MANUEL S.

ENVERGA UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION CANDELARIA, INC

Candelaria, Quezon Philippines

CENTENO, Ralph Lawrence M. Christopher Lauce

BSTM-III Reading in Philippine History

Where’s the Patis?

Carmen Guerrero Nakpil

Travel has become the great Filipino dream. In the same way what an American dream
of becoming a millionaire or an English boy dream of going to one of the great
universities, the Filipino dreams of going abroad. His most constant vision is that of
himself as a tourist.
To visit Hong Kong, Tokyo, and other cities of Asia, per chance, to catch a glimpse of
Rome, Paris, or London and to go to America (even if only for a week in a fly- specked
motel in California) in the sum of all delights.
Yet having left the Manila International Airport in a pink cloud of despedidas and
sampaguita garlands and pabilin, the dream turns into nightmare very quickly. But why?
Because the first bastion of the Filipino spirit was the palate. And in all the palaces and
flesh pots and skyscrapers of that magic world called "abroad" there is no par/5 to
behave.
Consider the Piony abroad, he has discarded barong tagalog or "polo" for a sleek, dark
western suit. He takes to the habiliments from Tlong Kong Brooks Brothers or Savile
Row with the greatest of ease. He has also shed the casual informality of manner that is
characteristically Filipino. He gives himself the airs of cosmopolite to the credit- card
born. He is extravagantly courteous (especially in a borrowed language) and has taken
to hand- kissing and too plenty of American "D'you mind?" 's
He hardly misses the heat, the native accent of Tagalog or llonggo or the company of
his brown-skinned cheerful compatriots. He takes, like a duck to water, to the
skyscrapers, the temperate climate, the strange landscape and the fabled refinement of
another world. How nice, after all, to be away from old RP for a change!
But as he sits down to meal, no matter how sumptuous, his heart sinks. His stomach
juices, he discovers, are much less cosmopolitan than the rest of him. They are much
less adaptable that his sartorial or social habits. They have remained in that dear barrio
in Bulacan or in that little town in llocos andnothing that is set on the table before him
can summon them to London or Paris.
There he is in the most expensive restaurant in Europe, surrounded by beautiful women
and impeccably dressed men bending over their rich meal. Waiters in black ties and
 MANUEL S. ENVERGA UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION CANDELARIA, INC
Candelaria, Quezon Philippines

tails stand at his elbow ready to cater to his smallest wish. An array of glass, silver,
china, and artistic blooms is set before him. An elegant wagon of hors d'oeuvres
approaches: pink salmon from Scotland, golden English herring, sensuous anchovies
from France, green salad from a Belgian farm, mounds of Italian pasta, Russian caviar
on ice, melon halves, stuffed eggs, shrimp smothered in piquant red sauce.
At that precise moment the Pinoy is overcome with a yearning for a mound of white rice,
a bowl of sinigang and a little saucer of patis. What would happen, he asked himself, if I
shouted for sinigang na bangus? The thought that perishes as he catches sight of the
world-weary hauteur on the face of the waiter. With a sigh, he applies himself to the
foreign delicacies. The herring, after a few mouthfuls tastes almost like tinapa. The
shrimp would be excellent if he had some white sukang lloko to soak it in but the melon
is never half as good as the ones his wife buys from her suki in San Andres.
Now he must make another choice. The waiter, with an air of prime minister
approaching a concordat murmurs, something about choosing a soup. The menu is in
French and to be safe, our hero asks the waiter to recommend the specialty of the
house. A clear consomme! When it comes, the Pinoy discovers that it is merely the kind
of soup Filipinos sip when they are convalescing from "tifus" or "trancazo". Tomato soup
is almost an emetic. Onion soup with bits of bread and cheese is too odd for words but
palatable. If he is lucky, the waiter brings bouillabaisse with a flourish. A French classic?
Nonsense. We Filipinos invented it. It is sinigang, he tells the astonished waiter, only not
quite as good as we do it at home. And where, for heaven's sake is the patis?
The entree or the main course is quite another problem. Poulet is chicken. Fillet de sole
is fish, though recognizable neither as apahap nor lapu-lapu. Tournedos is meat done in
a barbarian way, thick and barely cooked with red juices still oozing out. The safest
choice is steak. If the Pinoy can get it, well done enough and slice thinly enough, it
might remind him of tapa
If the waiter only knew enough about Philippine cuisine, he might suggest venison
which is really something like tapang usa, or escargots which the unstylish poor on
Philippine beaches know as snails. Or even frogs’ legs which are a Pampango delight.
But this is the crux of the problem- where is the rice? A silver tray offers varieties of
bread: slices of crusty French bread, soft yellow rolls, rye bread, crescents studded with
sesame seeds. There are also potatoes in every conceivable manner, fried mashed,
boiled, buttered. But no rice.
The Pinoys learn that rice is considered a vegetable in Europe and America. The staff of
life a vegetable!
 MANUEL S. ENVERGA UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION CANDELARIA, INC
Candelaria, Quezon Philippines

