At a sit-down meal, hold off until the eldest person at the table or the host visibly starts eating, then it’s fine to begin. A verbal “kain na tayo” (let’s eat) or similar cue from them is your signal.
At a buffet-style spread, the same rule applies to the food line itself: let the host or eldest guest go first rather than rushing the table as soon as it’s set out, even if you’re hungry and the food’s been sitting out a while.
- This is more about noticing than memorizing a script — watch the room for a beat before diving in, and you’ll naturally pick up the cue from how everyone else is behaving.
- Hosts will often insist you eat first as a guest — if that happens, a light protest (“after you”) followed by accepting is the expected back-and-forth, not a hard refusal.