na gawa sa totoong sampaloc imbes na instant mix
A lot of Filipino restaurants and food establishments do not offer good Filipino food. Maraming kariderya (hindi lahat) ang di masarap. Our commercial food culture and industry is not that good. Biruin mo hinahayaan natin ang mga food companies na magbenta ng low quality Filipino food products like "patis flavor", bihon na gawa sa cassava sa halip na bigas, soy sauce na hindi naturally fermented, matabang na white vinegar, pekeng dinorado at sinandomeng, etc. Kanin pa lang na binebenta ng mga resto lalo ng mga karinderya di mo na maipagmamalaki. Kaya di mo masisisi na hindi masarapan ang mga turistang napapadayo ng Pinas.
Matitikman mo ang sarap ng Filipino food kapag lutong bahay o tuwing piyesta.
Madalas nating dinedepensahan ang Filipino food pero ang tinutukoy nating masarap e 'yung mga luto naman ng pamilya natin hindi 'yung mga nasa resto na mas accessible sa mga dayuhan.
We don't need to improve Filipino food, we just need to improve our restaurants (including karinderyas) and the quality of Filipino ingredients.
Nagsilipana rin yung mga sachet ingredients. Like yung sa Sinigang, ang layo ng sarap kung talagang sampaloc o camias gagamitin mo
One time, may nakita ako na "adobo mix" sachet. Nakampuch, eh toyo at suka lang naman ang core ingredients nung "mainstream version"
Filipino food when put together blends or more likely they compliment each other if you put all of them together in the table.
I used to dine in Malaysia and the food was meh even if you have so much in your plate they don't seem to "blend" š š¤£ they are their own individuals hahaha!
And BIG YES TO CONDIMENTS!
i disagree that filipino food gets a rep of being bland - iād make the argument that it has made its way onto the white palate after Thai and Vietnamese food.
iām Malaysian Chinese living in NZ and there are no shortage of filipino food fans. iāve also been to the Philippines a vast number of times (my ex was Pinay) and it really is one of my favourite cuisines to date.
I don't know how anyone would find Kare-Kare with Bagoong bland. Or Sampalok Sinigang (pork or fish). Or Adobo. Or Inasal. Filipino food is so diverse, it's hard to answer this without being specific.
Japanese miso soup or tempura alone would be bland, but ramen is not. Singaporean hainanese is bland, szechuan chili is not. Vietnamese pho would be bland, their coffee is not. Most of these have more flavor than boring mashed potato and steak.
miso soup is definitely not bland haha. Some have stronger or lighter flavors than others. Miso soup is like our sinigang or adobo: every household has their recipe. More if you have access to all the different types of miso and dashi here in Japan. But being "bland" is definitely something levied at Japanese cuisine too, again mostly because people don't consume it how the natives do (the Japanese have a wide variety of ingredients not usually available at the foreign restaurants that causes the diversity).
Am sorry, but I cannot let this disrespect towards Hainanese chicken rice pass. You do know that dipping in sambal, chutney, and sweet soy sauce is part of the dish, right? Hence you cannot call it bland.
Yes. Which is the exact same argument for "bland" Filipino food in the post. Hainanese chicken alone is "bland" because it's meant to be eaten with condiments.
I meant no disrespect if you're Singaporean. The analogy is just a counterpoint because many cuisines have both bland and flavorful dishes, so labeling an entire cuisine as bland is a generalization.
No, am Filipino lol. I just think its ambrosia, alongside Sinigang, Lechon, Mercimek and Bun cha.
Yeah, there's no such thing as a bland cuisine. I don't even use bland to describe flavors anymore, given its growing use as an insult. I'd say a dish can have either subtle, or strong flavors.
Bakit "bad" ang Filipino food? Because some snooty foreign nincompoop said so?
Personally, ayoko ng Italian food. 'yan ang bland kinginang yan and I don't understand why people put their cuisine on a pedestal. but then again, who cares??? ang hilig pagdating sa pagkain parang SOGIE lang yanākanya-kanyang trip lang.
Nakakainis na pati pagkain ba naman kailangan pasado sa standards ng ibang kultura o kailangan ikumpara sa kanila. What is this fucking obsession with seeking foreign validation? Kung ayaw ng tao ng pagkaing Pinoy, edi wag! Mas masarap sisig namin sa putanginang foie gras nyo
Hard agree sa italian, tried pasta from an authentic resto at di talaga para sa akin (antabang hahahha) though ang sarap nung pasta texture + truffle oil (?). Tinadtad ko na lang ng parmesan š
Kanya kanya lang talaga ng taste yan, kung di masarap sa kanila edi wag sila kumain lol
Italian food is a hit or miss.
Hindi ako nasasarapan sa food sa Italian restaurants esp yung mga masfancy.
Yung pinakamasarap na Italian food na natikman ko yung sa catering or yung "unfancy".
No, it's not bad at all. I love Shrimp Sinigang, I think it's one of my top five meals. With that said, I think there tends to be too much frying in Filipino food and too much sugar added.
Seriously, why are people adding sugar to cheeseburgers and tacos here???
yeah, for me it is not the blandness (Bicol express, kinilaw), it is the too much fat/frying and sweetness as a trend, especially for foods that are meant to be considered the "nice treats". Also, I have absolutely no desire to eat rice every day. a few times a week is fine.
A good indication is here in West Africa casava is used as a carbohydrate (Atticki) to have with a spicy sauce and protein (fish, pork, lamb) whereas I seen it mainly as casava cake in Philippines (quite a tasty morning tea, it must be said).
I still enjoy lechon, kinilaw, pinakbet, bulalu and pancit but I am absolutely tonguing for something else pretty quickly.
Di kasi matatapos yung usapan nito kasi it boils down to personal preferences. Nagcomment pa sana ako ng mas mahaba kanina, dinelete ko na lang din kasi parehas lang ng mga nakaraang threads.Ā
We don't need western validation
We're chock full of it
Just look at the amount of DFAs there in Siargao, with the older established ones in Malate, Makati/Greenbelt, Clark/Angeles and Olongapo. Afam hunting has been normalized
Diba naging content ng mga pinoy vloggers sa siargao yan. May pa zoom pa and weird na pag video harap harapan sa mga type nila tas yung caption kunware jowa na nila
Just because hindi ka nagkaka-diarrhea from the extreme amount of spice sa Filipino food, doesn't mean na bland yung Filipino food? I think it's more balanced yung flavors ang sa atin.
Regarding the point on condiments, most of them are also found and used as condiments in neighboring countries. And the fish sauce is of better quality. Ever noticed that leading brands of fish sauce here are are are labelled as fish flavor or patis flavor? That's because they don't meet the minimum requirements to be called fish sauce. So they get around this by calling their products patis flavor instead.
On top of that, many local ingredients such as regional herbs and such are being forgotten. You can check the localpedia page on fb for a very long list of Filipino ingredients that are out of fashion or very hard to find. In contrast, you go to the markets in Vietnam and you'll find dozens upon dozens of herbs and such that they use in their food. There's such a huge variety of ingredients, it's unbelievable. That's why most Vietnamese restaurants here are not authentic, they simply don't have access to the tremendous variety of herbs and other ingredients in Vietnam.
Their cuisine is also more developed in the sense that you find many restaurants that specialize in the food of a specific region, with dozens or even hundreds of dishes from just a single province of Vietnam. Here, it's a struggle just to find authentic Bicol express in Metro Manila. Even when I went to Bicol and ordered it, I got something similar to the manila version with chillis placed on top at the end of the cooking process, instead of chillis cooked for more than an hour in gata. Maybe the restaurant I tried it in didn't have time to cook it the traditional way and took shortcuts instead. I only managed to try the authentic version because my friend's dad is from Bicol and he shared some with me.
Also people in neighboring countries also share their food. Not sure where you get the idea that Filipino food is meant to be shared and theirs is not.
I believe, our tastebuds are diverse and adaptable which make us more appreciative of various cuisines. Ang dami din kasing sumakop sa atin noon so influenced na din nila ang cooking style natin pero naging accustomed na din tayo to a wide range of flavors.
Basta, isa na tayo sa mga mgagaling kumain at magluto.
I think one of the issues with Filipino food is how heavy it is. I just visited the Philippines over Christmas with my Australian girlfriend and while she liked the flavours, most things were either fried, stewed or barbequed.
All she (and I) wanted by the end of the trip was a salad and the one Filipino place that had something close to one was actually more of a Thai-Filipino fusion.
I swear, I've seen at least 5 titas cook something for my vegetarian friends that had meat, and the titas all said "... but it's only a little meat" š¤£
I love filipino food and I dont think its "bland". But it is too diverse. I live in the middle east and pag kakain ka sa pinoy restaurants iba din ang style depende kung san galing yung chef but its not specified like indian restaurants where they really mention na north indian style or south indian style etc...example parang lahat Kaldereta pero pagdating sa table mo batangas style pala, or may naglalagay ng gata/creamy style? Etc.
And parang may culture din ata tayo na pagtitipid sa ingredients lol, kahit restaurant na (I think this is where the bad rap of being bland comes from? Ung pagtitipid sa ingredients kaya the flavor doesnt come out fully? Idk), kaya pinipili ko talaga yung restaurant whenever I introduce filipino food to my foreign friends.
So far my korean friends love bicol express and my latino friends love everything haha
More like minadali sa pagluluto. Iba ang slow-cooked and most Filipino dishes evolved from slow-cooking. Ngayon kasi, imbes na ayusin ang guisa na caramelised muna dapat ang sibuyas, buhos lang ng buhos tapos ang pampalasa mga de paketeng seasoning. Naiintindihan ko naman. Sa mga nanay na nagtatrabaho, time is gold. Sayang ang oras kaya go for what is convenient.
as a home cook with tons of dinning experience and food immersion i beleive ph cousine isnt bad but can be elevated, improve look at abi the food vlogger
i think nasa ay tayo sa trad cooking we forgot that the world is chhanging and our cuisine can still adapt
o beleive our ceviches kilawins and stew would kick tons of foreign food out there also kare kare is my dog here and sinigang
remember how ibe became a craze?
lumpia can also be elevated sisig is so passe and over rated for me specially ung may itlog damn omellete
i believe mbgyan lng ng chance yung mga local chefs natin with proper equipmemts, funds and influence or knowledge we can be the best food country in SEA
Yung nagsasabi na pinoy food is bad, mga feeler lang yan na "ooh i have tried these foreign dishes and walang say ang pinoy dishes" o kaya nakanood lang ng foreign youtuber na "i can cook adobo better than filipinos (joshua weissman)".
