Pinoys don’t live by bread alone…

By Klaus Döring

The phrase “Pinoys don’t live by bread alone” — often linked to the biblical “Man shall not live by bread alone” — highlights that Filipinos, beyond seeking material, physical or financial sustenance, place immense value on spiritual nourishment, deep relationships, community and faith. It emphasizes that true, meaningful life requires more than just filling one’s stomach or accumulating wealth.

“Have you eaten yet?” is a common greeting in Filipino homes, often taking the place of “How are you?”

Many Filipinos will tell you it’s the first question asked when a loved one walks in the door because, culturally, food is much more than just something to eat. I learned that from the first moment I stepped on Philippine soil. That was in 1976.

The phrase “Man shall not live by bread alone” is today a common expression meaning that people need more than material things to truly live. However, it is also sometimes used in almost the opposite sense to justify material luxuries beyond simple things like bread.

In Filipino culture, bread is never just about sustenance — it’s about community, sharing and maintaining connections that bind families and neighborhoods together. This social dimension of bread culture remains as important today as it was generations ago.

Much could be told or written about staying abroad. A lifetime is not enough to discover all the beautiful places around the world. I have stayed in more than 80 countries so far. I met a lot of Filipino overseas workers. Most of them have been so occupied and so tired from work that on their half-day off, they don’t go out anymore. They prefer to rest instead. There is no more time to remain in touch with their loved ones. They fail to appear at dates or appointments even if schedules were agreed upon.

Being abroad is sometimes like being in a garden of roses. Everybody’s free to pick flowers, but surely not everybody will find it easy because the roses are on top of the thorns.

Much has already been written and said about homesickness of mind and heart. Homesickness usually strikes when Pinoys receive unpleasant notices from home, as many say, “O ano, may sulat ka. Alam ko ang laman niya. PROBLEMA AT MAGPADALA KA NG PERA.”

Nervousness leads to homesickness. Homesickness comes when a tooth aches with the thought that a monthly salary is not enough to have one fixed … and what about the other usual bodily aches? Homesickness comes when one is so hungry that he or she couldn’t simply chew something because the ‘AMO’ is around.

Homesickness comes when one hears that one of the boys in the Philippines doesn’t want to go to school. As one father in my neighborhood said this morning, “Anahin ba natin ang pera kung ayaw din lang mag-eskuwela ang bata?”

Pinoys don’t live by bread alone! Or should I say, by rice? Anyway, I salute all Filipino overseas workers. I learned a lot about their feelings and emotions.

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Email: doringklaus@gmail.com or follow me on Facebook or LinkedIn, or visit www.germanexpatinthephilippines.blogspot.com or www.klausdoringsclassicalmusic.blogspot.com.