Rugby tour, Buddhism, and the worst place in the world to take a vegetarian

I’ve had some great feedback from friends and colleagues to this blog, although a common comment is ‘wow- it’s pretty intense’- I guess art, philosophy, happiness, good, evil, democracy, spirituality- can get a bit heavy. I was reminded of the 18th century Scottish Philosopher David Hume’s letter to a friend, where he commented on how, after spending hours wrestling with logic and his theories of reality, all of this was made to look mundane after a few minutes in the company of good friends.

So…..in sharp relief to the Glass Bead Game, I pen this post on my Blackberry in the lounge at Madrid airport, returning from rugby tour with the incomparable Hackney RFC, otherwise known as the Griffins. Nothing like a rugby tour to make you forget the futilities of philosophy- in fact I don’t think I’ve ever felt less like a Glass Bead Game Player- have had about 2 hours sleep in the last few days, my body is shaking from toxic poisoning; my ribs are badly bruised/possibly fractured from the game; my knee is swollen from falling off a chair in the midst of a ridiculous drinking song; my voice hoarse from delivering a rendition of Donna Summer’s ‘I feel love’ whilst half naked….I’ll spare you any more imagery. Safe to say we won comprehensively against the Madrid university side we played, and that the match itself was largely incidental.

On the way over, on the plane, I departed from my normal distraction from the safety announcements- dipping into Pascal’s Pensees- in favour ofre-reading Siddartha, one of my favourite Hesse books. The story of Siddartha’s search for spiritual fulfilment, including an encounter with Buddha himself, reawoke my recurring view that I should try and become a VEGETARIAN. I see the strong link between vegetarianism and spiritual clarity as evoked by many eastern religions, and as the flight landed, resolved to give it a try……

…..safe to say this resolution was subsequently blown out of the water, not only by the general diet on tour, but particularly by multiple visits to the spectacular Musee Jamon or Museum of Ham. Only found in Madrid, this chain of delis is a mix between a butchers shop and a tapas bar. We discovered the Musee Jamon on Sunday, and spent large parts of the day there drinking beer and eating pig. The Musee is a remarkable place- a large bar forms a quadrangle in the centre from which enormous plates of different cured hams and meats are dished up, with healthy wedges of Manchero cheese and bread. Vegetables are either prohibited, or, in the spirit of the Spanish inquisition, have gone into hiding. There are no chairs/seat- these are deemed unnecessary- and hanging from every part of the ceiling and walls are enormous cured hams- Serrano, Iberico, blood sausages. Here the Spanish stand proudly consuming as many parts of a pig as one can cure, smoke, dry and slice- and we were enthusiastic participants. It’s certainly different to visit a museum where you can eat the exhibits- not really an option at the Tate. I looked on, mid pig-fest, at Matt, our burly prop, and a Vegan (!), as he surveyed what must have looked to him like a huge mortuary. This really must be the worst place in the world to take a vegetarian

The common consensus was that such a flagrant display of carnivorous intent would be greeted with an outcry in London (combined with guilty but eager participation). I suspect this is the case, but her in lies the point. You have to admire the Spanish (and the French) for their joyful political incorrectness: If you’re going to gorge on meat, you should be prepared to expose yourself to the bare realities of what this entails. It’s the awkward British internalising of guilt-on everything from vegetarianism, to sex, to racism- that does much to create the absurd politically correct culture we find ourselves immersed in.

I still think there’s a strong link between vegetarianism and asceticism though, so watch out Bhudda, I’ve admired the spirituality and calm of your followers for a long time, and am prepared to explore some of your tenets.

In fact, in feel a meditation coming on now……..”Oooooooooh……I feel love, I feel love, I feel love, I feel love, I feel love….”