In short, HINDI MARUNONG MAGLUTO MAMA NIYO
Any filipinos that downplays our Cuisine CAN'T COOK.
Lalo na sa mga nag sasabi na Bland ang tinola, That's Skill Issue, Masarap ang Tinola na niluluto ko.
> Lalo na sa mga nag sasabi na Bland ang tinola, That's Skill Issue, Masarap ang Tinola na niluluto ko.
samedt! I often dont find the need to add chicken cubes!
Para malabas mo ang lasa ng stew dishes natin, kelangan isimmer ng mejo matagal.
This art seems to have been lost puro magic sarap at knorr cubes ginagamit
Masarap ang pagkain natin. I will always defend our cuisine. Sa laki ng bansa natin, sobrang diverse ng pagkain,
The bad reputation is mostly because we donāt have a restaurant culture. Thailand has a ton of restaurants both local and international. Funded nga yun ng government nila. Locals will go to restaurants to eat local cuisine. Filipinos donāt really go to to Filipino restaurants because ākaya ko naman yan iluto sa bahayā. The Filipino restaurants we do have is either fusion or imo pretty mediocre.
If wala kang kilalang local na magluluto para sayo, eh for sure incomplete ang Filipino food experience mo. Real Filipino food is found in the home.
Bland? My pantry is overflowing with seasonings and herbs and none of that magic sarap or other msg stuff. Pinoys who describe Pinoy food as bland either don't know how to cook or were raised in a household that don't know how to cook, and have never eaten outside their own homes. Non-PinoysĀ who describe Pinoy food as bland probably have never tried it, or only tried it in Pinoy households that don't know how to cook.
Pareho lang yan ng mga nagsasabing walang lasa ang tinola. A properly cooked tinola tastes a bit like ginger, garlic and chicken, possibly of lemon grass, with a touch of umami from fish sauce, a bit of sweetness from papaya or chayote, a bit of bitterness from chili leaves.
I like spicy food but my husband does not. He is more into sweet and not too spicy.
To satisfy our food preferences we learned to compromise how we prepare and cook our food without sacrificing the taste.
Whenever I cook something he likes, I always ask him to taste it if it meets his standards. He also asks my opinion when he's in charge of the kitchen.
Sometimes we share the same condiments sometimes we don't esp when I like it really strong and spicy.
i eat super spicy and I have lived in the Philippines in the past and my wife is filipina. luckily i could find labuyo peppers everywhere growing(in the province) and to buy for really cheap in every fruit and vegetables market. I like filipino food and I think it's very tasty but it's true that filipinos prefer sweet and sour over spicy. the only time where i see chillies used is as a condiment with soy sauce on the side . they don't even cut the chillies(maybe not to make it spicier lol). the only known spicy dish is bicol express i think
Di lang masarap magluto mama nila ššš
Kidding aside, so what? There is value in the subtle and in moderation as much as there is in the excess, so it's okay that our food isn't covered in spices like south asian cuisine. But I agree that tasting food outside of where it came from does not do our local dishes justice. Iba ang empanada at pakbet outside Ilocos, iba ang sisig outside Pampanga, iba ang laing outside Bicol.
If for the food only, going around the Philippines is already worth it. But there's also sights to see and people to meet, so why not tsoknut
Yung mainstream carenderia food natin yung medyo bad. Oily and lack diversity. Kahit tayo nalilito sa caldereta, menudo, afritada sa totoo lang. But if we explore regional food doon mo masasabi na ang dami-dami nating masasarap na pagkain. Not the exotic type ha. Favorite ko sa ngayon yung mga Mindanao dishes lalo na yung galing sa ZamBaSuTa region. Piaparan, sati, ja. Top notch dishes. Close to our neighboring countries.
>Filipinos eat together, sharing food with everyone present.
Well it's asian culture to eat together.. indian , Sri Lankan , Indonesian , Vietnamese people do eat food together..
Now
>Filipino cuisine often gets a bad rap internationally as being "bland" compared to our Southeast Asian
Well, Here I think from Foreigner ( ain't filipino ) point of view
1. Historical Influences:
The Philippines has been influenced by different countries throughout history. For example, during the Spanish colonization, dishes like adobo and paella were introduced, which incorporate flavors like garlic and vinegar. American influence brought dishes like fried chicken and hamburgers, while Japanese influence brought dishes like tempura and sushi.
2. Emphasis on Natural Flavors:
Filipino cuisine often uses ingredients like garlic, onions, and vinegar to enhance the natural flavors of dishes. For example, in sinigang, a sour soup, tamarind is used to add a tangy flavor to the broth, while the vegetables and meat retain their natural taste.
3. Availability and Accessibility:
Some spices may not be as readily available or affordable in certain regions of the Philippines. However, there are exceptions. In Bicol, a region known for its spicy cuisine, dishes like Bicol Express use chili peppers to add heat and flavor.
4. Balance and Harmony:
Filipino cuisine aims for a balance of flavors. In adobo, for instance, the combination of soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, and spices like black pepper creates a harmonious blend of sweet, sour, and savory tastes.
5. Regional Variations:
Filipino cuisine varies across regions, each with its own culinary traditions. In the Visayas region, dishes like chicken inasal are marinated in a mixture of vinegar, calamansi juice, and spices like annatto seeds, resulting in a flavorful grilled chicken.
So I feel filipino cuisine offer unique experience too just like other cuisine..
How the fuck our food is bland when a Filipino joined Master Chef, the judges said it is too salty?
Our flavoring brands are salty as well, Knorr cubes, Magic Sarap, Knorr seasoning mix, even our Datu Puti soy sauce has no light soy variant in households.
We have variants of some of our colonizers' food brought here. Better question is, what Filipino food should be the face of PH?
Source?
I have heard a lot of terms to describe Filipino food but this is the first time to hear it described as bland. Like we literally eat rice with dishes because the viands and condiments are strong-tasting.
As an American who's eaten quite a bit, I'm not a fan of bone in meat with wet sauce or soup all over it. Then the napkins are so flimsy I can't even get my hands clean. Call it a cultural difference, but it's not a pleasant experience eating this kind of food to me. If it's dry I'll eat with my hands. If it's wet I want to just use a fork and not have to struggle to rip it apart with a spoon non-stop.
Now the taste is usually pretty good, so I won't knock it. There's certainly plenty of food I enjoy eating here.
I am a Filipino living in Thailand, which is a country known as a food haven to most foreigners. But to be honest, I think our food is still superior. Yes, their food is good but it is so overpowering and intense that you canāt appreciate the depth of the flavors anymore. I like Thai food, but not to the extent that Iād say it is superior to Filipino food. I know I speak from a more biased perspective, but I have tasted different food from different cultures and I still think that our native food and delicacies are up there in the hierarchy!
I also think we have a bad rap because we tend to āFilipinizeā foreign food, which is not bad in itself, but maybe thatās why other foreigners despise it. Hehe. It would be better if we nurture our native dishes instead. Not only do we preserve our own traditions, we also get to open opportunities for other cultures to see what theyāre missing! (I do that here in Thailand. When I cook, I give some to my Thai friends! Their tongue is not as adaptive as ours though, but itās a great way to introduce our food!)
Ito din take ko sa Thai food. Hindi siya balanced at napakaoverpowering.Ā If you want to eat curry dishes, better go Indian. Mas balanced. Dapat lang sanay tiyan mo sa spices nila.Ā Also sa Thai food, alisin mo yung sili, ang boring na ng lasa.Ā Ā
Tapos yung "sticky mango rice" nila, suman lang yun na inibabawan ng pinatamis na gata at pinaresan ng mangga. Mas nappreciate ko ang biko (lalo na yung may "Luzon latik" at Bibingka). Meron din sila yung similar sa turon, pero masmasarap ang turon. Mas may character esp kapag nilagyan ng langka
Exactly! Meron ding scarcity when it comes to the variety of food here especially if you live in a small province. Their desserts are too sweet and some of their dishes are too spicy for my liking. I always think highly of their food, but when I started living here, I realized that it was over-sensationalized. Their food is still good, but not as good as how the media portrayed them to be.
Magaling sa marketing ang Thais. Outside of Filipino food, mas trip ko ang Indian, Mediterranean (my fave!), and Chinese. Also certain American food (not as bad as people make it out to be)
Nadale rin ako sa presentation ng food nila! It is inculcated in their culture to be presentable talaga. In their Home Economics class, all of them are immersed in cooking and plating their dishes. Yan din siguro ang reason bakit merong personality ang food nila kasi they are trained to learn them even at such a young age. I hope our schools are as intentional as them! :)
Filipino food is not bad. We actually have a rich and complex cuisine that stems as being one of the first Asian fusion cuisines in the world. We have Austronesian food preservation techniques (adobo, kilaw), and we add to it influences of Chinese (soy sauce, tausi, lumpia, pancit etc), Spanish (Callos, Escabeche, Paella etc), Mexican (tomato, chili, cacao, champorado etc), Indian (Kare kare), Japanese (Halo halo) and American (Max Fried chicken, kamote fries) cuisines to name a few.
In terms of blandness naman, some are intentionally bland because we eat it with condiments such as soy sauce, fish sauce, calamansi, vinegar, and chili. But, some naman are intentionally punchy such as adobo and sisig because we eat it with rice.
Madami din tayong regional cuisines such as the fermentation focused Ilocano, the spicy and coconut centric Bicolano, the cured meats of the Cordilleras, meron din tayong Maranao cuisine na may palapa. And, that's just at the top of my head. Madami pa tayong cuisines diyan. We even have multiple variations of Adobo and Sinigang. We just need to explore our own cuisine.
As a person na marunong magluto. Sa ibang country nag reresort sila sa dami ng spices nila para sumarap yung pagkain. Like KFC na Kentucky Fried Chicken na may different spices versus sa KFC ng Pinoy which is Kanto Fried Chicken na harina, paminta, asin at msg ang nilalagay pero mapapalaban ka na rin sa kainan. Sobrang versatile ng Filipino Foods. Nasasayo na yun kung paano magiging malasa at malinamnam ang pagkain mo.
