NO GREAT TASTES

Covid affects the tastebuds in your mouth and nose. Very mildly, but everything has a metalic or chemical tint to the taste. Like electric equipment. Which explains why this morning I woke up with a suggestion of diesel fuel in my nose. This was disconcerting because of the dream it had just produced; the ack ack ack still echoed in my head, followed by whoosh.

There are some countries one never wants to revisit. The Southern part of the Philippines is very high on that list. When a local nightclub has a large sign telling you to please check your weapons before entering, you feel somewhat less than human when you shamefacedly must admit that you actually don't have a weapon. No gun. No automatic.

Not even a balisong.

Dagger? Sword?

Steak knife?

Besides, the food there was not very good.
American-style fried rice at every meal.
It's the only use for canned peas.
Which also taste chemical.

I am not particularly a fan of kamote kue (candied sweet potato dessert nible); that idea works better with bananas, but kamote is a very common crop from Sambuangan south and westward, pretty much the only cheap starch in some places. Goes "great" with dried fish.

The only reasons to visit are a place which used to be called 'Port Holland', trepang harvesting by the Samal out near Tawi Tawi, and youthful stupidity.

I had huge bucket loads of youthful stupidity once.
Dried holothurids can be found here in SF.
South-East Basilan is pretty.
Bakawanan!



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