5 things about me

I was inspired to write 5 strange things about me by Roy and Anna, it only took me a month to come up with the list. I hope you enjoy it.

1. I like ketchup on tuna fish. I have been told this is strange, but I really don’t understand why. Maybe it is the combination of Mayonnaise and ketchup, though I know people will often mix the two to make a special dipping sauce for their fish sticks. I am not really sure. I know most American balk at the Northern European use of mayonnaise on French fries. The funny thing is ketchup was originally made from fish. According to internet source, in the 1600's, Dutch and British seamen brought back a salty pickled fish sauce called 'ketsiap' from China, much like oyster sauce. The big change came in 1872 when HJ Heinz added ketchup to his line of pickled products and introduced it at the Philadelphia fair. The Heinz formula has not changed since, and has become the standard by which other ketchups are rated.

2. I am a vegetarian who likes Sushi. (My thanks to the unreliable narrator for this one.) The truth is, unlike so many vegetarians, I am not a vegetarian for any moral reasons, and I really just prefer not to eat meat. I am not a big fan of most meat, the taste and texture being abhorrent to me, and while there are some that might be interesting, (wild game perhaps) cost and availability make them prohibitive. The truth is, I don’t like the most popular meats and this distaste carries over into almost every genre of meat. Still, I like fish (see no.1) and I love rice and vegetables, rice vinegar and wasabi, and therefore, basically, I like sushi. I realize that some will object that the texture of sushi is far more strange than that of meat, however, when you haven’t eaten meat for 20 years, I assure you nothing is stranger than a pork chop.

3. I am fascinated by world religions. Honestly there are so many interesting things about all of the world’s religions, I never get tired or learning about them. I wouldn’t say that I am particularly religious, or even deeply spiritual, however I do think there is something to be learned from each of the world’s array of different religions. After all in every case from Atheism (if you want to call it a religion) to Wicca, AA (is that a religion?) to Roman Catholicism, every religion is an attempt to order the world in a way that puts the individual in touch with a higher power, physical or metaphysical. When it comes to religions I have two basic principles 1) Religion is interesting and 2) I try not to discriminate. My interest in religions reminds me of the story of the blind men asked to describe an elephant, where each one was presented with only a certain part of it. To one was presented the head of the elephant, to another the trunk, to another its ears, to another the leg, the body, the tail, tuft of the tail, etc. The one who was presented with the head said: "The elephant is like a pot!" The one who was presented the trunk answered, "The elephant is like a hose." The one who touched only the ears thought that the elephant was a fan, the others said that it was a pillar, a wall, a rope, a brush, etc. Then they quarreled among themselves, each thinking that he was the only one right and the others were wrong. The obvious truth is that the elephant is a unity of many parts, a unity that they could not grasp in their blindness. I am just trying to piece together the elephant.

4. I don’t like beets. I have to say, I don’t really think this is too weird and I am reticent to put a third food related item on the list, but Jenny assures me that my dislike of beets is definitely deserving. Beets are vile. How does the saying go? Lips that have touched liquor will never touch mine. The saying goes for beets too. There is nothing good that can come of them. How is this strange? Dear reader, I implore you.

5. I have an extremely good memory that extends far back into my childhood. I remember my sister coming home from the hospital as a new born when I was 2 and a half. I remember having the chicken pox, also when I was two. And the fort my brothers used to play in and playing in the hedge around the house and the time when I was three and I stole the neighbor boys hot wheels race track because I was jealous of it. I remember when I was four and I was five and basically all the way through my childhood. Researchers say there are very few people who can recall memories from infancy or early toddler-hood. Apparently is suggests more interaction between the left and right hemispheres of the brain. I really don’t know, perhaps it accounts for my interests in art and philosophy as well, that unique blending of creativity and my interests in philosophy, math, and science. I really couldn’t say… I guess that what makes it something a little weird about the joy of being me.