Someone once told me that they were having a boodle fight, and having never heard of it, I Googled it right after to see just what they were talking about. After scrolling through the results, my brain went into overdrive with thoughts like: Wait, what’s a boodle fight? This sounds so good! We should do this all the time! Wait, this could get competitive.
First things first: what’s a boodle fight? A boodle fight, or kamayan, is a traditional Filipino feast, with food piled high and splayed across banana leaves on a long table. As the term kamayan suggests, there are no cutlery, only hands: all the better to elbow someone with while you’re grabbing all the food you can get. The only time a Filipino party will ever be quiet is in the aftermath of a boodle fight, when everyone is busy munching on their winnings.
This sounds so good! We should do this all the time! They are, and we should! The sky’s the limit with the types of food you can add to the mix: rest assured there will be no shortage of rice, fruits, vegetables, seafood, noodles, and a whole variety of meats at a good boodle fight. Boodle fights are culinary events usually reserved for larger celebrations, as there is a fair amount of preparation that goes into it. However, growing up in Winnipeg, boodle fights were a common occurence in the summertime: any family barbeque with some of your titos, titas, and cousins could turn into a boodle fight, given the opportunity! If you’ve got the family in tow but no time to grab banana leaves or heaps of food, restaurants in Winnipeg like Rice Bowl, Charlee’s Restaurant and Lounge, and Mangkok International Cuisine have got you covered, and will craft you your own military feast.
Wait, this could get competitive. It’s called fight for a reason!
Photo By: www.angsarap.net