IT is probably an open secret by now that some of the country’s brightest minds work in the foreign chambers, which seek to strengthen relationships between the Philippines and the country or countries they represent.

These Filipinos are early risers, hard working, critical thinkers, and are always late going home because of the volume, and most of the times national significance, of the work that they do.

They are the backbone of the foreign chambers.  They are the people who shy away from the limelight but basically constitute a big part of the work and success the foreign chambers have enjoyed.

To remain energized for the entire workday, food intake becomes a critical factor.  To my surprise, even with the length of time that these Filipinos have worked with their foreign co-workers, their food habits remain very much, well, Filipino.

And if in any way at all, it is their foreign counterparts who have taken to certain degrees the Filipino eating habits.

European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) Vice President for Operations Gerry Constantino, who has been with the chamber for 17 years, said the Europeans cannot change the eating habits of Filipinos.

He said Filipinos will always be Filipinos and eat mountains of food by munching away four to six times a day while their European counterparts do away with lunch and snacks and only have breakfast and dinner.

Constantino says he has a “working breakfast” most of the time at the ECCP office in Makati City as he brings along cereals or cornflakes.  If none, a nearby MiniStop becomes his favorite place in the morning as he grabs siopao or any warm food available. 

Lunch for most of the ECCP staff, according to Constantino, happens 80 percent of the time at the canteen in their building, where mostly greasy foods are served.

With the chambers Assistant Manager for Events and Business Competitiveness Services and acknowledged food guru Jasmine Ruñez leading the pack, other options during lunchbreak are Mexicali, Kitaro and Subway.

Snacks always come with plenty of sweets and carbohydrates through some local favorites like turon, lumpia, kropek, kikiam and corn.

With the majority of personnel working until 10 or 11 p.m. and at times extending until 2 a.m., Constantino said they usually go to a neighboring building and get their fill from a tapsilogan for early dinner.

Once they go out of the office, they either have a late snack or go to Buddy’s, Goto King, or KFC.

On days when they can go out a bit earlier from the office, ECCP personnel usually troops to Pancake House, Toast Box and Café Breton in Greenbelt and Glorietta.  Other favorites are New Bombay, Hawker’s Place and Luk Yuen.

As for birthdays, ECCP personnel prefer doing the celebration at Yellow Cab, although the reasons to me remain unclear. Maybe it is because of those big round pizzas or the obligatory pastas during birthdays.

According to Constantino, the one clear influence of Europeans on them is a better appreciation of sandwiches and good coffee, which is mostly present during meetings inside the office.

The same situation holds true at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (CanCham), where its Filipino personnel, as you have guessed, also love to eat six times a day.

CanCham Marketing and Events Manager Grace Ventosa, who has been with the chamber for 11 years, says she also has her breakfast in the office because of her very busy schedule.

Ventosa gets her morning food from Seattle’s Best or Starbucks along with coffee or cappuccino.

Although putting a conscious effort to eat healthy by only having fruits for lunch and none for dinner, Ventosa has squealed that their Canadian counterparts in the office have taken after the hearty eating habits of the locals.

Ventosa said Canadians go gaga over the various variations of pancit served in their office, including pancit canton, pancit bihon and pancit puti.

She also said Canadians adore local delicacies like puto and pichi-pichi.

And just like the ECCP, Ventosa said the main food influence of Canadians on them is a better appreciation of sandwiches.

Over at the New Zealand Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ANZCham), Executive Director Angelica Esguerra-Pettersson said the Aussies and New Zealanders are not remarkably different in their eating habits.

She said through various events like their annual Corks & Forks, which features some of the best food, wine, cheese and chocolates from Down Under, they have sampled and enjoyed a lot of their food but have not made it a habit.

According to Esguerra-Pettersson, Aussies also usually allot a time for beer and wines and connect with friends.

Esguerra-Pettersson, who has been with the chamber for the past four years, is a bit different from Constantino and Ventosa, as she has breakfast at home, where she usually has Kellogg’s, banana and low-fat milk.

She brings her own lunch to the office or has it at a restaurant in Glorietta or Greenbelt.  Dinner for her is a time with her husband at home, where they either order out Vietnamese food or cook pasta.

She says their situation is a bit different, having an office that is a stone’s throw away from a mall where they can just go out and buy food, with each being left to their own personal preference.

Still, like the ECCP and the CanCham, the one common denominator are the sandwiches during meetings or what Esguerra-Pettersson termed as “working lunch.”

Filipinos, most people say, have been influenced a lot by Western culture.  From music, fashion, sports and lifestyle, the impact cannot be denied.  But when it comes to food, nothing and no one can change a Filipino’s healthy appetite.

Trivia 1: ECCP Vice President for External Affairs Henry Schumacher absolutely loves munching Dunkin Donuts munchkins and butter cookies.

Trivia 2: IF it is Dunkin’ Donuts munchkins for Schumacher, it is Country Style doughnuts for former CanCham Executive Director Sean Georget.

Trivia 3: ANZCham, after staying for more than a decade at the Ascott Makati, will be moving to its new office at The Glass Tower, also in Makati City.

Final burst: The ECCP’s Assistant Manager for Events and Business Competitiveness Services Jasmine Ruñez is an aspiring commercial model. Armed with beauty and brains, her appeal and charm can leave any man breathless. She is one person whom I believe can succeed in whatever it is she wants to do in her life.  I will be asking her to have a photo with me the next time around, then have her sign it.  With some luck, Jas can carve her own space in the modeling industry.  From there, television and movies await.

Source: Business Mirror; Companies; 12 May 2013