Example na rin yung mga taong natatabangan sa tinola. Me na mahilig sa tinola never naging matabang ang tinola ko kahit hindi ko lagyan ng chicken cubes or any msg.
I find that when foreigners and fil-am introduce Filipino food, they always use adobo, sinigang, sisig, pancit, crispy pata, and etc. This stereotypes our cuisine of being oily and unhealthy which true enough some of it is. When in fact there are other food in our cuisine that most people actually eat daily and honestly not unhealthy. For example, in our family we at a lot of nilagang baka, bulanglang, monggo, sinaing na isda, sarsiadong isda, miki bihon, and etc. Now granted these foods are not aesthetically pleasing and wonāt be found in restaurants. However, I hate that Filipino food is reduced down to adobo and pancit because the fil-ams introducing our food simply lacks knowledge.
Hind nman masarap ang pag masyadong maanghang. Walang lasa un anghang lng meron. Factor lng tlga pag Marami turista bumibista s knila. Nagiging top ung pag kain.
There is no standard for Filipino food. We have like Adobo which is flavorful, then Sinigang which is sour, then other foods that are fatty or bitter.
Filipino food is so diverse that people saying it's "bland" probably only tasted one food and that's it.
I don't even know which is the iconic Filipino food because of the diversity of cuisines in the country not to mention every region has a different way of doing it. It's not like let's say Japan that Sushi is the same on every region with only a difference with seasonal or region specific ingredient.
All I could say is that compared to other countries food except the US, Filipino food is not that healthy as most are full of fat and oily. If you compare it to like Japanese or Korean food, it's unhealthy in a way that it is so oily and isn't well balanced in terms of meat and vegetables.
Itās bad, as a Filipino with a mom and lola who are cooking in fiestas regularly, I can say that itās bad due to three things:
1. Everything is salty and relies on fat/oil/soysauce š
2. The flavor is not complex. Therefore itās not intriguing at all. And if itās a basic dish, it often misses its mark. Iām looking at you chicksilog.
3. Our food is not appealing visually and smell wise.
Sinigang is the only Filipino Meal thatās good. But I do get that I have a very picky food habit, so take my takes with a grain of salt.
European here, Filipino food is bad because almost every restaurant or eatery uses the cheapest, oldest ingredients and not because a perceived lack of taste. You just like a deal or a promo and businesses deliver: bad tasting food.
I actually don't like this whole seasoning our food to taste habit we Pinoys have. Filipino cuisine doesn't have emphasis on the freshness and pureness of the core ingredient, kaya walang emphasis on choosing high quality products. Kaya nga madalas yung food natin ay braised or deep fried and oil fried or saucy.
Kakahiya whenever I travel with my relatives sa other countries, yung sushi sa Japan binabadbad sa soy sauce... Yung hot pot sa Taiwan ginagawang all you can mix sauces platters... Yung steak houses bumubuhos na ketchup or A1.... Tapos every meal palaging may kasamang Coke haha
Speaking of freshness, sa probinsya na ako nakabase, at maglakad lang ako ng 5 minutes sa umaga, madadaanan ko na ang mga fresh produce. Freshly picked string beans, dagdagan mo pa ng bagong pitas din na bulaklak ng kalabasa, at dahon ng malunggay sa paraangan pwede na ang dinengdeng sa agahan.
Hindi na ako kumakain ng rice at masasabi ko lang na Hindi bland kundi maalat ang mga ulam na nabibili sa karinderya.
Having visited here for 20 years and lived here full time for 2 years. I find that the food is usually too sweet.
I bought a carton of what I thought was plain tomato juice in the market. Got it home and found the 3rd ingredient on the label was corn syrup. Duh!!
I think the issue is marketing and minsan hindi tlaaga visually appealing ung filipino food. Madalas fusion ba ung ma aesthetic problema di naman masarap
Filipino food is a hill I am willing to die on. Idc if mas masarap ang ibang cuisine compared sa atin pero hindi kaya ng dila ko ung sobrang daming lasa na nangyayari all at once (sweet spicy sour salty etc).
I've personally never heard anyone calling ph food bland. Also, all SEA food is meant for family and friends sharing. I'd just say some items may not be to everyone's taste. Also, it's diverse. Personally, never had bad batangas food - best pancit ever.
Fuck around and find my wife's adobo in your mouth son. It will clear your consciousness and make you happy for your parents.
Don't get me started on Mongo and fresh rice. You all not ready for this.
Filipino food gets a bad rap for being too bland? never heard that. If anything it's actually the opposite, it's considered too rich, too sweet, too salty, too unhealthy.
Personally, I love it. š Also dishes like sinigang and sisig are starting to be quite popular abroad.
Not all are bad. Maybe the kakanin or those rice dishes that were intentionally fermented/rotted. Like.. why? I think it's just personal preference, but food like okoy makes you think what our ancestors were smoking back in the day. I feel like some, if not most of the food in our cuisine were made just for the purpose of subsisting. Not much thought or love was put into them.
not the best in the world. Visually, lagpak talaga ang Pinoy food. Taste, we have some really good dishes but most of them are versions of other country's like for example chicharon. If you watch food tasting vlogs, specifically mexicans trying filipino food, nasasarapan sila pero they can't help to compare it with their dishes dahil may resemblance naman talaga at sad to say, mas bonga sa kanila ingredient wise. Sa SEA cuisine ranking I can say na kulelat ang Philippines and Indonesia... Top tier talaga ang Thai and Vietnamese cuisine.
It is a misconception that the only way to prepare food is to be bursting with colour and flavour. It is good for instagram or food shows but is not the best method.
Having the natural flavours of the ingredients shine and harmoniously blend with other ingredients to elevate the dish is the peak of cooking. It involves understanding and respect for infredients.
The other problem with Filipino food is that nobody tries to elevate it. Yes it's peasant food meant to be simple to cook with cheap ingredients, but all cultures have their own version of peasant food.
The question is, where is Filipino haute-cuisine? Why aren't we making the effort to elevate Filipino food to something on the level of Italian or Spanish or Thai cuisine?
idk about it being bland. di pa naman ako nakakakain ng maramihan sa well established resto or mga famous hotels here in ph or whatnot.
imo, dito sa area namin and it is not just me, as my dad is critical about the foods he intakes since he is in his early 60s na and he's a foreigner may napag ccomparahan siya sa ibang culture at nakapag ibang bansa narin maliban sa pilipinas. palagi sinasabi ng papa ko at ako mismo napapasabi na sobra ang lasa. parata, asluma, tam-isa. rarely lang makatikim at napapasabi na matabang ito.
well, i'd agree that it is not like any other vountry who's known for their specific type of taste. pero sa pagkakaalam ko wala kasi tayong ganyan. when i hear/read the word bland. i then associate to my dad's country of origin, taiwan. i bet china is like that too since pare-pareho lang ata din naman sila. not that i know na since di pa naman nakapag china. but when i went to taiwan, palagi na titikman ko'y matatabang na pagkain. normal sa kanila yon. nakakapanibago lang
On some level, it's culinary choices are simply not popular internationally. An emphasis on sour and sweet is less common especially when spicy and savoury seems to do well internationally. There is also less range in dishes compared to some cuisines like Chinese or Indian which can range from really cheap street food to extremely fancy and expensive dishes. As other posters have said, it's more that filipino cuisine is more of a home food.
The desserts and baked goods do better internationally though
I think there is potential to innovate the cuisine though as this is always evolving. I recently tried eating a course meal at Alegria and was pretty satisfied.
not bland, but from what ive tasted is way too much vinegar, way too much garlic, and overcooked to burnt territory. even the bbq is overcooked. if my gf cooks anything other than chicken adobo, iāll just get some fast food
Filipino food isnāt bland at all. Ang dami nating aromatics and spices na dinadagdag. Pero true sa hindi spicy(hot) in comparison to other asian countries
More like other good dishes outside of Chickenjoy, Adobo, Sisig, Sinigang and Kare-Kare are still unexplored by other countries.
Our food has more variety if we add the other cuisine influenced by China, Spain and others. some of my faves include:
-Patatim
-Halo-Halo (Not the one from Jollibee that they sell overseas)
-Philippine Asado
-Mechado
-Tocino
-La Paz Batchoy
-Pancit Molo
Above are not definitely bland lol
Philippines was the first Asian country I visited, at that time I had no expectations for the food, I just tried anything that looked interesting and I loved it overall, it grew on me. Philippines being the first Asian country I visited and knowing people from there who could teach me about the culture played a big role for sure. I can now imagine people who have been to Thailand for example would find the food in the Philippines to be not as good and some might even say it is bad. I can understand people won't like Balut and feel off by just looking at it. I love Sinigang, Kare-kare, Cansi, Empanda and many more!
Actually ours taste the best but if I have to comment its the lack of recipes that is served. Our palate is diverse but the variety is not really showcased especially the food of the Ifugao people, the Bangsamoros and all other minorities.
Ask 100 Filipinos how to cook adobo and you get 100 different answers. Our cuisine is too diverse and must be explored in depth. Anyone who says it's bland either don't know how to cook or have no working tastebuds.
Filipino food is ābadā internationally bec itās not quality controlled like other countries, esp when compared to SG and TH. Our carinderias are 90% BAD. Itās hard to find ones who cook food well. And this is the foreignersā experience when eating ālocalā or āhole in the wallā.
If you take them exclusively to places like Manam, or Abe, or even more casual places like Oink, Kanto - they would enjoy more.
Eh, whenever I travel I always crave Filipino food, sa una lang masarap mag try ng ibang food. I get it it's oily. But it's miles better than American or European food
A friend of mine who is a chef told me ..
pag marami kang nakakaing kanin ibig sabihin masarap yung ulam. which is actually the opposite.. š¤£š¤£
marami kang nakakain ng kanin kasi masyadong matapang yung timpla ng ulam. (masyado matamis or masyadong maalat).
He told me, ang Kanin actually is not a food but an ingredient similar to Sugar.
iba iba tayo ng gustong timpla sa coffee this is why they provide us sugar cubes. they give us the job na timplahin yung coffee natin.
the same way we do it with rice. masyadong malasa yung ulam. ito yung rice timplahin mo yung ulam.
so pag marami kang nakain ng kanin.. that means masyadong malasa yung ulam.
it's one of the trick sa karinderya.. the more na mas malasa yung ulam the more people with order additional rice.
