orKids

Hospital Romance

Newspaper writing from 1911. Why I love archives. Click to enlarge. Worth reading.

Boo!

These are photos taken of some "roches gravées" (petroglyphs) on Basse Terre, Guadeloupe. These rock carvings were made by Arawak Indians, an indigenous tribe that occupied the islands around 300-400 C.E., and which has disappeared (apart from DNA, perhaps). To find this particular location, my traveling buddies and I drove in circles for half an hour, walked down a dirt road, climbed over a fallen chain link fence, hiked down a steep and twisting rock-strewn path before we reached the river with the rocks. Well worth it.

A Short Introduction to Doof

Allow me to introduce Doof. Doof is a word, a concept, and a fact of life. The more observant readers will notice that Doof is “food” spelled backwards. And that is exactly what Doof is–food in reverse. Non-food. Anti-food, the dietary equivalent of anti-matter.
How can we recognize Doof? Here are some guidelines and questions to ask oneself before committing any Doof to one’s digestive tract:
1. Colour. Found in nature or a test-tube? Note that the pictured Peep is flourescent pink. Similar to flamingos and perhaps parrots. I don’t eat parrots. Or flamingos. Do you? Do you eat parrots? Why?
2. Ingredients. How many are there? More than 10 and it’s well on its way to Doof-ness. Do you even recognize them? Can you pronounce them without moving your lips? Any of them? One? If the answer is yes, are you a chemist?
3. Style vs substance. Nature does not give us “perfect” shapes (see: Oreo cookies, fish crackers), or “perfect” colour (see: maraschino cherries, margarine). Do the decorative assets triumph over nutritional value in the food product you are about to devour?
4. Purpose. Do you really need to eat this? Honestly? Is it from a prison vending machine, and the only option? Are there vending machines in prison?
5. Packaging. The ratio of packaging to food is often an indicator of Doof-ness. Peep packaging is overkill for a product which could be thrown in a bag. But then it wouldn’t look as nice.

Doof. Remember: just because it’s edible doesn’t mean it’s food.

Da Head

I have nothing to add.
(except that this shot was taken by my mahvelous friend Beth).