Lick Your Bowl Clean - Life Is Not a Rehearsal

-
Early evening pedestrians drifted by the windows on Robson Street.  Music from the movie "Nine" wafted from the small black cube speakers high on the wall.  The sign in the window of the Japanese diner style restaurant said "Gyu Don Ya".  At the window counter a young man pushed the last grains of rice awkwardly around his bowl with a pair of chopsticks.  Seeming oblivious that anyone was watching he dropped the chopsticks on the counter, picking the bowl up in both hands.  Leaning forward he began licking the inside of the bowl, turning it carefully until he had every last grain of rice and sauce that had eluded the chopsticks.

Three brown and blue rice bowls

I watched silently from the bar counter, at first a bit shocked.  This was clearly the actions of a five year old and this man was clearly in his twenties.  Then, as I began to think about what I had just seen a new thought began to develop.  Even though this man's mother may have swatted him on the back of the head for such behaviour, no harm had been done and certainly no food had gotten wasted.  As I always did when someone I didn't know did something interesting, I gave the man a name.  This time it was Eric.  Eric, I thought must have really enjoyed the meal.  Maybe it had been a while since Eric had such a good meal.  It was even entertaining watching Eric's friend giving him an elbow poke and glancing around the room to see if anyone was watching, trying to look like he wasn't looking around the room.

Later, when I arrived home from dinner I began to reflect on the encounter.  I realized how often I conformed to "norms".  I thought about my recent "chopstick experience".  Just the previous Monday I was having dinner at Guu with one of my Asian friends.  I hacked at the tofu in the Japanese stew with a pair of chopsticks, trying unsuccessfully to cut it.  My friend asked "Can I help you with that?"  Being very determined and thinking to myself "What is he going to think of me that I don't know how to use chopsticks?" replied, "No thanks, I'm sure I can defeat this piece of tofu" and laughed, trying to sound confident.

As I continued to reflect, I asked myself "What am I rehearsing for?  Is it time to start licking the bowl of life clean?"  I answered in a very loud voice "Yes!"  If there had been a cat in the room it would have been startled.

Are you afraid to lick your bowl clean?  Are you afraid who may be watching?

Comments

  1. CinderitaSeptember 10, 2010 at 7:38 PM

    Wilbur! This is fantastic! I smiled all the way through it! Wow! Simply fantastic! Start licking the bowl and your fingers! Heck if we go out for dinner, I might even let you lick the dessert bowl! lol..fantastic! Simply...fantastic!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Harmful Stereotype of Queer Men as Predators: How Homophobia Perpetuates Dangerous Narratives

-
Image
In a recent post on X (formerly Twitter), Curtis Stone singled me out by questioning my use of the handle "QueerGranddad" and implying that there’s something questionable about my identity because I am both queer and a grandfather. His rhetoric taps into an insidious stereotype that queer men, especially those who are openly proud of their identity, are somehow a danger to children. This damaging insinuation perpetuates a longstanding and harmful narrative that equates queerness with deviance or criminal behaviour. The Roots of Harmful Stereotypes The association between queer identity and predatory behavior is a harmful stereotype that dates back decades, originating from misinformation, fear, and prejudice. The notion that queer people, particularly gay men, pose a danger to children was heavily popularized during the "Save Our Children" campaign led by Anita Bryant in the 1970s. This campaign equated homosexuality with pedophilia and positioned LGBTQIA+ individua
Read more

Unveiling the Threat to Democracy: Take Back Alberta's Dangerous Game Plan for School Boards

-
Image
Benita Pedersen (left) with David Parker at the United Conservative Party AGM - Facebook "Leaked audio provides details on how Take Back Alberta (TBA), in concert with a loose coalition of far right groups, are meeting monthly and working on building a slate of candidates to take over school boards in the 2025 municipal elections. After they win, TBA founder David Parker and his allies plan to purge the education system of workers and administrators who believe in basic rights, protections and dignity for 2SLGBTQ+ students and workers." --  The Progress Report In a shocking revelation, leaked audio exposes Take Back Alberta's (TBA) clandestine efforts, in collaboration with far-right groups, to manipulate municipal elections and infiltrate school boards. This alarming plan, outlined by TBA founder David Parker, is not just an assault on democracy; it poses a grave danger to the principles of inclusivity, diversity, and the democratic process itself. Undermining the Bedroc
Read more

Announcing Alberta's New Don't Say Gay Bill

-
Image
Imagine you're 10 year old Alex who identifies as part of the 2SLGBTQ+ community, you walk into class and half or more of your classmates aren't there because their parents opted them out... I dub the recently announced educational policy by Premier Smith of Alberta as the "Don’t Say Gay AKA Trans Panic" policy. This initiative appears to draw inspiration from one of Smith's admired figures, Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida. The policy seems tailored to accommodate parents who are hesitant to acknowledge the very existence of 2SLGBTQ+ youth, as if the acknowledgment itself might influence their own children, some of whom may identify as queer, to become part of the LGBTQ+ community simply by learning about the realities of the world. Picture this. As the new policy takes effect, schools across Alberta implement the opt-in requirement for discussions on gender identity, sexual orientation, and human sexuality. A student from the 2SLGBTQ+ community, let's call t
Read more