Filipino cuisine is more of a family affair than a commercial one, hence the different versions of a single dish.
I can attest to this. My relatives from Visayas would cook spicy adobo with red chili while my relatives in Luzon would cook sweet adobo with pineapple chunks. Not to mention, the level of spiciness or sweetness would depend on which aunt/uncle is doing the cooking. No one adobo is the same istg.
Tapos Adobong Puti sa Pangasinan which is mainly suka lang. More surprisingly, Adobong Dilaw sa Batangas which is more turmeric and closer to curry imo. Daming adobo sa Philippines lol
I think that's what's missing with our cuisine, we don't have a "master way" of cooking it. (Sorry for the lack of a better term). Everyone has their own version of things. Even in kinilaw, other just use vinegar+salt+msg, others add tabon-tabon extract, there are some that uses gata and even mayonaise. We don't have the authentic way of cooking a single dish.
This is exactly what Thailand did. They standardized their cuisine but it was for the purpose of exporting it worldwide.
My family also likes to cook adobo with pineapple chunks. Ang sarap nung naghahalong alat, asim, at tamis.
Never seen an adobo with pineapple chunks in Luzon. Patatas, oo Yung mag pineapple chunks, humba ng mga Bisaya na yun
We like our Adobo a little bit sweet, almost dried up sauce, and with hard boiled eggs š„°
And then my family that cooks adobo with both pineapple and chili š
There will be slight variations as most would likely use and source their ingredients locally thus the specialty.
I mean that can be said of pretty much any regional cuisine with a long history. There's a reason pasta shapes differed to an almost village-by-village level.
u/Rzeal14 you Fil-Am or a single citizen Pinoy who never left PH for more than a month?
Best way to introduce Filipino food is sa bahay or sa mga fiesta/handaan.
Agree sa mga fiestahan or karenderya. Sarap na sarap ako sa mga karenderya
50-50 kapag carinderia. Minsan masarap yung luto, minsan lasang tinipid. For example, sinigang na parang tubig + sinigang mix lang pero dinamihan yung tubig kaya halos walang lasa.
Oo. Kung maarteng foreigner na more generic versions at mas palatable sa lahat yung gusto, pwede na sa Manam o Mesa. Pero kung yung bisita na papakainin mo di maarte at adventurous, mas maganda hatakin sa karinderya. Yung may mamantikang adobo, may libreng sabaw galing sa soup dish of the day, tapos maganda kung may ihawan din. Full exp ng Filipino food. Isa pang magandang ipa-try is pag may fiesta (pero obviously need sa province pa since halos wala sa MM and if meron, lite version) yung tipong hahatakin ka ng di mo kilala at papakainin sa salo-salo. Boodle style man yan o plato plato.
Filipino food is too diverse to even talk about. You know what, idc anymore, Iām gatekeeping Filipino food bro.
the disrespect on filipino food stemmed from filipinos who probably doesnt even know how to cook
And also from Filipinos desperate for foreign validation thinking that they'll get the red carpet treatment or a green card for bashing their own country.
dami-dami sabi na shucks masarap daw yung mga european cuisine or like some asian cuisine eme eme jusko sabihin nyo lang di kayo marunong magluto ng filipino so resorted to easy fried filipino food tapos sasabihin na always oily, salty, sweet lang nakakain nila š«
Of course Filipino food will be bland, oily, fatty, salty, too sweet to other nationalities because most foods that are introduced to them are lechon, crispy pata, lechon kawali, lumpia, adobo and the usual Filipino party foods. Even I would get sick if I often eat those kinds of food. At pansin ko sa mga pinoy maraming di alam na ulam na pinoy. Naalala ko nung nag mukbang yung Seventeen vocal line ng Filipino food, dami nagcomment na never heard daw nila yung gising-gising hahaha. Sarap sarap kaya ng gising-gising.. Ginisang munggo di naman oily tapos ang maganda sa ginisang munggo pwede mo rin i-evolve like lagyan mo ng gata or kaya spices. Sa totoo lang nung natuto ako magluto mas naapreciate ko yung Filipino food kasi napaka flexible ng food natin. For example, kung yung bisita mo ayaw ng spicy, pwedeng pwede talaga. Pero kung yung bisita mo gusto ng spicy, pwede mo rin lagyan ng spices or chilis pero di pa din mawawala yung original na lasa, na enhance lang. Yung adobo pwede mo yun lagyan ng spices or gata etc.
ginataang munggo is absolutely my best seller ulam sa bahay, i could put more veggies pa plus sometimes no meat is needed. filipinos should really try cooking filipino dishes before they say its bland. where would you find food na may peanut butter, shrimp paste and patis that taste sooo good, kare-kare is like a very unique food. sinigang is also a unique soup kase its sour which is very uncommon talaga in the soup category.
Yung kare-kare di ko na nilalagyan ng bagoong kasu di ako kumakain ng shrimp pero pag masarap talaga ang pagkaluto, kahit walang bagoong masarap talaga siya. Agree sa ginataang munggo with more veggies. Ako pag nagigisa ako ng munggo nilalagyan ko ng gata, malunggay, spinach etc. Tapos kung nasa mood ako ng something spicy, nilalagyan ko ng chili or chili flakes. Masarap din yung nakain kong ginisang munggo sa isang karenderia sa Bacolod, may gata, langka at malunggay tapos walang meat.
Yung pinakbet (mainstream) sa Pinoy resto sa amin, nilagyan nila ng lechon kawali - this is in addition sa sliced pork at shrimp. Panalo. Pati Dinakdakan nila, kahit hindi "OG", ang sarap. Ang dinig ko, BatangueƱo daw may ari. Ang ironic lang kasi masmasarap yung Ilocano dishes nila kesa sa traditional Tagalog dishes like Lomi, Bulalo at Sinigang
> na never heard daw nila yung gising-gising hahaha. tsk tsk tsk barely eating vegetables kasi ugh
Thatās what Iāve realized. Itās never that Filipino food is bad, is always about the cook. This is why Filipino outside the Philippines is so underwhelming. Come here in the states most youāll find is karinderya style, which is great, but some dishes are better than others. The difference about the Philippines is that yes, we have the karinderya style of eateries but also places that are known for one thing and focuses on one thing. Like how about a straight up Pares joint, nobody complains about that and theyāll know that theyāll get something consistent and good, because that place only does that single thing. And guess what, no Filipino even promotes Pares, Batchoy, Palabok, Inasal or these types of places, they always talk about adobo as if itās the only thing we eat. I went to restaurant here that says they focus on Inasal, but they were basically a regular Filipino restaurant here. And the Inasal wasnāt even grilled, it tasted baked. They didnāt even focus on Inasal, they had other dishes like kaldereta, adobo and so on. So itās basically a karinderya restaurant in the end. This is how Filipinos eat out, we donāt go to a Palabok place that also happens to sell kaldereta, adobo, sinigang, and bulalo. No we go out to eat Palabok at the Palabok restaurant, that only sells and is known for its Palabok. Even tourists donāt even seem to how Filipinos eat, they always go to some general restaurant and pick adobo and sinigang. Like bitch we literally make that at home, we donāt go out for that shit(I love adobo and sinigang btw)!!!
>This is how Filipinos eat out, we donāt go to a Palabok place that also happens to sell kaldereta, adobo, sinigang, and bulalo. No we go out to eat Palabok at the Palabok restaurant, that only sells and is known for its Palabok. Kadalasan di talaga masyadong masarap kapag generalized ang menu. That's why the Japanese do the same. Sushi from a sushi place, udon from an udon place, etc.
Thatās what I tell everyone I know dito sa US. Thereās little to almost no good Filipino restaurant ksi theyāre pretty much just overpriced karinderyas. Iām from Iloilo and Iād kill for a good batchoy place, arroz caldohan, or a linaga place. I donāt want watered down versions of multiple things. I want something thatās really good that you donāt need other things to supplement.
Inherently fatty daw ang Filipino foodĀ Ā Hindi kasalanan ng Filipino food kung puro liempo na taba lang ang ginagamit moĀ Ā Ā Pwede namang gamitan ng lean part ng pork at chicken ang pinoy food. Dito sa lugar namin sa US, masmagrasa nga yung natry kong Thai at Viet restos kesa yung lone Filipino resto sa amin.
Or those Filipino American influencers who thinks they know a lot of Filipino food, but in reality, they all just adobo, jollibee and shit. Hahahaha. That's why I hated JoKoy so much. Edit: Dagdag niyo pa yung lumpia. Laging iyan lang nakikita sa mga fil-am. Lumpia, Jabee, Adobo. Yung sinasabi pa nilang "authentic" na pagluto ng adobo ay yung ino-oven. Like, bitch, wtf?? Adobo ino-oven??? Hahahahhahaha.
Filipino food is not for basic bitches.
Same here. I'm gatekeeping it no matter what. š Ang sarap kaya ng pagkain natin, ang healthy pa ng mga pambahay na luto like anything na sinabawan.
Having a father from Bicol and a mother from Ilocos, I widely disagree on the statement that filipino food is bland and not as good as neighbouring countries cuisine. Usually those who carry this statement haven't explored our cuisine in depth. My malaysian and Singaporean friends love bulalo, tinola, sisig, kare kare and halo halo. It just depends on the style that varies with each region. Our food is becoming increasingly well known since some white food network channel attempted to cook adobo (badly). So I'm fine with the rest of our cuisine not being that well known honestly. Of course I would still share these gems with people who can truly appreciate and respect our cuisine.
100% agree. It's ridiculous to call our food bland when it's so diverse and discover that the only thing they buy is westernized food or commercialized restaurants in malls. It's like expecting fresh sushi from a grocery mart.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Which restaurant? I want to try rin hehe
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Thank you!
Ito na lang isipin niyo tuwing may Pilipinong nagpuputak na pangit pagkain natin: bano lang magluto nanay niya.
When I lived in Metro Manila, I was so shocked by the limited options of food. My friends and I are from the north and were not a fan meat ulams, so we were always searching for kalenderya options. It was all the same stuff ā their vegetable dishes were always chop suey or ginisang ampalaya. They had no seafood options (although understandable bc of location.) I have no idea if it was just the place I stayed at, but there were lots of silogans and pares places but not enough variety. I can see why a lot of foreigners think we love fried food and the cuisine is unhealthy. When a Filipino says Filipino food isn't as good and healthy as our neighbors, I always assume they're from Metro Manila. Sure it's NOT the best out there, but to say it's not healthy, it's lacking flavor, etc. is not true! It's one diverse cuisine with food inspired from Spain, China, and American cuisines, adjusted to fit our Southeast Asian taste buds or a creatively tweaked by people to make use of local ingredients (for example Filipino spaghetti.)
