We put celebrities on such a high pedestal that it’s hard to imagine them doing normal, everyday things like going grocery shopping, doing the laundry, or eating with their hands. What we seem to forget is that they’re humans just like us and they do the same things we do.
Take for example this fancy celebrity dinner, where hosts Boy Abunda, Bianca Gonzalez, and Drew Arellano, socialite Tessa Prieto-Valdes, comedienne AiAi delas Alas, advocate James Deakin, basketball player LA Tenorio, and entrepreneur Neri Miranda, gathered together in their best evening wear. They were to have a sumptuous dinner prepared by celebrity chef JP Anglo. But there was a catch. It was a dinner with no utensils.
Watch the video of the dinner below:
Everyone looked confused at first, with Tenorio asking, “Ano mangyayari dito?” (“What’s going to happen here?”). When waiters arrived carrying covered trays, the room buzzed with excitement, only for the guests to be even more confused when the staff removed their utensils. The trays? They were portable sinks. Of course, before ditching the utensils, you have to wash your hands first. According to Anglo, “pag protektado ang kamay, mas masarap ang kamayan” (“Eating with no utensils taste so much better when you wash your hands”).
They were then presented with the dinner menu: crispy danggit, suman adobo, laing, kalabasa balls, and piyaya sandwiches. These Filipino classics are reinvented by the rock star chef to give it an elevated feel.
Even when they washed their hands, the celebrities didn’t know what to do at first. After an awkward pause, Tenorio broke the silence by digging in. From then on, it was clearly an enjoyable dinner punctuated with an interesting conversation on eating kamayan-style.
There’s a stigma to eating without utensils because it looks like you’re too hungry. But Delas Alas doesn’t seem to care, saying that she’ll eat with her hands when she wants to. Gonzalez acknowledges their role as influencers, saying that if Prieto-Valdes is seen doing it, it would be considered cool.
Abunda said it best: eating with your hands is part of the Filipino identity. It’s part of our culture to eat meals together, kamayan-style, regardless of your socioeconomic background. As these celebrities showed, even the rich and famous can enjoy mealtime with their hands. And as long as you have clean hands, the meal is bound to taste better. There doesn’t seem to be a scientific explanation as to why it happens. It just does.
When it comes to enjoying #GoKamayan, your best bet is Safeguard’s liquid hand soap, which kills up to 99.9% of germs. Try handwashing the next time you eat so you can enjoy your meal like the stars in the video. Celebrities… they’re just like us!
Do you enjoy eating with your hands? Share your thoughts and experiences below!
