The Sealed Door

Omnivorous Stupidity

So I've been thinking, it's great being an omnivore and all, but if you really think about it, some of the stuff we eat is kinda...gross, weird, and stupid or some combination of these. The reason I say 'stupid' is because many of the things we eat, most other animals (omnivore or not) would likely pass up. I use the standard example of animals in nature to demonstrate whether or not something is safe or natural to eat since their instincts are sometimes more keen than ours [but only sometimes damnit!! grrrrr...] Anyways, granted, different species can digest and process different foods, but still, you have to wonder about some of the stuff we eat. Leaving aside some of the more questionable animals/bugs [and parts thereof,]  let's take a look at some things we eat more typically but tend not to reflect on. Personally, I love many of the things I'm listing below, but they're still weird things to consume. For example...

• Mushrooms - Mushrooms are fungi people [insert 'fun-guy' joke here.] As fungi, mushrooms represent a living organism whose primary function is to decompose organic matter. They play an important role in the ecosystem but at the same time, their life is dependent upon some decaying organic matter (with the possible exception of some subspecies.) There is another word for this kind of organism - saprophytes. A saprophyte is an organism that feeds off of decomposing organic matter and therefore contributes to the decomposition. Similar to a parasite but with a different function. It's important to note that mushrooms' nutritional values vary considerably (from very little to decent) but careful cultivation is necessary to grow the 'right kind' of mushroom edible for human consumption, otherwise we could be poisoning ourselves unknowingly, even fatally. Still, among these edible types, they are sometimes known to cause allergic reactions in certain people and may even be a significant source of carcinogens! [*fn- wikipedia]
• Milk - All hail the wonderful product of milk! I have to say I'm a big fan of dairy products. We all love milk and sure it's great but before it became a commercialized product we came to customize in all sorts of ways, we must not forget (and this is easier for women) that it was first produced in the mammary gland of mothers with fresh offspring. Milk is a nutrient-rich food that is easy on digestion for infants due to their increased levels of lactase enzyme. Once we mature, lactase enzymes naturally decline as milk is no longer needed [hint hint] as we begin digesting more complex foods. In other words, nature set a cut off point for milk consumption. But why? Perhaps because of the high-fat content? Or perhaps because of the duration of the mothers' elevated hormone levels necessary for milk production? The fact that we continue to drink milk means we could be subjecting our bodies to unnatural amounts of fat-rich nutrients and/or prolonged hormone elevation (if we were to consume human milk the way we do animal-milk.) We must remember that although we live with technology that allows us to reduce the fat in milk, by itself it was intended to be a fat-rich food, which means that the mother will have to sacrifice her comfort and body to produce such a powerful food (i.e- elevated fat-percentage in her own body is required to make the product & not to mention the pain and discomfort from swollen mammaries.) To subject humans to that sort of treatment for commercial consumption would be considered inhumane but we pay no mind to it since its coming from an animal (cow, goat, or sheep, etc.) Which raises the other interesting question: Why do we drink animal milk when non-human milk was not intended for our use? And what sort of problems arise with the question of drinking human milk in the same manner? The more you think about it, the more unsettling the reality of it becomes.
• Yeasts, yogurt, cheese, and other decayed [fermented] foods - Now I don't drink alcohol, but yeast are a common fungi used in many foods to help preserve/cultivate them (i.e- leavened bread and certain yogurts/cheese etc. The dairy products were first produced from milk, later aged/cultured to make into other food products. Sometimes they contain molds/spores on them as well (e.g- blue cheese.) Sure most of this stuff tastes good but it all sounds kinda disgusting...I mean, when was eating semi-rotten/aged/culture-treated food considered smart? Are we really sure the presence of these bacteria and fungi aren't affecting our health in other obscure ways?
• Honey - Honey is seriously awesome, but the way its made is semi-gross. The bee takes nectar, pollen, and tree sap from flowers and processes it inside its abdomen (it has a separate sack for honey) then regurgitates it and other bees chew on it until it becomes more syrup-like and this process of chewing-regurgitation continues until we have the delicious honey we've all come to love - yup, but its true, its bee barf! Honey is not suited for infants because of the dormant spores that occasionally grow within it, since infantile immune systems cannot destroy the spores. Honey is also the only food made by insects that humans eat, interesting no?
• Toxins, poisons, peppers and other natural defense deterrents - The uses of alcohol are many but the fact that it is an aged/decayed organic matter makes it weird enough to consume, let alone what it does to your body (liver.) Drugs like cannabis and opium are inhaled/injected/smoked for medicinal and recreational drug-use but were originally created as defense deterrents in the wild to prevent animals from eating these herbs, the same goes for chillies and peppers (hence pepper-spray.) I'm South-Asian and we loooove spices and chilly peppers but technically its bad for us, as it can cause ulcers. The fact that we consume these things is kind of hilarious knowing that in nature they acted as deterrents for consumption. Another example is the Japanese blowfish which has toxins in its gills strong enough to kill someone if not removed properly. Still sushi-lovers consider blowfish a delicacy..its certainly a delicate matter playing with sushi, life and death!

