Philippine cuisine has been influenced by Chinese， Malay， Spanish， Mexican， American， and Indian The staple of Filipino food is rice， usually served with pig， seafood， chicken， and/or native fruits， and the ever-present dipping Filipinos love to eat， and since they're naturally hospitable and gregarious， food is the basis of their social Because the feeling of fulfillment after eating rice， their staple ingredient， is relatively short-lived， they eat three meals a day and two snacks in Filipinos， especially country folk， rise Some will eat a segundo almuerzo (second breakfast) around 10:30， plus a merienda， or mid-afternoon Rural folk eat their main meal at midday， while city dwellers emphasize the evening The diet of poor families is usually rice， fish， vegetables， interspersed with starchy At fiesta time， all families try to eat Since few provincial households own a refrigerator， ingredients are customarily either fresh or Housewives go to the market daily to buy their immediate Leftovers rarely remain after a Extra food is eaten by servants， helpers， and hangers-on， and scraps go to the dog or Food isn't served in courses; people like the complete meal laid out before them so that they can eat simultaneously from all dishes—soup， meat， and vegetables—at Cooks provide condiments， flavorings， and dipping sauces to be used at the diner's Food is eaten with a fork in one hand and a spoon in the other， knives are seldom Rural Filipinos prefer to use their Some upscale native restaurants in Manila serve food this way (kamayan-style)HospitalityA stranger passing Filipinos who are eating will automatically be invited to "come and " It's polite to say you've already If people insist， or if there's an abundance of food such as at a wedding or fiesta， then by all means Don't accept the first It's better to point out how inconvenient it would be for the host， or to make a polite excuse， then wait to see if you're pressed It's the Filipino way， enabling the visitor to gauge whether an invitation is genuine or Travelers should always take into account the reverence Filipinos have for Regular mealtimes are strictly When visiting a home， you'll be offered food and It's polite to wait to be urged to sit at the table or begin If you don't like the food， eat a little and make an excuse rather than reject it Guests leave a little food on the plate to indicate they're