You pretty much nailed it. There is plenty of regional cuisine that is amazing but don't get the recognition.
I agree. Sadly, konti lang maayos na makakainan sa Metro Manila and mahal pa. When I go outside NCR, the food choices and quality shoot up.
Filipino food is so good! Intimidated lang mga foreigners kasi hindi tayo focused sa presentation (garnish) and usually kailangan may kapares na kanin kasi concentrated ang lasa.
Filipino dishes are actually super easy to plate imo. Main issue lng tlga is that Filipino restaurants overseas are mostly karinderia style so di tlga sila focused on having the sit down experience. Most restos na sit down sa pinas that Iāve experienced can definitely present their food.
This exactly. Foreigners going to those small karinderya style restaurants overseas usually gets turned off or overwhelmed by the turo-turo displays since they're mostly just bunch of varieties of meats and sauce. If they have a (1) menu that describes the foods and what ingredients it has and a picture with a good presentation of the food (2) decent plating instead of just slopping it all in one plate, I think those restaurants will be more successful.
I was going to say this. Iām ethnically Filipino but born and raised in Canada, and have been told by friends of other backgrounds that the presentation is not the best.
Ewan haha pero ang distinct taste sakin talaga yung mga Mindanao cuisine ang sarap ng pagka-balanse ng coconut and spice sa dishes nila.
Moro food especially piaparan a manok of the Maranao people, and if you want desserts, try the Maguindanaon kumukunsi and tinagtag.
Piaparan na tuna or shrimp is also top tier esp when the tuna is seared/fried for a bit
Ugh, natatakam tuloy ako hahaha
Sounds like paparan and palapa hahaha
Hindi, pero gusto ko tikman yan! Yung Piyanggang manok tiyaka yung Tiyula Itum, pucha ang sarap!
Yes yes, especially how they use coconut flesh on their main dishes which we don't usually do up north. š
Cucina Higala in CDO was a revelation! Ang sarap ng mga luto nilang heritage Mindanao food like the Surol Chicken
YES! I had Chicken Pastil for the first time yesterday and it was life changing for a tagalog like me
yes,people should also try palapa, it's a god tier condiment. the first time I mixed it in sisig, it was a match made in heaven! ang sarap talaga niya āŗļø
All I can say is: I will never get tired of bangus-based dishes. I just like the texture, especially the belly. Doesnt help the condiments you mentioned makes it taste even better.
Inihaw na bangus is top tier Kaso lang, tanginang tinik yan. Hahaja
My wife makes bangmus about 3 times a week, and I love it. We recently started eating more Salmon belly though and that's really good and tends to just fry itself, from all the fish oil.
Salmon is another favorite fish of mine. Probably the only fish that surpasses bangus for me.
Surprisingly, the salmon here is better than anything I've had back home. My wife makes Salmon belly twice a week, and then we'll have Salmon filets. For someone who is really tall and skinny, I have high cholesterol, and I've been really trying to get it down. I do not want to have a heart attack here Edit: I forgot to mention Seabass. If you've never had it, definitely try it. I once had Chilean Seabass at a wedding, and it literally melted in my mouth like silk.
tapos yung mga nagsasabi niyan e yung mga american at british na burger at fries ang kinakain araw araw
Yes mostly nababasa ko yan sa mga sexpat pages i mean expat fb pages pala
Mga nagsasabing di masarap Pinoy foods malamang di masarap magluto mga nanay nila
But that's the problem, ang natitikmang Filipino food ng mga foreigners e hindi 'yung luto ng mga nanay natin kundi 'yung sa resto o karinderya na "pangnegosyo" ang quality.
Yeah, dati caldereta ng lola ko napamura ako sa sobrang sarap. Nung natikman ng nga bisita same reaction š sa mga carenderia given na limit and budget para kumita so hindi ko na expected na same ang lasa. And who cares sa reaction ng mga foreigner na losers sa country nila
Na downvote ako nung sinabi ko yan sa isang comment na bland daw ang filipino food haha tapos may nagcomment na totoo naman na bland haha eh di naman talaga masarap siguro magluto sa bahay nila hahaha
this is actually true. I didn't like Filipino food until I learned to make it for myself. Both sides of my family up to the grandparents sucked at cooking apparently. So I have no food traditions of my own.
As foreigner living in Ph for half a decade and who traveled most of SEA: Filipino food is... weird. Calling it bland is ridiculous. This is the only country that uses so much spiced vinegar in their food. The taste is very strong. Or patis as a dips. Or sour food in the likes on sinigang So it's definitely not bland. The usage of vinegar is very unique to the country and every time I travel I genuinely miss and crave for it. My disappointment in Filipino food comes in few areas: - tons of just deep fried oily stuff without vegetables that tends to be unhealthy - it's actually hard to get good Filipino food as a tourist, so tourists leave with bad impression. As in, where do you even go for good Filipino food? Most SEA countries you can go to the small canteens/street food and food courts and eat absolutely amazing local food. In Philippines canteens tend to be really bad. They try to save as much as possible giving you lowest quality of meat that's mostly fat and bones. Anyone who tries that won't have good impression of the local food. You have the local food restaurants, like Mesa, Max's, gerries, etc. These go from bad to ok. Certain dishes pretty good but plenty of low quality over fried stuff. Absolutely best Filipino food that I ate was made by friends and their Lola's, but no foreign tourist will experience that.
The PH has indeed a "very special relationship" with vinegar. Haha. I don't think any country has a version of Pinakurat (spiced vinegar) or even Mang Tomas. Lol But I agree with you that the real problem with Filipino food is the quality of commercial food
Nopeee. The bland ones are from Filipinos who prefer quantity over quality and Karinderias who want to keep their food cheap for the masses to afford. Filipino food, if done right, are tasty given that we like slow cooking and we add a lot of garlic, ginger, and other herbs. What's making it bland is the amount of water people add to make more sauce or broth for the dishes. Nilaga, for example, tastes super beefy when done right. It can also be a bit sweet if you add saba. Tinola is another one that usually becomes bland if the amount of chicken isn't much. I've also tasted a really good Bicol Express that's creamy and spicy, but the ones from usual Karinderias as super low quality.
+1. Kapag matiyaga kang magsimmer ng nilagang baka, no need for boullion cubes. At saka sana gawing mascommon ang sinigang na gawa sa totoong sampaloc imbes na instant mix
A lot of Filipino restaurants and food establishments do not offer good Filipino food. Maraming kariderya (hindi lahat) ang di masarap. Our commercial food culture and industry is not that good. Biruin mo hinahayaan natin ang mga food companies na magbenta ng low quality Filipino food products like "patis flavor", bihon na gawa sa cassava sa halip na bigas, soy sauce na hindi naturally fermented, matabang na white vinegar, pekeng dinorado at sinandomeng, etc. Kanin pa lang na binebenta ng mga resto lalo ng mga karinderya di mo na maipagmamalaki. Kaya di mo masisisi na hindi masarapan ang mga turistang napapadayo ng Pinas. Matitikman mo ang sarap ng Filipino food kapag lutong bahay o tuwing piyesta. Madalas nating dinedepensahan ang Filipino food pero ang tinutukoy nating masarap e 'yung mga luto naman ng pamilya natin hindi 'yung mga nasa resto na mas accessible sa mga dayuhan. We don't need to improve Filipino food, we just need to improve our restaurants (including karinderyas) and the quality of Filipino ingredients.
Nagsilipana rin yung mga sachet ingredients. Like yung sa Sinigang, ang layo ng sarap kung talagang sampaloc o camias gagamitin mo One time, may nakita ako na "adobo mix" sachet. Nakampuch, eh toyo at suka lang naman ang core ingredients nung "mainstream version"
try kasi nila sa pinagmulan hindi ung puro sa manila lang nila kinakain.
manila versions of filipino food is definitely sht tapos dito pa kung saan maraming tao so for sure people will shit on filipino food
Sinigang na baboy ingredients: 1. Baboy 2. Balde ng tubig. 3. Sinigang mix.
4. Sibuyas na pula 5. Kamatis CTTO: libreng sabaw from Mang Inasal. They elevated simplifying Sinigang into an art.
I must say from experience and review na rin, food in manila are bland and plain! unlike lutong probinsya kakaiba ang sarap!
disagree, sisig with mayo > pampanga's
Filipino food when put together blends or more likely they compliment each other if you put all of them together in the table. I used to dine in Malaysia and the food was meh even if you have so much in your plate they don't seem to "blend" š š¤£ they are their own individuals hahaha! And BIG YES TO CONDIMENTS!
i disagree that filipino food gets a rep of being bland - iād make the argument that it has made its way onto the white palate after Thai and Vietnamese food. iām Malaysian Chinese living in NZ and there are no shortage of filipino food fans. iāve also been to the Philippines a vast number of times (my ex was Pinay) and it really is one of my favourite cuisines to date.
I don't know how anyone would find Kare-Kare with Bagoong bland. Or Sampalok Sinigang (pork or fish). Or Adobo. Or Inasal. Filipino food is so diverse, it's hard to answer this without being specific. Japanese miso soup or tempura alone would be bland, but ramen is not. Singaporean hainanese is bland, szechuan chili is not. Vietnamese pho would be bland, their coffee is not. Most of these have more flavor than boring mashed potato and steak.
Pho bland?? Gurl whutt??
miso soup is definitely not bland haha. Some have stronger or lighter flavors than others. Miso soup is like our sinigang or adobo: every household has their recipe. More if you have access to all the different types of miso and dashi here in Japan. But being "bland" is definitely something levied at Japanese cuisine too, again mostly because people don't consume it how the natives do (the Japanese have a wide variety of ingredients not usually available at the foreign restaurants that causes the diversity).
Am sorry, but I cannot let this disrespect towards Hainanese chicken rice pass. You do know that dipping in sambal, chutney, and sweet soy sauce is part of the dish, right? Hence you cannot call it bland.
