Mattress Fires and Meat

Sooo...while sitting in the tire shop the other day waiting for them to tell me that they in fact cannot plug the hole that a 6" screw left in my tire (they originally said it would be "no problem"), I encountered a woman from the islands. Our meeting was aloof at first, as she just kept standing precariously close behind me while I sat in the waiting area watching a show on the TV there about people living in some kind of commune in a state I can't remember where everyone participates in farming the local garden and lives "off the grid". Our initial contact came when, in reference to the earth-style home being featured that consisted of untreated wood, she asked me, "What do they do when the termites eat away the supports?" My reply was, "Well I guess it will be a bad day." And I thought that would be the end of it. However, I was soon to discover much more about this lady than I ever thought I would about a stranger I met in a tire store waiting room. She went on to tell me about her son, who now has a family of his own and is docile and successful, but was once so hyper and impulsive that he set fire to his bed mattress because he wanted to show his mother what a pretty fire looked like and once poured a rare Jamaican perfume all over her bed because he wanted her to sleep in a room that smelled nice.
 

Through the ramblings of our conversation, we also ended up stumbling upon the topic of food...namely meat and where it comes from. She brought up a familiar story about how chickens are raised and what their hormonal impact is on people today, and I mentioned the fact that essentially, all of the meat in this country is controlled by 4-5 companies. She then, without warning, mentioned the name "Monsanto" with the same disdain that you might utter the word "cancer". Her direct quote was, "Monsanto is the Devil", and after I laughed out loud, I replied, "That's what I hear." If you want a peek at the other side of this agricultural pillow, click here.

After a little more conversation, and her revelation that she is now a vegan vegetarian, we parted ways, as I was called into the work bay to be told by the mechanic that he could not repair my damaged tire.

I'm struggling to find a good conclusion to this story, but when the kind Jamaican lady mentioned the chickens back on the island and how they used to fly up into the trees to roost for the night, I thought I'd share it with you.

Cheers!