It's Delicious!

Walking into the dimly lit kitchen where the wood fires were already burning, she laid a wrapped paper parcel onto the table. Unfolding its edges three wooden pieces lay revealed, catching my eye and causing me to stop.

"What is that?" I inquired, after it became clear that whatever 'IT' was, was about to be placed into MY food.
"ummalakada," she responded searching for the english equivilant to share with her new mono-lingual friend.
"It is wood?" I proded, hoping to help her along.
"No..." she mused, "fish."
"Fish?" I responded in a state of disbelief.
"Fish!" she replied pleasantly.
"It looks like wood," I explained.
"No, not wood. Dried fish."
More like petrified fish if you ask me, but I wasn't even going to go there.

"And what is the fish for?" I questioned, already well aware of the answer, but praying that I was mistaken.
"For the sambol" [a curry and coconut dish we were in the process of preparing]
Dread raced across my face, exhausting all but one question left within me, "But WHY?"
This clearly unusual question caused her to pause for quite some time. After several moments of quiet chopping she had her answer, "It's Delicious!"
Of course, why else would something so vile in appearance be entering into one of Sri Lanka's finest dishes. I was less then convinced that this beach wood looking pile was at all tasty let alone edible. Sensing my lack of understanding she placed some into my hand, "delicious," she said indicating I should partake.
"I will wait until it is cooked," I suggested in desperation.
But a later date with the wood-fish was not to be had. Without another option in sight, I ate it. The tiny dried fishy flake which reminded me more like something my cat would enjoy then my taste buds. I swallowed it down and truthfully informed her that it was okay, but not my favorite.

The fish flakes went into the sambol.
Why? Because "It's Delicious!"