Welcome to that time of the year! High school and college graduations,
weddings, and what have you.
Rite of passage: A rite of passage is a ritual event that marks a person's progress from one status to another. It is a universal phenomenon which can show anthropologists what social hierarchies, values and beliefs are important in specific cultures. Rites of passage are often ceremonies surrounding events.... (Wiki)
When Astrid and I crossed the Polar Arctic Circle on our Hurtigruten 6-day sea voyage in Norway, on 7 April, we were told ahead of time to be on deck for a ceremony. Little did I know I would be swallowing a spoonful of cod liver oil, just to say I did it! You don't understand my aversion to cod liver oil! It goes all the way back to a childhood memory of drinking a glass of the nasty stuff for God-knows-what ailment. For years afterwards I could conjure up the taste in my mouth just by the thought of it.
They say the most powerful organ in our body is the brain. I believe it. Things that didn't use to bother me are now psychologically unpalatable. Like cow's tongue sandwiches, for instance. I grew up on them in my preacher's home but you couldn't get me to eat one now for a million dollars. Well, I might consider it, mind you. But like those bugs and grubs they have to eat on Survivor, I'd gag first.
Gag reflex: The pharyngeal reflex or gag reflex is a reflex contraction of the back of the throat, evoked by touching the soft palate. It prevents something from entering the throat except as part of normal swallowing and helps prevent choking. Different people have different sensitivities to the gag reflex.... Absence of the gag reflex and pharyngeal sensation can be a symptom of a number of severe medical conditions.... (Wiki)
My brain is probably my most severe medical condition, and I admit it. I'm very sure I will go to my deathbed having never eaten/swallowed a slimy oyster in my life. I fried them up frequently for Mom and Dad when I was in high school. All I needed was one look at the insides of them to know you wouldn't catch me dead eating one. Ever. And those people who can eat crayfish with the heads still on, sucking out the juice.... [she gags]
Actually, caviar used to fit into this gag category, but not because I had ever tasted it. It was all in my head, of course...fish eggs. But while with blogger friends Tor and Anna in Norway, we were served it on avocado halves as an appetizer. Naturally, I was a good guest and ate it like there was no tomorrow. Interesting how you can make your brain behave, isn't it! I probably wouldn't choose to eat caviar again but at least I didn't gag.
Hopefully all the ceremonies surrounding this time of the year for us won't enter the gag-reflex part of our brain instead of the delightful rites of passage they're meant to be. That includes Mother's Day, for those of us who will soon celebrate yet another one.
And so I wish this for us all: happy rites of passage!
Rite of passage: A rite of passage is a ritual event that marks a person's progress from one status to another. It is a universal phenomenon which can show anthropologists what social hierarchies, values and beliefs are important in specific cultures. Rites of passage are often ceremonies surrounding events.... (Wiki)
When Astrid and I crossed the Polar Arctic Circle on our Hurtigruten 6-day sea voyage in Norway, on 7 April, we were told ahead of time to be on deck for a ceremony. Little did I know I would be swallowing a spoonful of cod liver oil, just to say I did it! You don't understand my aversion to cod liver oil! It goes all the way back to a childhood memory of drinking a glass of the nasty stuff for God-knows-what ailment. For years afterwards I could conjure up the taste in my mouth just by the thought of it.
They say the most powerful organ in our body is the brain. I believe it. Things that didn't use to bother me are now psychologically unpalatable. Like cow's tongue sandwiches, for instance. I grew up on them in my preacher's home but you couldn't get me to eat one now for a million dollars. Well, I might consider it, mind you. But like those bugs and grubs they have to eat on Survivor, I'd gag first.
Gag reflex: The pharyngeal reflex or gag reflex is a reflex contraction of the back of the throat, evoked by touching the soft palate. It prevents something from entering the throat except as part of normal swallowing and helps prevent choking. Different people have different sensitivities to the gag reflex.... Absence of the gag reflex and pharyngeal sensation can be a symptom of a number of severe medical conditions.... (Wiki)
My brain is probably my most severe medical condition, and I admit it. I'm very sure I will go to my deathbed having never eaten/swallowed a slimy oyster in my life. I fried them up frequently for Mom and Dad when I was in high school. All I needed was one look at the insides of them to know you wouldn't catch me dead eating one. Ever. And those people who can eat crayfish with the heads still on, sucking out the juice.... [she gags]
Actually, caviar used to fit into this gag category, but not because I had ever tasted it. It was all in my head, of course...fish eggs. But while with blogger friends Tor and Anna in Norway, we were served it on avocado halves as an appetizer. Naturally, I was a good guest and ate it like there was no tomorrow. Interesting how you can make your brain behave, isn't it! I probably wouldn't choose to eat caviar again but at least I didn't gag.
Hopefully all the ceremonies surrounding this time of the year for us won't enter the gag-reflex part of our brain instead of the delightful rites of passage they're meant to be. That includes Mother's Day, for those of us who will soon celebrate yet another one.
And so I wish this for us all: happy rites of passage!
[All images except the
monument are Astrid's; processing and collage work are mine, via Picnik.]
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