By Rex Catubig

 

GENESIS 19:26 of the Holy Bible depicts how Lot’s wife, in an unguarded instance of longing for the depraved and condemned life they’re fleeing from, looks back at the city being consumed by fire and brimstone, in sheer defiance of God’s injunction, and thus, turns into a pillar of salt.

Way back then, when I would go for an office visit to my primary care doctor, Dr Ashok Kumar, prior to leaving on my extended holiday vacation back home in the Philippines, he would always admonish me to go easy on the food. Not so much the fatty pork, he consoled me, but he did not mince words in warning me to look away and ignore the salted dried fish, as it would surely drive up my systolic/diastolic levels to Sodomic proportions.

But when you’re back in my coastal city of Dagupan, you’re right smack in the brine temptation capital of saline debauchery. And the routine going around the market makes it difficult to comply with the doctor’s order and incites the craving to go astray.

Every so many steps, there are bagoong vendors, salted egg vendors, dried fish vendors. The alley leading to Mele’s is a shrine to all that’s unadulteratedly salted. Daing na boneless bangus is in cornucopic surfeit and there is a whole oceanographic catalogue of all shapes and sizes of salt-preserved aquatic exotica. And should you enter Malimgas market, you cannot miss the smoked bangus tinapa laid out in plastic packs of tempting golden diptych.

The temptation lurks in every corner. The urge to look perchance to buy is irresistible and throws caution and prudence to the wind. And while the spirit fights off the sinful longing and strives to be resolute and faithful to the medical commandment, the Gomorrahic gastronomic proclivity to all sweet, savory, and salty, is just too compelling and overpowering to deny and overlook.

Hence, one easily succumbs to becoming like Lot’s wife. One, falters and all manners of defenses fall to the ground to be stomped on by the gluttonish sense of salt. One fails to reinforce the spiritual courage to look the other way. One is too weak to swear off the salty salivation.

For a measly twenty-peso coins, I betrayed my doctor, turned my back on my health essential, defied the medical order and adamantly grabbed four pieces of San Fabian tuyo without remorse.

The rest is breakfast history.

Ibesartan and Amlopidine, into your hands I commend my health. Though unrepentant, I’m not ready to turn into a pillar of salt. Moreover, I cannot imagine myself being a bulky jar of murky “monamon” or maybe a basinful mound of indigo “agamang”.

In the end, I hope for a sugar and spice redemption.

Share your Comments or Reactions

comments

Powered by Facebook Comments