And when it comes- a special order which takes at least half an hour- the grains are
large, oval, and foreign-looking and what's more, yellow with butter. And oh horrors! -
One must shove it with pork or piled it with one's knife on the back of another fork.
After a few days of these debacles, the Pinoy, sick with longing, decides to comb the
strange city for a Chinese Restaurant, the closest thing to the beloved, gastronomic
country. There in the company of other Asian exiles, he will put his nose finally in a bowl
of rice and find it mire fragrant than an English rose garden, more exciting than a castle
on the Rhine and more delicious than pink champagne.
To go with rice, there is siopao (not so rich as at Salazar) pansit guisado reeking with
garlic (but never so good as any that can be had in the sidewalks of Quiapo) fried
lumpia with the incorrect sauce, and even mami (but nothing like the downtown wanton)
Better than a Chinese restaurant is the kitchen of a kababayan. When in a foreign city, a
Pinoy searches every busy sidewalk, theater, restaurant for the well-remembered
golden features of a fellow- Pinoy. But make no mistake. It is only because he is in
desperate need of Filipino meal and, like a homing pigeon, he follows his nose to a
Filipino kitchen that is well stocked with bagoong, patis, garlic, balat ng lumpia, gabi
leaves and misua.
When the Pinoy finally finds such a treasure- house, he will have every meal with his
kababayan. Forgotten are the bistros and the smart restaurant. The back of his hand to
the Four Seasons and the Tour d' Argent. Ah, the regular orgies of cooking and eating
the ensue. He may never have known his host before. In Manila, if he saw him again,
they would hardly exchange two words. But here in this odd, barbarian land where
people eat inedible things and have never heard of patis, they are brothers forever.
The Filipino may denationalize himself but not his stomach. He may travel over the
seven seas and the five continents and the two hemispheres and lose the savor of
home and forget his identity and believe himself a citizen of the world. But he remains-
the astronomically, at least- always a Filipino. For, if in no other way, the Filipino loves
his country with his stomach.
 MANUEL S. ENVERGA UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION CANDELARIA, INC
Candelaria, Quezon Philippines

ANALYZING USING CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS; “Where is the patis?” by Carmen

Guerrero Nakpil;

The experiences of a Filipino being a tourist in other country was immortalized by

Carmen Guerrero Nakpil. She is commonly known as “Chitang” by her friends and loved
ones. Nakpil was a renowned, journalist and historian who also serve as a civil servant.
She has been writing for eight decades and served as hugely influential figure in
Philippine letters. Nakpil was born to a family with great cultural scientific and historical
legacies. Nakpil was born in Ermita Manila on July 19,1922 in her Bachelor of Arts
degree from Saint Theresa’s College in 1942. A fierce pride in her identity as a woman
is a skill for elegant expression, that is the envy of many, experience has thought her
that any clever woman can preserve domestic tranquility. She has served as the
editorial columnist of the evening news, the Philippines Herald, The Manila Chronicle,
The Manila Times, Asia Magazine and Malaya. She wrote professionally from the
1940’s and she has published 10 books. In a nutshell experience she was elected to the
executive board of the UNESCO, Paris in 1983. With the background of the author, we
can therefore say there is really no doubt that she became prominent during her days.
One of those many is this story entitled “Where is the Patis”.

Travel has become the great Filipino dream, going abroad either to work or be a
tourist. In foreign country he experienced top adopt with new culture include their
manner outfit and what they eat. Pinoy surely missed the environment, people
especially the food in the Philippines but the problem was, only expensive foods from
different country such as pink salmon from Scotland, Golden English Herring and many
more was being served in the table. Pinoy is yearning for what rice with sinigang and
patis sauce, he continues to eat expensive food while thinking the foods in the
Philippines. In a foreign country nothing compares to the kitchen of a kababayan when
he finally found a place where he wants to eat, he totally forgot about the expensive
restaurant that he encountered. I must say that pinoy made denationalize himself but
not their stomach, wherever we go we will always crave a taste of home nothing can
beat that. And that reminds us of who we truly are. Indeed, this essay shows unity and
well organize ideas throughout the 19 paragraphs, it shows the character in the story
are our fellow kababayan Filipino experience longing for food in the Philippines. It is
also emphasizing the essay is craving for rice, every idea and phrase conveyed by the
author explores the events that have encountered by the pinoy.
 MANUEL S. ENVERGA UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION CANDELARIA, INC
Candelaria, Quezon Philippines

There are familiar and unfamiliar words and phrases that I unlock for a better
understanding;

Despedida – a farewell party

Hors d’ oeuvres - serves an appetizer at the beginning of a meal
Consommé – clear soup made from richly flavored stock
Bouillabaisse – stew made with strong spices and various kinds of fishes
Tournedos – pieces cut from fillet of beef
Cosmopolitan – citizen of the world
World-weary hauteur – showing fatigue from boredom and a quality of being
conceit
Staff of life – a stapple diet; bread
Back of his hand – have a very good and detailed knowledge of something
Denationalized – deprive (a country or person) of nationality or national
characteristic

What does the word Patis? Patis is a fish sauce used in Filipino cookery where
we can find easy on our kitchens. On the story patis symbolizes our country’s
delicacies, as we all know patis has a strong aroma and using it to add some saltiness
in our foods. Where’s the Patis? means longing and love of pinoys with our country’s
delicacies which differs from others food served abroad.

To sum up, it is just all about the Filipino who travel abroad and suddenly missed
the Filipino cuisine as there are only minimal Filipino foods there. When we go abroad
or in any place you will experience a huge culture shock, it is hard to live and adopt it
but as the saying goes life is a changing process there are no constant things in life
there will always be a change that maybe beneficial for your own good and as a citizen
of your country. We should always remember that exploring and trying new things are
good but we must not forget where we came from in the first place.

And as a reader of this story shows to me that not all beautiful places and things
that we see are admirable because still the best place is where we find joy, most
comfortable and belongingness and its on our own country. Lastly, this essay sums up
the nationalism and patriotism of a Filipino to his country Philippines.
 MANUEL S. ENVERGA UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION CANDELARIA, INC
Candelaria, Quezon Philippines

REFERRENCE:

http://jacs.weebly.com/uploads/1/2/3/5/1235512/where_is_the_patis.pdf