Manila, Philippines
I had a panic attack when I first started
thinking of what to write for this edition of The Cone.
You see, my wife is pregnant and has been suffering
from the corresponding nausea that often afflicts baby
mamas. Foods with strong aromas trigger her gag
response, so I, being the supportive and generous
husband, have abstained from having such food
around her. No more exotic dishes with strong smells
that send her tummy bubbling. Bland food is best.
Except for pickles. She loves those. Some stereotypes
are true. But I digress. Let’s get back to my writing
crisis.
I had been aware that I had a deadline coming
for this fine journal. It’s a quarterly, so every new
season, I have to submit something. But when
Michael (the editor) asked me what I would like to
turn in, I drew a blank. I didn’t know what to write
since most of my consciousness has been swaddled up
in thoughts of my offspring. I hadn’t really been
thinking about food, which is what I usually obsess
and write about. Actually that’s a lie. I have been
thinking about food, but not about gustatory
explorations of adventurous and sometimes stinky
fare. I’ve been thinking about meals that won’t turn
my poor wife green from queasiness. So needless to
say, her pregnancy has left me intellectually barren,
cuisine-wise.
I was going to take a Pass-a-dena on the
Winter issue since I felt like I had nothing new to say.
When I told my wife this, she unhesitatingly said that
I should challenge myself to produce something. My
initial reaction was slight irritation (why was she
throwing my skin in the game?), but she was right.
I’ve always admired those who lacked resources, but
were still able to face their challenge by digging deep.
In my case, the enemy was writer’s block. So I started
probing my psyche and realized that I should write a
confessional, simply sharing with you, dear reader,
some of the things swirling around my noggin with
regards to my impeding fatherhood.
Photo by M M from Switzerland, via Wikimedia Commons
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THE CONE - ISSUE #8 - WINTER 2016