Anyways I'm falling asleep as I'm writing this and the last few paragraphs probably didn't make a whole lot of sense but that's ok since its a rant! My point is that being an omnivore is a privilege that's weird..!! :) ok, maybe i'll be back to edit this thing..or maybe...not zzzzz

Raindrops

by Ruhudeen Ali
July 28th, 2010

Raindrops is what we are
once together, assembled as one sea
collected in the spiritual heaven's clouds
  descended to this world, we fell down individually

the winds of life scattered us here and there
we met with strangers along the way

joining with friends and colliding with enemies

it would seem nature paired us up with these
 

the hard surfaces we crashed upon
were the circumstances that made us drift apart
and decided the type of water we would be
and so, we collected into new puddles of pedigrees
 

no choice in where we fell, we formed our societies

 friendships of sweet spring water and gangs of toxic basins

the sweet and salty waters do not mix

so be it, to each his own community

traveling the paths of least resistance
we will eventually meet with that same sea
and be gone as the individuals we thought we were
returning back to the substance of what we are essentially

but remember that we are raindrops
we will be summoned back to the heavens again
and join together becoming that harmonious body
the cycle continues endlessly

but this time reunited, friends and foes alike
neither sweet nor toxic but as simple, plain water
and when we are called to rain again
that is when we will truly reign free.

FFVII: Crisis Core OST - Under the Apple Tree [Zack's theme]

"Embrace your dreams. If you want to be a hero, you need to have dreams, and honor"

Ran'dem Rhymes vol.#14 Silly Spitz

by Ruhudeen Ali

July 21st, 2010

Necesito tamago para mi estomago

chillin on the Galapagos 

and I'm your host so here's a toast

ok so its a boast ::cough:: tengo tos

vamanos and walk a mile in my zapatos

I love Sabados but not feelin Domingos

I'm technically a gringo but speak the lingo

girls say 'que lindo eres'

but my name's not Felindo Perez

I'm not Hispanic nor a Latino head

ain't a chico with dreads 

seekin Seiko watches with diamond embeds

still I eat dem Jalapeños meng 

I'm a desi kid in keds fool

you maybe thought I was in med school

in case you bled stool, (sorry bro)

Bobby Jindal is the feds' tool

I'm flooded with ice to keep my head cool

I'm a rhymin infidel Castro

not a communist but rhymin is manifesto

life's a test bro I'm proper stressed yo

but I'm blessed though cuz the nest grows

and I shower with the Zest yo

pop a Mentos and I'm fresh so

I'm back on my daily grind

runnin outta time ain't cuttin lines

but instead I'm spittin them 

and after a sick punchline I'm spittin phlegm

I usually end my raps with a prayer and 'amen'

cuz a ringstone still needs a gem so, (ehem)

I wanna thank God for the blessings on my fam

maybe now we can travel lands

to visit your house in the sands

I'm just grateful to see light at the end of the tunnel

cuz these past few years were kinda bummer

time to live out old dreams check out new scenes

like as a kid I wanted to be a drummer but for now 
its time to just enjoy the summer with my team nah mean?

MGS: Peace Walker OST (Heavens Divide)

Lata Mangeshkar - Zindagi Pyar Ka Geet Hai