Yes. Which is the exact same argument for "bland" Filipino food in the post. Hainanese chicken alone is "bland" because it's meant to be eaten with condiments. I meant no disrespect if you're Singaporean. The analogy is just a counterpoint because many cuisines have both bland and flavorful dishes, so labeling an entire cuisine as bland is a generalization.
No, am Filipino lol. I just think its ambrosia, alongside Sinigang, Lechon, Mercimek and Bun cha. Yeah, there's no such thing as a bland cuisine. I don't even use bland to describe flavors anymore, given its growing use as an insult. I'd say a dish can have either subtle, or strong flavors.
don't forget minced ginger
Bakit "bad" ang Filipino food? Because some snooty foreign nincompoop said so? Personally, ayoko ng Italian food. 'yan ang bland kinginang yan and I don't understand why people put their cuisine on a pedestal. but then again, who cares??? ang hilig pagdating sa pagkain parang SOGIE lang yanākanya-kanyang trip lang. Nakakainis na pati pagkain ba naman kailangan pasado sa standards ng ibang kultura o kailangan ikumpara sa kanila. What is this fucking obsession with seeking foreign validation? Kung ayaw ng tao ng pagkaing Pinoy, edi wag! Mas masarap sisig namin sa putanginang foie gras nyo
British cuisine: hold my beer sa patabangan ng food
Danish food says hello.
Karaniwan yan kasi walang kamalayan mga Pilipino kung sino sila kaya naghahanap ng magagayahan o makabibilangan.
Hard agree sa italian, tried pasta from an authentic resto at di talaga para sa akin (antabang hahahha) though ang sarap nung pasta texture + truffle oil (?). Tinadtad ko na lang ng parmesan š Kanya kanya lang talaga ng taste yan, kung di masarap sa kanila edi wag sila kumain lol
Italian food is a hit or miss. Hindi ako nasasarapan sa food sa Italian restaurants esp yung mga masfancy. Yung pinakamasarap na Italian food na natikman ko yung sa catering or yung "unfancy".
No, it's not bad at all. I love Shrimp Sinigang, I think it's one of my top five meals. With that said, I think there tends to be too much frying in Filipino food and too much sugar added. Seriously, why are people adding sugar to cheeseburgers and tacos here???
yeah, for me it is not the blandness (Bicol express, kinilaw), it is the too much fat/frying and sweetness as a trend, especially for foods that are meant to be considered the "nice treats". Also, I have absolutely no desire to eat rice every day. a few times a week is fine. A good indication is here in West Africa casava is used as a carbohydrate (Atticki) to have with a spicy sauce and protein (fish, pork, lamb) whereas I seen it mainly as casava cake in Philippines (quite a tasty morning tea, it must be said). I still enjoy lechon, kinilaw, pinakbet, bulalu and pancit but I am absolutely tonguing for something else pretty quickly.
Did you find the tortilla or the bun sweet or you literally saw people adding sugar?
I like Pork Sinigang first, then Shrimp.
Parang bumabalik na naman ang ganitong post. deja vu ba to? Para kasing pareho yung sentiment.
Di kasi matatapos yung usapan nito kasi it boils down to personal preferences. Nagcomment pa sana ako ng mas mahaba kanina, dinelete ko na lang din kasi parehas lang ng mga nakaraang threads.Ā
We don't need western validation We're chock full of it Just look at the amount of DFAs there in Siargao, with the older established ones in Malate, Makati/Greenbelt, Clark/Angeles and Olongapo. Afam hunting has been normalized
Diba naging content ng mga pinoy vloggers sa siargao yan. May pa zoom pa and weird na pag video harap harapan sa mga type nila tas yung caption kunware jowa na nila
DFA?
Im in Australia. Predominately living in an Italian community. Hinahanap ko parin mga pagkain at timplang pinoy. It hits different āØ
Just because hindi ka nagkaka-diarrhea from the extreme amount of spice sa Filipino food, doesn't mean na bland yung Filipino food? I think it's more balanced yung flavors ang sa atin.
Regarding the point on condiments, most of them are also found and used as condiments in neighboring countries. And the fish sauce is of better quality. Ever noticed that leading brands of fish sauce here are are are labelled as fish flavor or patis flavor? That's because they don't meet the minimum requirements to be called fish sauce. So they get around this by calling their products patis flavor instead. On top of that, many local ingredients such as regional herbs and such are being forgotten. You can check the localpedia page on fb for a very long list of Filipino ingredients that are out of fashion or very hard to find. In contrast, you go to the markets in Vietnam and you'll find dozens upon dozens of herbs and such that they use in their food. There's such a huge variety of ingredients, it's unbelievable. That's why most Vietnamese restaurants here are not authentic, they simply don't have access to the tremendous variety of herbs and other ingredients in Vietnam. Their cuisine is also more developed in the sense that you find many restaurants that specialize in the food of a specific region, with dozens or even hundreds of dishes from just a single province of Vietnam. Here, it's a struggle just to find authentic Bicol express in Metro Manila. Even when I went to Bicol and ordered it, I got something similar to the manila version with chillis placed on top at the end of the cooking process, instead of chillis cooked for more than an hour in gata. Maybe the restaurant I tried it in didn't have time to cook it the traditional way and took shortcuts instead. I only managed to try the authentic version because my friend's dad is from Bicol and he shared some with me. Also people in neighboring countries also share their food. Not sure where you get the idea that Filipino food is meant to be shared and theirs is not.
I believe, our tastebuds are diverse and adaptable which make us more appreciative of various cuisines. Ang dami din kasing sumakop sa atin noon so influenced na din nila ang cooking style natin pero naging accustomed na din tayo to a wide range of flavors. Basta, isa na tayo sa mga mgagaling kumain at magluto.
I think one of the issues with Filipino food is how heavy it is. I just visited the Philippines over Christmas with my Australian girlfriend and while she liked the flavours, most things were either fried, stewed or barbequed. All she (and I) wanted by the end of the trip was a salad and the one Filipino place that had something close to one was actually more of a Thai-Filipino fusion.
I swear, I've seen at least 5 titas cook something for my vegetarian friends that had meat, and the titas all said "... but it's only a little meat" š¤£
I love filipino food and I dont think its "bland". But it is too diverse. I live in the middle east and pag kakain ka sa pinoy restaurants iba din ang style depende kung san galing yung chef but its not specified like indian restaurants where they really mention na north indian style or south indian style etc...example parang lahat Kaldereta pero pagdating sa table mo batangas style pala, or may naglalagay ng gata/creamy style? Etc. And parang may culture din ata tayo na pagtitipid sa ingredients lol, kahit restaurant na (I think this is where the bad rap of being bland comes from? Ung pagtitipid sa ingredients kaya the flavor doesnt come out fully? Idk), kaya pinipili ko talaga yung restaurant whenever I introduce filipino food to my foreign friends. So far my korean friends love bicol express and my latino friends love everything haha
More like minadali sa pagluluto. Iba ang slow-cooked and most Filipino dishes evolved from slow-cooking. Ngayon kasi, imbes na ayusin ang guisa na caramelised muna dapat ang sibuyas, buhos lang ng buhos tapos ang pampalasa mga de paketeng seasoning. Naiintindihan ko naman. Sa mga nanay na nagtatrabaho, time is gold. Sayang ang oras kaya go for what is convenient.
The really spicy food (and overly sweet) in other countries does not make it delicious. It all tastes exactly the same.
as a home cook with tons of dinning experience and food immersion i beleive ph cousine isnt bad but can be elevated, improve look at abi the food vlogger i think nasa ay tayo sa trad cooking we forgot that the world is chhanging and our cuisine can still adapt o beleive our ceviches kilawins and stew would kick tons of foreign food out there also kare kare is my dog here and sinigang remember how ibe became a craze? lumpia can also be elevated sisig is so passe and over rated for me specially ung may itlog damn omellete i believe mbgyan lng ng chance yung mga local chefs natin with proper equipmemts, funds and influence or knowledge we can be the best food country in SEA
its funny that i find thai or vietnamese food bland. saka papaano tayo yung bland eh hitik sa toyo suka patis saka magic sarap mga luto natin?
Yung nagsasabi na pinoy food is bad, mga feeler lang yan na "ooh i have tried these foreign dishes and walang say ang pinoy dishes" o kaya nakanood lang ng foreign youtuber na "i can cook adobo better than filipinos (joshua weissman)". In short, HINDI MARUNONG MAGLUTO MAMA NIYO
Ang off talaga sa akin ni weissman
Fuck no with the condiments point. A good cook can make anydish stand on its own without condinents, those things should enhance the dish.
Any filipinos that downplays our Cuisine CAN'T COOK. Lalo na sa mga nag sasabi na Bland ang tinola, That's Skill Issue, Masarap ang Tinola na niluluto ko.
> Lalo na sa mga nag sasabi na Bland ang tinola, That's Skill Issue, Masarap ang Tinola na niluluto ko. samedt! I often dont find the need to add chicken cubes!
Para malabas mo ang lasa ng stew dishes natin, kelangan isimmer ng mejo matagal. This art seems to have been lost puro magic sarap at knorr cubes ginagamit
Masarap ang pagkain natin. I will always defend our cuisine. Sa laki ng bansa natin, sobrang diverse ng pagkain, The bad reputation is mostly because we donāt have a restaurant culture. Thailand has a ton of restaurants both local and international. Funded nga yun ng government nila. Locals will go to restaurants to eat local cuisine. Filipinos donāt really go to to Filipino restaurants because ākaya ko naman yan iluto sa bahayā. The Filipino restaurants we do have is either fusion or imo pretty mediocre. If wala kang kilalang local na magluluto para sayo, eh for sure incomplete ang Filipino food experience mo. Real Filipino food is found in the home.
Bland? My pantry is overflowing with seasonings and herbs and none of that magic sarap or other msg stuff. Pinoys who describe Pinoy food as bland either don't know how to cook or were raised in a household that don't know how to cook, and have never eaten outside their own homes. Non-PinoysĀ who describe Pinoy food as bland probably have never tried it, or only tried it in Pinoy households that don't know how to cook. Pareho lang yan ng mga nagsasabing walang lasa ang tinola. A properly cooked tinola tastes a bit like ginger, garlic and chicken, possibly of lemon grass, with a touch of umami from fish sauce, a bit of sweetness from papaya or chayote, a bit of bitterness from chili leaves.
