Pink banana

MCDONALD’S is now in the neighborhood. As if the low-carb dieter needs more challenges in curbing her cravings for French fries.

McDo and Jollibee have been putting up drive-thru outlets in residential areas, in case you’re hungry again on your way home after that huge meal at their branches in malls.

And Burger King now has plant-based Whoppers. If you’ve not been eating red meat since the start of 2021, you may find this Whopper as yummy as the carnivore’s recipe.

Taste buds can adjust accordingly. Once you’re on a low-salt diet, you will now complain after tasting salt in some recipes and will then blame that for the bloating in your lower legs and feet. A low-carb diet will make you feel the rush of sugar as it crawls inside your veins. A no-red-meat diet will make you notice the texture, smell, and taste of a medium-rare steak if ever you’re tempted to take a bite. What was once yummy may not be yummy anymore as you imagine what they can do to your health and weight.

Low-carb is more challenging than no-red-meat. You can only eat so much lechon and lechon baka but you’ll never get tired of eating cake, cookies, pastries, bread, pizza, pasta, potato chips. That’s why there’s unli-rice but no unli-chicken inasal.

Diets can be explained by science. Which has also been explaining a lot about Covid-19. But who’s listening? Only the WHO — the World Health Organization, that is. Most scientists, doctors, and healthcare professionals also listen. Operative word: most?

As the pandemic goes on and on, conspiracy theories have blossomed like the trees, plants, and flowers that seem to love the curfew and the working-from-home strategy. Trees and plants are greener, flowers are more colorful, the neighborhood is quiet. Although there was that night when we heard an emcee singing “Happy Birthday” thrice.

Surely that was not for handwashing which requires singing the birthday song twice. And should that be sang a la Marilyn Monroe when she greeted then US President John F. Kennedy. Ever so slowly and so seductively. The way you would for the love of your life. But who wants to remember the past? Not us, said the Marcoses.

But Pinoy oldies will always remember the 1986 People Power when they thought that a Marcos would never run for president again. Oh, well.

Let’s hope a pandemic happens only once in a century. Political dynasties, however, could make a Malacanang comeback after 36 years unless they’ve always been there inside the palace but we simply didn’t notice.

Bongbong Marcos was my crush way back in the ‘70s and I’m sure I wasn’t the only one. Go ask your lola, mader, and tita, perhaps we can now organize a BBM circa ‘70s fan club.

But studying in Manila in the ‘80s changed all that as I learned that some people were not too keen on seeing the Marcoses’ photos on the front pages, above the fold, accompanied by good news only.That was so “Long ago, and, oh, so far away,” as the Carpenters song goes. McDonald’s had only one branch then in Pinas, the one located at Morayta, Manila.

But my favorites have always been the McChicken sandwich and fries. Some things never change. Which is also true for the Marcos loyalist who has remained, well, loyal. Only the Appointed Son of God may know if any loyalist has ever turned into a balimbing.

With so many Pinoy political dynasties and political parties to choose from, being balimbing in Pinas is not as shocking as a Democrat becoming a Republican and vice versa in the U.S. To be a balimbing here is essential to survival. Even the yellows are now pink — not exactly a change of heart. Pink bananas do exist, you know.

One thing I noticed, though — VP Leni Robredo doesn’t look good in pink. It makes her “disappear.” But pink is cute and sweet, it was our school uniform color, so it’s all good.

You may have noticed that fast food logos usually have the colors red, yellow, and/or orange. No wonder political parties love these colors, too.