Meat

Do you have meat?

This may imply different meanings.

• Do you literally have meat like pork, chicken, or beef? It would be meat for viand. Or for celebration. Or for future consumption.

• Do you have meat, as in, flesh to cover your bones? When someone is said to have meat, it means the person isn't skinny. Some have lots of meat while others just enough to be called healthy. I am super meaty I could volunteer the meat of my legs for feast on the table. But of course, we aren't animals for consumption.

• Do you have meat, meaning substance in what you are saying? One is said to have meat in what he or she is saying if his or her speech is full of content.

Having meat across all meanings is good. It means we have food, we are healthy, and we have some wisdom. I thought about writing about meat because of the abundance of meat yesterday and this morning.

Yesterday, our immediate neighbor had their traditional wedding and so we enjoyed the bounty, with side dishes and all. Pancit, fruits, and many others. Meat was brought home from the couple's house. To preserve the blessing, I recooked the meat into adobo and boiled meat. Also to get rid of unwanted bacteria since it came from a public occasion.

This morning, we went to a relative's house for house blessing. We obtained more meats. I ate well while being annoyed by my hard-to-feed Davies. He was insisting on eating something which is not served on the table. At least he ate some pancit. But he didn't eat any meat. No wonder he doesn't have so much meat on his body. Just enough not to be called malnourished. Well, he is tall and have healthy appearance. Denisse, on the other hand, knows how to help herself. She doesn't want to be fed. Just that the floor shares her food.

We came home afterwards to bask in the usual comfort of our home. And they were looking for fruits. I will go to town later to buy fruits. The only thing we have right now is cassava which is uncooked. I told them to have snack with meat but yes, there needs to be some balance as well. Even if meat is plenty at the moment, we have to eat only as much as we can consume.

My younger days has been blessed with just enough meat to satisfy my palate. My father always made sure to cook viand with meat. Like beans with meat, vegetables with meat, and so on and so forth. At least making sure my lunchbox has meat in it. Among us siblings, I am the one with the biggest appetite. No wonder even though I was so slim before, the meat I consumed eventually decided to stay with my body and show up for everybody to see. I had ways before, when I was single, to eliminate unwanted fats and extra meat on my body. Hence I only became fat after I brought out my first kid into this world. Until now, I am fat. But I know this is only temporary. Anyhow, I still manage to feel sexy from time to time, despite the unkind comments by classmates before and by other onlookers. At the very least I am not hungry. But yes, exercise should also be considered to stay fit. I have my regimen. On and off. Especially during this pandemic. I am not consistent.

If there is one thing that I feel good about, it would be the nourishment that meat gives me. May I just be thankful that at least I could afford to allow myself to buy meat and enjoy the pleasures of taste? I witness some parents who would almost never allow their family to eat meat. Due to budget constraint? No matter what, we also need protein in our body. Maybe those parents have their reasons. I am not one to talk or judge.

There are also those who are fond of free meats. It is understandable. For instance, my dear friend who wouldn't buy meat at the market would readily avail of 'free'meats in our place. But I do believe that nothing ever comes free. Days are infinite and occasions are plenty. At times we should also share to others.

So, what meat do you have at the moment?