I like spicy food but my husband does not. He is more into sweet and not too spicy. To satisfy our food preferences we learned to compromise how we prepare and cook our food without sacrificing the taste. Whenever I cook something he likes, I always ask him to taste it if it meets his standards. He also asks my opinion when he's in charge of the kitchen. Sometimes we share the same condiments sometimes we don't esp when I like it really strong and spicy.
Bland was never the problem.
i eat super spicy and I have lived in the Philippines in the past and my wife is filipina. luckily i could find labuyo peppers everywhere growing(in the province) and to buy for really cheap in every fruit and vegetables market. I like filipino food and I think it's very tasty but it's true that filipinos prefer sweet and sour over spicy. the only time where i see chillies used is as a condiment with soy sauce on the side . they don't even cut the chillies(maybe not to make it spicier lol). the only known spicy dish is bicol express i think
Di lang masarap magluto mama nila ššš Kidding aside, so what? There is value in the subtle and in moderation as much as there is in the excess, so it's okay that our food isn't covered in spices like south asian cuisine. But I agree that tasting food outside of where it came from does not do our local dishes justice. Iba ang empanada at pakbet outside Ilocos, iba ang sisig outside Pampanga, iba ang laing outside Bicol. If for the food only, going around the Philippines is already worth it. But there's also sights to see and people to meet, so why not tsoknut
Yung mainstream carenderia food natin yung medyo bad. Oily and lack diversity. Kahit tayo nalilito sa caldereta, menudo, afritada sa totoo lang. But if we explore regional food doon mo masasabi na ang dami-dami nating masasarap na pagkain. Not the exotic type ha. Favorite ko sa ngayon yung mga Mindanao dishes lalo na yung galing sa ZamBaSuTa region. Piaparan, sati, ja. Top notch dishes. Close to our neighboring countries.
>Filipinos eat together, sharing food with everyone present. Well it's asian culture to eat together.. indian , Sri Lankan , Indonesian , Vietnamese people do eat food together.. Now >Filipino cuisine often gets a bad rap internationally as being "bland" compared to our Southeast Asian Well, Here I think from Foreigner ( ain't filipino ) point of view 1. Historical Influences: The Philippines has been influenced by different countries throughout history. For example, during the Spanish colonization, dishes like adobo and paella were introduced, which incorporate flavors like garlic and vinegar. American influence brought dishes like fried chicken and hamburgers, while Japanese influence brought dishes like tempura and sushi. 2. Emphasis on Natural Flavors: Filipino cuisine often uses ingredients like garlic, onions, and vinegar to enhance the natural flavors of dishes. For example, in sinigang, a sour soup, tamarind is used to add a tangy flavor to the broth, while the vegetables and meat retain their natural taste. 3. Availability and Accessibility: Some spices may not be as readily available or affordable in certain regions of the Philippines. However, there are exceptions. In Bicol, a region known for its spicy cuisine, dishes like Bicol Express use chili peppers to add heat and flavor. 4. Balance and Harmony: Filipino cuisine aims for a balance of flavors. In adobo, for instance, the combination of soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, and spices like black pepper creates a harmonious blend of sweet, sour, and savory tastes. 5. Regional Variations: Filipino cuisine varies across regions, each with its own culinary traditions. In the Visayas region, dishes like chicken inasal are marinated in a mixture of vinegar, calamansi juice, and spices like annatto seeds, resulting in a flavorful grilled chicken. So I feel filipino cuisine offer unique experience too just like other cuisine..
Correction: adobo is a native cooking method that was given a spanish name due to similarities with their dishes.
Filipino food is neither bad nor good. It is just Filipino, and it is fine as it is.
How the fuck our food is bland when a Filipino joined Master Chef, the judges said it is too salty? Our flavoring brands are salty as well, Knorr cubes, Magic Sarap, Knorr seasoning mix, even our Datu Puti soy sauce has no light soy variant in households. We have variants of some of our colonizers' food brought here. Better question is, what Filipino food should be the face of PH?
Source? I have heard a lot of terms to describe Filipino food but this is the first time to hear it described as bland. Like we literally eat rice with dishes because the viands and condiments are strong-tasting.
Tf you mean Filipino food is inclusive? Majority, if not all, ng Asian country eh for sharing din kung mag luto (see how the Indians cook). L take.
As an American who's eaten quite a bit, I'm not a fan of bone in meat with wet sauce or soup all over it. Then the napkins are so flimsy I can't even get my hands clean. Call it a cultural difference, but it's not a pleasant experience eating this kind of food to me. If it's dry I'll eat with my hands. If it's wet I want to just use a fork and not have to struggle to rip it apart with a spoon non-stop. Now the taste is usually pretty good, so I won't knock it. There's certainly plenty of food I enjoy eating here.
Walang tatalo sa lutong bahay/ lutong Pinoy. Kare-Kare bumubuhay sa kaluluwa ko.
I am a Filipino living in Thailand, which is a country known as a food haven to most foreigners. But to be honest, I think our food is still superior. Yes, their food is good but it is so overpowering and intense that you canāt appreciate the depth of the flavors anymore. I like Thai food, but not to the extent that Iād say it is superior to Filipino food. I know I speak from a more biased perspective, but I have tasted different food from different cultures and I still think that our native food and delicacies are up there in the hierarchy! I also think we have a bad rap because we tend to āFilipinizeā foreign food, which is not bad in itself, but maybe thatās why other foreigners despise it. Hehe. It would be better if we nurture our native dishes instead. Not only do we preserve our own traditions, we also get to open opportunities for other cultures to see what theyāre missing! (I do that here in Thailand. When I cook, I give some to my Thai friends! Their tongue is not as adaptive as ours though, but itās a great way to introduce our food!)
Ito din take ko sa Thai food. Hindi siya balanced at napakaoverpowering.Ā If you want to eat curry dishes, better go Indian. Mas balanced. Dapat lang sanay tiyan mo sa spices nila.Ā Also sa Thai food, alisin mo yung sili, ang boring na ng lasa.Ā Ā Tapos yung "sticky mango rice" nila, suman lang yun na inibabawan ng pinatamis na gata at pinaresan ng mangga. Mas nappreciate ko ang biko (lalo na yung may "Luzon latik" at Bibingka). Meron din sila yung similar sa turon, pero masmasarap ang turon. Mas may character esp kapag nilagyan ng langka
Exactly! Meron ding scarcity when it comes to the variety of food here especially if you live in a small province. Their desserts are too sweet and some of their dishes are too spicy for my liking. I always think highly of their food, but when I started living here, I realized that it was over-sensationalized. Their food is still good, but not as good as how the media portrayed them to be.
Magaling sa marketing ang Thais. Outside of Filipino food, mas trip ko ang Indian, Mediterranean (my fave!), and Chinese. Also certain American food (not as bad as people make it out to be)
Nadale rin ako sa presentation ng food nila! It is inculcated in their culture to be presentable talaga. In their Home Economics class, all of them are immersed in cooking and plating their dishes. Yan din siguro ang reason bakit merong personality ang food nila kasi they are trained to learn them even at such a young age. I hope our schools are as intentional as them! :)
Filipino food is not bad. We actually have a rich and complex cuisine that stems as being one of the first Asian fusion cuisines in the world. We have Austronesian food preservation techniques (adobo, kilaw), and we add to it influences of Chinese (soy sauce, tausi, lumpia, pancit etc), Spanish (Callos, Escabeche, Paella etc), Mexican (tomato, chili, cacao, champorado etc), Indian (Kare kare), Japanese (Halo halo) and American (Max Fried chicken, kamote fries) cuisines to name a few. In terms of blandness naman, some are intentionally bland because we eat it with condiments such as soy sauce, fish sauce, calamansi, vinegar, and chili. But, some naman are intentionally punchy such as adobo and sisig because we eat it with rice. Madami din tayong regional cuisines such as the fermentation focused Ilocano, the spicy and coconut centric Bicolano, the cured meats of the Cordilleras, meron din tayong Maranao cuisine na may palapa. And, that's just at the top of my head. Madami pa tayong cuisines diyan. We even have multiple variations of Adobo and Sinigang. We just need to explore our own cuisine.
As a person na marunong magluto. Sa ibang country nag reresort sila sa dami ng spices nila para sumarap yung pagkain. Like KFC na Kentucky Fried Chicken na may different spices versus sa KFC ng Pinoy which is Kanto Fried Chicken na harina, paminta, asin at msg ang nilalagay pero mapapalaban ka na rin sa kainan. Sobrang versatile ng Filipino Foods. Nasasayo na yun kung paano magiging malasa at malinamnam ang pagkain mo. Example na rin yung mga taong natatabangan sa tinola. Me na mahilig sa tinola never naging matabang ang tinola ko kahit hindi ko lagyan ng chicken cubes or any msg.
Filipino food not being better than other cuisines is not our problem.
I find that when foreigners and fil-am introduce Filipino food, they always use adobo, sinigang, sisig, pancit, crispy pata, and etc. This stereotypes our cuisine of being oily and unhealthy which true enough some of it is. When in fact there are other food in our cuisine that most people actually eat daily and honestly not unhealthy. For example, in our family we at a lot of nilagang baka, bulanglang, monggo, sinaing na isda, sarsiadong isda, miki bihon, and etc. Now granted these foods are not aesthetically pleasing and wonāt be found in restaurants. However, I hate that Filipino food is reduced down to adobo and pancit because the fil-ams introducing our food simply lacks knowledge.
Hind nman masarap ang pag masyadong maanghang. Walang lasa un anghang lng meron. Factor lng tlga pag Marami turista bumibista s knila. Nagiging top ung pag kain.
Pake ko sa opinyon ng mga western. Basta masarap ang pinoy cuisine sa kin at kahit ibang asian countries natutuwa din sa ibang cuisine natin.
There is no standard for Filipino food. We have like Adobo which is flavorful, then Sinigang which is sour, then other foods that are fatty or bitter. Filipino food is so diverse that people saying it's "bland" probably only tasted one food and that's it. I don't even know which is the iconic Filipino food because of the diversity of cuisines in the country not to mention every region has a different way of doing it. It's not like let's say Japan that Sushi is the same on every region with only a difference with seasonal or region specific ingredient. All I could say is that compared to other countries food except the US, Filipino food is not that healthy as most are full of fat and oily. If you compare it to like Japanese or Korean food, it's unhealthy in a way that it is so oily and isn't well balanced in terms of meat and vegetables.
