MMMM… Pig’s Blood (!!)

It seems that the worst of the typhoons is over, here, in my area of the Philippines. At least for now. But the fact remains that I’m still displaced from my home and quartered with an array of various family members in the upper portion of a two bedroom duplex with one toilet. As I mentioned, earlier, to a family member – this is not the most luxurious of accommodations. It’s more like a resort for the wealthy – if they, for some reason, wished to experience what life was like prior to the Egyptians. The huddled relatives number between 8-9 on any given time frame and one of them seems to think that the best use of the “bathroom” is to wash one’s laundry. But that’s OK, since the eight inch high, non-flush, no seat toilet is enough to inspire constipation, anyway. Also, since there’s no shower head, bathing via a bucket and plastic ladle with cold water is a rushed affair requiring washing skills that I never thought I would have to develop. But don’t get me wrong. I’m not complaining. There are a lot of folks out here who are in far more dire circumstances. So I consider myself fortunate. At least until I was served porridge with chunks of solidified pig’s blood by my lovely wife, Alma, for breakfast this morning. That’s what inspired me to bathe, get dressed and head on out to the Internet Café to check my mail and write this post…