Day 37

Air / Water temperature: 23°C (18°C at night) / 22°C

Wind direction / Bft: East-southeast / 2-4

Area: MAGNA INSULA (golden rain from a gloomy sky) – Nautical chart showing the route

Combuse: Green chromide (400 g) filet and remove the skin. Blanch fillets for 2 minutes in a little salted water with a dash of sake, remove from the water and let cool. Dissect the fillets with a fork, mix in a blender with 2 crushed garlic cloves, 1 chopped onion, 2 tablespoons juice from fresh ginger, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 3 tablespoons light brown miso paste, 2 tablespoons vinegar, 1 teaspoon Shichimi tōgarashi, 1 few drops of Tabasco. Process to a fine puree and serve with vegetables and pieces of toasted bread. (More recipes from the Chief cook of «PS Narina»)

Today, I woke up to the thought that one can only thank coincidence for the fact that Oskar came into this world as an ant – and I as a human. Naturally ants and humans are totally different concepts and the chances of my mother being able to give birth to an ant are negligible. Insofar everything has its order. But the division of «I» and «you», this concentration of atoms that fashions us; to say «I» and to address another as «you» can only be completely arbitrary.

How gladly I would change bodies and roles for a few minutes with Oskar. What an adventure it would be to feel like an ant and see the world from an ant’s standpoint. Above all: how would this person appear to me, how would I see him (and me myself)? Perhaps ants’ eyes are unsuited to seeing things as large as man; maybe they are constructed for entirely different goals. Come to think of it, is there room at all for humans in the world of ants – given the unafraid manner in which the creatures construct their roads through human habitats? If there isn’t, it would mean that Oskar believes that he is all alone on the boat.

Next day (38)

© HOIO 2012 – powered by xcult.ch – kept in form by e-hist – triggered by activerat – SL