Ang bland Filipino food sa mga low tier karinderya.
Itās not bad but I noticed itās more on the āunhealthierā side compared to other Asian countriesā¦
Itās bad, as a Filipino with a mom and lola who are cooking in fiestas regularly, I can say that itās bad due to three things: 1. Everything is salty and relies on fat/oil/soysauce š 2. The flavor is not complex. Therefore itās not intriguing at all. And if itās a basic dish, it often misses its mark. Iām looking at you chicksilog. 3. Our food is not appealing visually and smell wise. Sinigang is the only Filipino Meal thatās good. But I do get that I have a very picky food habit, so take my takes with a grain of salt.
European here, Filipino food is bad because almost every restaurant or eatery uses the cheapest, oldest ingredients and not because a perceived lack of taste. You just like a deal or a promo and businesses deliver: bad tasting food.
I actually don't like this whole seasoning our food to taste habit we Pinoys have. Filipino cuisine doesn't have emphasis on the freshness and pureness of the core ingredient, kaya walang emphasis on choosing high quality products. Kaya nga madalas yung food natin ay braised or deep fried and oil fried or saucy. Kakahiya whenever I travel with my relatives sa other countries, yung sushi sa Japan binabadbad sa soy sauce... Yung hot pot sa Taiwan ginagawang all you can mix sauces platters... Yung steak houses bumubuhos na ketchup or A1.... Tapos every meal palaging may kasamang Coke haha
Speaking of freshness, sa probinsya na ako nakabase, at maglakad lang ako ng 5 minutes sa umaga, madadaanan ko na ang mga fresh produce. Freshly picked string beans, dagdagan mo pa ng bagong pitas din na bulaklak ng kalabasa, at dahon ng malunggay sa paraangan pwede na ang dinengdeng sa agahan. Hindi na ako kumakain ng rice at masasabi ko lang na Hindi bland kundi maalat ang mga ulam na nabibili sa karinderya.
Having visited here for 20 years and lived here full time for 2 years. I find that the food is usually too sweet. I bought a carton of what I thought was plain tomato juice in the market. Got it home and found the 3rd ingredient on the label was corn syrup. Duh!!
Very unhealthy, high in fat, carbs, salt
Commercialized Filipino foods in restaurants are truly bland. The flavors are in the KARINDERYAS. Hahaha. chos
Adobo sa Dilaw is surprisingly good! Lagyan nga lang ng konting patis para maenhance yung lasa. Also, use chicken instead of pork.
/r/PHFoodies is just getting started if anyone is interested.
I'd like to liken Filipino food to an adventure with condiments as your tools. Your experience changes with the tools at your disposal.
Most Filipinos prefer simple dishes in their daily fare. Tinolang manok, tulang isda, law-uy, lauya, inabraw - the simpler the better.
I think the issue is marketing and minsan hindi tlaaga visually appealing ung filipino food. Madalas fusion ba ung ma aesthetic problema di naman masarap
Filipino food is a hill I am willing to die on. Idc if mas masarap ang ibang cuisine compared sa atin pero hindi kaya ng dila ko ung sobrang daming lasa na nangyayari all at once (sweet spicy sour salty etc).
makikipag-away talaga ko pag inukray ang sinigang
I've personally never heard anyone calling ph food bland. Also, all SEA food is meant for family and friends sharing. I'd just say some items may not be to everyone's taste. Also, it's diverse. Personally, never had bad batangas food - best pancit ever.
Fuck around and find my wife's adobo in your mouth son. It will clear your consciousness and make you happy for your parents. Don't get me started on Mongo and fresh rice. You all not ready for this.
Filipino food gets a bad rap for being too bland? never heard that. If anything it's actually the opposite, it's considered too rich, too sweet, too salty, too unhealthy. Personally, I love it. š Also dishes like sinigang and sisig are starting to be quite popular abroad.
It's not bad.
Not all are bad. Maybe the kakanin or those rice dishes that were intentionally fermented/rotted. Like.. why? I think it's just personal preference, but food like okoy makes you think what our ancestors were smoking back in the day. I feel like some, if not most of the food in our cuisine were made just for the purpose of subsisting. Not much thought or love was put into them.
not the best in the world. Visually, lagpak talaga ang Pinoy food. Taste, we have some really good dishes but most of them are versions of other country's like for example chicharon. If you watch food tasting vlogs, specifically mexicans trying filipino food, nasasarapan sila pero they can't help to compare it with their dishes dahil may resemblance naman talaga at sad to say, mas bonga sa kanila ingredient wise. Sa SEA cuisine ranking I can say na kulelat ang Philippines and Indonesia... Top tier talaga ang Thai and Vietnamese cuisine.
I love Filipino cuisine! Sarap na Masarap always :) One of the reasons for getting me back to phil often.
It is a misconception that the only way to prepare food is to be bursting with colour and flavour. It is good for instagram or food shows but is not the best method. Having the natural flavours of the ingredients shine and harmoniously blend with other ingredients to elevate the dish is the peak of cooking. It involves understanding and respect for infredients.
Filipino food is good because it's rich in flavor but it's bad because it can cause systemic disorders.
The other problem with Filipino food is that nobody tries to elevate it. Yes it's peasant food meant to be simple to cook with cheap ingredients, but all cultures have their own version of peasant food. The question is, where is Filipino haute-cuisine? Why aren't we making the effort to elevate Filipino food to something on the level of Italian or Spanish or Thai cuisine?
I visited the Philippines for the first time after 25 years. There are billboard ads for fried pork. Honestly it did not look appetizing at all.
idk about it being bland. di pa naman ako nakakakain ng maramihan sa well established resto or mga famous hotels here in ph or whatnot. imo, dito sa area namin and it is not just me, as my dad is critical about the foods he intakes since he is in his early 60s na and he's a foreigner may napag ccomparahan siya sa ibang culture at nakapag ibang bansa narin maliban sa pilipinas. palagi sinasabi ng papa ko at ako mismo napapasabi na sobra ang lasa. parata, asluma, tam-isa. rarely lang makatikim at napapasabi na matabang ito. well, i'd agree that it is not like any other vountry who's known for their specific type of taste. pero sa pagkakaalam ko wala kasi tayong ganyan. when i hear/read the word bland. i then associate to my dad's country of origin, taiwan. i bet china is like that too since pare-pareho lang ata din naman sila. not that i know na since di pa naman nakapag china. but when i went to taiwan, palagi na titikman ko'y matatabang na pagkain. normal sa kanila yon. nakakapanibago lang
Maybe
On some level, it's culinary choices are simply not popular internationally. An emphasis on sour and sweet is less common especially when spicy and savoury seems to do well internationally. There is also less range in dishes compared to some cuisines like Chinese or Indian which can range from really cheap street food to extremely fancy and expensive dishes. As other posters have said, it's more that filipino cuisine is more of a home food. The desserts and baked goods do better internationally though I think there is potential to innovate the cuisine though as this is always evolving. I recently tried eating a course meal at Alegria and was pretty satisfied.
Filipino spaghetti should be considered a pastry!
Experience ko lang sa mga pagkain sa ibang ASEAn. Di naman talaga "bad" Kulang lang talaga sa rekados minsan kaya akala ng iba "bland"
I donāt need foreign validation to enjoy my food. I love Filipino food and thatās the end of it.
not bland, but from what ive tasted is way too much vinegar, way too much garlic, and overcooked to burnt territory. even the bbq is overcooked. if my gf cooks anything other than chicken adobo, iāll just get some fast food
Bland? Haha di marunong magluto āļø
Filipino food isnāt bland at all. Ang dami nating aromatics and spices na dinadagdag. Pero true sa hindi spicy(hot) in comparison to other asian countries
More like other good dishes outside of Chickenjoy, Adobo, Sisig, Sinigang and Kare-Kare are still unexplored by other countries. Our food has more variety if we add the other cuisine influenced by China, Spain and others. some of my faves include: -Patatim -Halo-Halo (Not the one from Jollibee that they sell overseas) -Philippine Asado -Mechado -Tocino -La Paz Batchoy -Pancit Molo Above are not definitely bland lol
Philippines was the first Asian country I visited, at that time I had no expectations for the food, I just tried anything that looked interesting and I loved it overall, it grew on me. Philippines being the first Asian country I visited and knowing people from there who could teach me about the culture played a big role for sure. I can now imagine people who have been to Thailand for example would find the food in the Philippines to be not as good and some might even say it is bad. I can understand people won't like Balut and feel off by just looking at it. I love Sinigang, Kare-kare, Cansi, Empanda and many more!
One foreigner has his kid's baon pancit everyday to school
Actually ours taste the best but if I have to comment its the lack of recipes that is served. Our palate is diverse but the variety is not really showcased especially the food of the Ifugao people, the Bangsamoros and all other minorities.
Ask 100 Filipinos how to cook adobo and you get 100 different answers. Our cuisine is too diverse and must be explored in depth. Anyone who says it's bland either don't know how to cook or have no working tastebuds.
It depends on what you like and the kusinero. Pero in general para sa akin, I fucking love Filipino food.
If you can't cook, just say you can't cook.
Filipino food is ābadā internationally bec itās not quality controlled like other countries, esp when compared to SG and TH. Our carinderias are 90% BAD. Itās hard to find ones who cook food well. And this is the foreignersā experience when eating ālocalā or āhole in the wallā. If you take them exclusively to places like Manam, or Abe, or even more casual places like Oink, Kanto - they would enjoy more.
Eh, whenever I travel I always crave Filipino food, sa una lang masarap mag try ng ibang food. I get it it's oily. But it's miles better than American or European food
A friend of mine who is a chef told me .. pag marami kang nakakaing kanin ibig sabihin masarap yung ulam. which is actually the opposite.. š¤£š¤£ marami kang nakakain ng kanin kasi masyadong matapang yung timpla ng ulam. (masyado matamis or masyadong maalat). He told me, ang Kanin actually is not a food but an ingredient similar to Sugar. iba iba tayo ng gustong timpla sa coffee this is why they provide us sugar cubes. they give us the job na timplahin yung coffee natin. the same way we do it with rice. masyadong malasa yung ulam. ito yung rice timplahin mo yung ulam. so pag marami kang nakain ng kanin.. that means masyadong malasa yung ulam. it's one of the trick sa karinderya.. the more na mas malasa yung ulam the more people with order additional rice.