‘Ber’ vs. hot

Netnet Camomot .

CAGAYAN de Oro was hot hot hot for several days, it was like, Hello, summer. Such days make one wish for the “ber” months when hopefully the Christmas season’s cool weather will start.

But before that can happen, Cagayan de Oro will be celebrating its fiesta on Aug. 28. Surely, lechon will be the buffet table’s centerpiece again. The United Nations, however, released a report last week on the connection between food production and climate change.

An Agence France-Presse piece quoted Alan Dangour of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine as saying that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report “identifies the enormous impact that our dietary choices have on the environment. It is clear that reducing the demand for meat in diets is an important approach to lowering the environmental impact of the food system.” Thus, the IPCC report suggests that a “balanced diet, featuring plant-based foods” is one of the ways to stop the climate from changing pa more.

Per the IPCC report, a “balanced diet” consists of “coarse grains, legumes, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds,” and also “animal-sourced food produced in resilient, sustainable and low-greenhouse gas emission systems.” Hmmm. So, it’s okay if the lechon is from your own backyard piggery? Why can’t such reports simply advise that everyone should avoid meat and switch to veggies and fruits instead. Or please define “resilient, sustainable and low-greenhouse gas emission systems.”

In addition to all that, there are rumors about old meat being “rehabilitated”—turning them from brown to red—to make them look fresh again, it’s then repacked, retagged with a new “best before” date, and returned to the supermarket’s meat display fridge. And there’s the old meat mixed with the fresh one for ground meat. So, it’s possible you’re buying old meat that’s way past its original “best before” date. Que horror!

Switching to a vegan diet, however, won’t make you lose weight ASAP since it’s still about the calories.

Diet trends tend to change as often as, uh, climate change? Well, at least the war against plastic is as clear as a plastic bottle, with recycling strategies such as the one in Surabaya, Indonesia where plastic bottles and disposable cups are exchanged for bus tickets.

Xavier-Ateneo is also prohibiting the “use, sale, and entry of single-use plastic water bottles in all activities in all campuses of the University and all its auxiliary units. This includes those University activities conducted outside its campuses. The XU community—students, faculty and staff, including concessionaires, service agencies, and external parties—shall abide by the prohibitions stated in the guidelines. Athletes, Mass goers and other school guests are also enjoined to abide by this policy upon entrance to University premises and participation in any University activities.”

Imagine those same guidelines to be implemented in all of Pinas’ 7,641 islands which will then inspire the rest of the world to practise the same, until manufacturers will stop producing single-use plastic water bottles. Sounds like a simple solution to a complicated problem, but that’s how it should be: stop the production of single-use plastic products. Or how about stopping the production of all plastic products? Hmmm.

Plastic people, however, are here to stay. Tsk tsk. There should be a list of characteristics of plastic people so we can easily tell who is and who’s not. And here’s my contribution to that list: a so-called friend who gossips and spreads lies about you is definitely not your friend.

There are so-called friends who want to win the confidence of someone whom they believe is their one true friend—or potential lover, whichever comes first—so, they now tell them lies about you, despite the fact that you can’t even fathom what your role is in their relationship. Why did they make you a star in their story, when it’s supposed to be their story and not yours? So confusing!

That’s when you realize you now have haba ng hair for unknowingly getting involved in a story you didn’t even make.

But that’s not an important matter compared to dengue which has prompted the Department of Health to declare a national dengue epidemic on Tuesday last week, along with the launching of the “4-o’clock habit para deng-get out!” to encourage each Pinoy to do his part in cleaning his surroundings and to ensure mosquitoes are not breeding like rabbits in his backyard.

By the way, dengue can make one feel hot hot hot in the worst way. So, better stop gossiping and spreading lies about other people, and focus on your health instead.