Patis - by Roan Gulapa

I introduced Kalpna to “patis” (“pah-teece”) or fish sauce. Patis is a very salty Asian seasoning commonly used in many Filipino dishes. It is a clear brown sauce made of filtered anchovy paste, salt, and water. Patis can also be used as dipping sauce or a small amount can be dashed over rice for a quick and simple meal.

As previously mentioned, Patis is very salty, however, Kalpna’s taste buds didn’t seem to mind it. Rice and patis became a favorable after school snack for a little while, back when we were in middle school. Once, I remember she poured about a medicine cup full of patis over a quarter cup of rice. Her mixture was so soupy, I couldn’t fathom how she continued to eat it. She just kept saying that it tasted really good!---I kept telling her that she poured waaaaay too much, that it wasn’t supposed to look like soup! She went and bought a bottle of it to keep at home. While at her house a few days later, she told me that her fish sauce craze had come to a quick halt because she finally came to realize what it was made of and the amount of salt content. Never again did she crave patis.