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Monday, August 13, 2007

back in the catskills

beau, pug, and i arrived in the woodstock area around midnight after an emotionally-charged day. the memorial service for my friend was held today and the room was packed. soooo very sad. haven't cried like that in a long time. the pastor noted how she, too, had gone through all the e-mails she'd sent, reflected on interactions and wondered what she could have done differently, and felt numerous emotions ranging from grief to anger to disbelief. it was nice to have all that has gone through my mind these past 10 days validated as normal. again, the loss is great and the answers still unknown. the service ended with us all singing "this little light of mine."

i'm here to spend 3 hours a day doing yoga with sharon and david of jivamukti yoga, to (fingers crossed) finish the tranquilology book proposal, and to do some reading. i look forward to sharing this week's journey with you. the b & b we're at has a pool so i can't wait to read poolside.

friday night we celebrated a friend's birthday at the chef's table in a fancy dc restaurant. i'm content with any table but having this VIP treatment was quite exotic. however, at the beginning of the evening, the sweet waiter asked, "do we have any allergies i need to be aware of . . . i mean, i know we have a vegetarian." i replied in jest, "hey, this is a moral decision, not a food allergy!" we all laughed but i found it interesting that he categorized vegetarianism with allergies. as they passed around various meats, including foie gras, i couldn't help but be saddened by the experience. i haven't been in such a meat-heavy setting in a long time and it was interesting to observe the emotions that arose.

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4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Kimberly, I loooove your new tranquilology homepage/decor! Can't wait to read the book. Hope you enjoy your time in the Catskills.

Best,
Nina

Anonymous said...

Kimberly,
I can relate to the sadness you felt around all that meat. The Thanksgiving turkey is always a huge downer for me. I have been a vegetarian for a long time (20+ years) and I simply cannot comprehend how people can eat the FLESH of something. I don't like to force my views on other people but I wish there was some way to nicely convince everyone to stop eating meat.

Sneaux said...

I can understand your reaction to the waiter, but there are actually some of us freaks of nature out there that are (believe it or not) allergic to meat. My nephew and myself are two of those weirdos LOL. Although, yeah, maybe he should have phrased it "sensitivities" instead - that kind of covers all grounds...

Have a great time in the Catskills!

Anonymous said...

Yummy Yummy "Flesh" can be enjoyed by kind, politically concious, moral people. I grew up on a farm, where we raised and ate a variety of delicious meats. Eating meat is part of the circle of life for many, many people. I eat meat I purchase from small farmers at the farmer's market in Dupont Circle, meat that is raised by farmer's who take their noble work seriously, who treat animals with dignity and gratitude. I tried vegetarianism for about five years and it was untenable for me, I educated myself about factory farmed meats (the details of which would make any meat-eater cringe) and I do what I can to eat only meat, milk and eggs from animals who are treated with respect.

I think it is IMPERATIVE that people respect each other's personal choices, especially a choice as personal as what to put in their mouths and bodies. Being judgmental will win No One to the cause of vegetarianism. I ADORE this blog and it makes me sad to read such "judgy" kind of sentiments.

As for the waiter asking about "allerigies".... give the man a break, it is simply a short hand for "special dietary needs" just as you would be asked to indicate with an airline that you have "special dietary needs" this encompasses food allergies, sodium/sugar/cholesterol concerns to vegetarians and vegans to those who keep kosher or halal. I don't really get why its funny, and frankly, its pretty rude. I would be stunned if someone announced that it was "a moral decision" that they are not partaking of the meat being served at a dinner I was sharing. How rude to hold yourself up as "moral" in contrast to the implied immorality of eating meat. It was a real bummer to read such a tacky sentiment coming from you, you've always talked about how much you want to conduct yourself with grace and what you described was miles from gracious.