Carnivorous

Col and I just got home from Sunday mass. Usually we go to a Franciscan church across the Liffey. Today though, we went to the Pro-Cathedral. It is even bigger than the usual Adam and Eve. It's amazing how some of these churches are constructed... definitely not what we have back home. Even the height of the ceilings was staggering.

It was only a few blocks away. On the stroll back, I finally got to try a breakfast roll. I have been seeing these advertised everywhere, but I still had to have somebody explain to me exactly what a 'breakfast roll' is. It seems that in an effort to make breakfast easy to have 'on-the-go' (possibly after a night of heavy drinking), the breakfast roll was developed. Think of it as a trip to Denny's slapped inside a small baguette. Basically, they stuff in some sausage, rashers, hash browns, etc into sandwich form. That way the bread soaks up most of the grease and you can enjoy your meal while running to catch the LUAS.

This, to me, sounded more appetizing than other another choice I have seen advertised everywhere: the Irish Breakfast. I just haven't worked my way up to it yet. My only concern is the white and (especially) black pudding. I just don't know if I could stomach those. Black pudding has been a food I fear ever since a traumatizing Social Studies unit in grade six on Ancient Greece. I thought the text book was kidding when it defined blood pudding. Once I realized people actually willingly ate the stuff, trauma!

Anyways, as we walked back from mass, finishing off the last remaining bits of breakfast roll (it was good, but needed some ketchup or salsa), Col and I passed a woman distributing leaflets. So as not to mark up the paper she was handing us, Col quickly licked a little of the sausage grease from the tips of her fingers (mine were in worse shape... meaty bits kept popping out of the bread!). The woman looked at us both a little strangely, but Col just took her handout and we kept walking. After a few steps, we looked down at the leaflet to see what it was she cared so much about that she would be standing in the street trying to 'spread the word'.

It read:
"What has eyes, people conscious
of their responsibility do not eat..."

This text was surrounded by 7 cute pictures of animals who often end up on the dinner plate... 2 of whom looked familiar from my breakfast roll...

In honour of her, I present the following poem.

Nick Bantock's
Carnivorous
(as best I can remember it)...

Eating beasts is not a sin.
Open wide and pop 'em in.
Baked or boiled or even roasted.
Why not try them lightly toasted?

Eating beasts is such a treat;
Gnawing legs and nibbling feet.
Don't fret about its mortal soul,
Just open wide and pop 'em whole.

Eating beasts is not a sin.
Just open wide and pop 'em in.
But be prepared for the other view,
And don't complain when they eat you.