I’m gonna say it: Boodle Fights are the best things Filipinos have invented. You just embrace in food and friends.

Also known as Kamayan, a boodle fight is a traditional Filipino celebration where everyone’s meal is laid out on banana leaves along a long table. There’s usually a long row of rice surrounded with food on both sides. Instead of using utensils, you eat with your hands. My favorite part is that the food is altogether on the table, so it’s a free for all. The main goal is to eat more than those next to you before the food is all gone. If you haven’t guessed why it’s called a “fight” by now, then you haven’t been paying attention. This tradition started with the Philippine military serving its soldiers their meals in this fashion, and the country hasn’t been the same since.

Having a boodle fight when you live in the Philippines was simple. My mom was fortunate enough to have banana trees in her front yard, so with every meal growing up she’d go to pluck banana leaves to eat on top of. Every meal in her household was a boodle fight. Here in the US, it’s not that easy. Not everyone grows bananas and has an endless supply of banana leaves. We have to get banana leaves from the grocery store and then wash them ourselves. Because of this, my family only has boodles fights on special occasions like Thanksgiving. Instead of turkey, we have lechon, or roasted piglet, at the head of the table. Staple boodle fight foods include shrimp, pancit, lumpia, and of course, rice.

Next time you forget to do your dishes and run out of utensils, consider trying your first boodle fight! You can use any foods, this tradition is not limited only Filipino cuisine. As long as you’re eating good, you’re doing it right. Learn more about boodle fights here.