You’ve probably heard it said that the proper way to eat soup is to scoop it with the spoon away from you. In the West that’s what the spoon is for. It is not for scooping up the rice off the plate. If you remember the controversy in Canada two years ago, that was what got Luc Cagadoc in trouble. In school, he ate with a spoon and fork the way we normally do here and he was told by the principal that it was disgusting.
But table etiquette differs from one culture to another. And people have personal styles too when it comes to eating. So, this entry is about how to eat a sandwich made with two slices of loaf bread. Note that I didn’t eat this particular sandwich this way just for the heck of blogging about it. This is really how I eat my sandwich — how I’ve eaten sandwiches for as long as I can remember — but only when it is made with two slices of loaf bread. If it’s made with a bun, I have a different style.
Start by eating the corners.
Like so…
Then, bite off the protruding parts…
…all four of them.
Nibble on the rough edges…
… all around…
… until you have a perfect circle.
Then, eat the sandwich like any other Juan and Juana would.
Bite it on the top…
… or on the sides. Hold the sandwich up high between bites in case the cat comes in because she smelled the tantalizing tuna filling.
And that’s it. If I were a kid in school and some principal punished me for eating my sandwich that way, I’d tell him he’s just envious because he doesn’t have personal style. 
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belle 09.17.08 at 12:45 pm
i eat the edges of the bread first too, so when i get to the middle part, that’s where all the “palaman” is!
anyway, i took a spanish friend of mine to the Filipino restaurant here. she liked the food, but what really surprised her was our use of spoons. she said in her country, it is considered rude to use a spoon except for soups. i told her it was perfectly normal in the Philippines. she asked “so you mean, even the president of the Philippines eats with a spoon?” her shock was genuine and non-judgmental, and i can tell that to her, it is really out-of-this-world.
i even went on to tell her we also eat with our bare hands. her eyes were as big as saucers, but said she admired that we can eat without any pretensions.
i guess it’s really a cultural thing, like my office mates can’t believe i eat rice for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every single day. it’s good that the people i’ve met so far are not rigid and are open to new things and ideas. as long as nobody gets hurt, i believe everyone should mind their own plates! =)
peterb 09.17.08 at 1:03 pm
Haha….nice Connie! Do you remember why you started eating it that way? Now i realize that how boring i eat my sandwich. Eating a sandwich tomorrow for breakfast will really make think about this post.
Eating a sandwich with style while watching Tomb Raider. Right?
Connie Veneracion 09.17.08 at 1:12 pm
Belle, that’s it — it’s like saving the best for last so the edges get eaten first. HAHAHA O, di ba, it makes sense.
peterb, no, I can’t remember anymore. When I was still working, people in the office thought it was weird. LOL And, yes, that’s Tomb Raider. My daughters are down with some bug. Actually, we all are. Colds, cough, scratchy throat, slight fever…
Nikita 09.17.08 at 1:57 pm
Very interesting! Like peterb, I will be thinking about you and this article the next time I eat a sandwich.
I hope you and the girls start feeling better ASAP.
Connie Veneracion 09.17.08 at 2:09 pm
Thanks, Nikita. Speedy brought home the bug last week. He was unable to go to work for 4 days, grabe. At least ako, I can still move around. The girls… naku, so many food requests but they hardly eat.
pinayhekmi 09.17.08 at 2:18 pm
Feel better! I like the way you eat your sandwich. I go from the top down evenly. Heheh. What’s the palaman in your sandwich?
Connie Veneracion 09.17.08 at 2:34 pm
Tuna salad and cream cheese hehehe That’s why the cat came up — she could smell! LOL
Miguk 09.17.08 at 3:22 pm
I usually cut mine diagonally. No matter how many we have, it is still a snack according to the missus because there is no rice hahahaha.
Jannesse 09.17.08 at 3:38 pm
Perfectly done! Applause… applause…
kreez 09.17.08 at 5:35 pm
after seeing you eat your sandwhich i feel that the way i eat sandwhich is too boring from top to bottom hehe
BlogusVox 09.17.08 at 7:19 pm
Try eating a hamburger that way Ms.Sassy. : )
bertN 09.17.08 at 8:23 pm
Now that you blogged about it, I’m trying to think if I eat my sandwich (made of two slices of loaf bread with the “goodies” in between) in any particular way LOL. I know my first bite automatically goes to the area where the “palaman” shows a little of itself or is ready to fall off. The second to the final bite? I’ll have to make a note of how I do it next time I eat a sandwich LOL.
JMonreal 09.17.08 at 8:30 pm
The first four bites are perfect. I’ll do the same - no need to make the sign of the cross then.
Chicken noodle soup is always good for colds and flu, warm kalamansi juice with honey (not sugar) is good for cough and scratchy throat …plus rest and lots of fluids or water. Don’t forget the power of the “Secret”. Get better soon - everybody.
sheng 09.17.08 at 9:50 pm
Ms. Connie. You’re so cute. I like you! Haha…
Carol B. 09.18.08 at 12:10 am
This entry is so funny!
I think I eat mine the way bertN does. I can copy your style kung homemade ang sandwich pero kung bibilin ko sa store parang hindi uubra. Palagay ko magagalit ang tagalinis dahil magiging napaka messy dahil kada ikot ng sandwich may malalaglag na palaman. Super kapal kasi ng palaman dito - meat, sauces, veggies, sometimes cheese.
BatJay, Ang OFW na Mabait 09.18.08 at 5:17 am
mayroon din akong entry sa kung paano kumain ng strawberry - very similar sa pagkain mo ng sandwich: eccentric.
Tom 09.18.08 at 9:11 am
Looks to me like your having the munchies.
Abaniko 09.21.08 at 3:43 pm
Hahahaha. And I thought you’re about to give a serious lesson on sandwich eating. Kung style man lang ang pag-uusapan, I want my way to be the most uncommon. Kakainin ko muna ang gitna. Pagkatapos butasan ang gitna, ngangatngatin ko ang edges hanggang mag-korteng doughnut ang sandwich. Tapos, paghihiwalayin ko ang dalawang pisngi at kakainin ko ang palaman. Tapos itatapon ang ang natitirang tinapay. Oo, nahirapan nga ako at nagsayang ng konting tinapay pero pakialaman nila. Style ko to. LOL.
Connie Veneracion 09.21.08 at 11:11 pm
Mahirap yata kung unang kagat eh sa gitna ah. Paano yun — medyo itutulak ng daliri yung gitna para naka-usli at nang mas madali kagatin?
Tom 09.21.08 at 11:28 pm
Now you’re beginning to turn me on.
Grace 09.23.08 at 1:07 pm
Omigosh! That’s how I eat a sandwich - all around the edges first. Although I do the same for buns too.
Gay 09.26.08 at 1:02 pm
I agree with the “save the best for last” so I eat the sandwich like yours, though not at the corners but rather make a circle. Then the rest taste like the palaman. I don”t like the edges so I eat them first. Like, get them over first then enjoy!