Health Hazards...

What's the good word?


I can't think of a good word now, but a bad word comes to mind...lunch. I think it's safe to say that most people look forward to their lunch hour. Since I've been on this gig, I look forward to lunch less each day. Yes, the camp I work in has a cafeteria and yes the objects placed on my plate look and even smell something like food, but ah contraire, don't be fooled. They could very well be serving us gruel and at this point, I wouldn't even notice. No matter what they cook, whether it be chicken, "beef", or the Krusty Brand pork products...it all smells the same and more scarey than that, it nearly all tastes the same. I now have a better appreciation for what the WWII vets referred to as sh*t on a shingle. I can't pick up everything the lunch ladies say when I'm standing in line being served, but I'm convinced they're asking me, "Do you want potatoes with your grissle?" One constant edible lifesaver is the enriched bleached staple known as white rice. Every once in awhile they'll throw in some lentils or beans. You know, just to mix it up and give us lowly folk a little hope in the goodness of humanity.

What really chaps my arse is that my client's employees get to special order their lunches. Anything they want, they get. The rest of us get served the concoctions called lomo saltado or crema de pavo. On the grounds of principle, I refused to special order my lunches. I'm on this job as the eyes and ears for the owner to oversee the construction of a $250 million trestle that will transport $25 million of liquefied natural gas to container ships every week. I cannot do what I do for them without the help of Christian, my driver. Yet, they tell me that I can have a special ordered lunch, but Christian can't because he's not an "official" employee!?" "Only employees can get the special order" I was told. Well, amigo, offically I'm not one of your employees either and if my driver can't get a half-way decent lunch to fill his belly, then neither can I. What a crock of malarkey. The food is terrible.

Talking about food, I found myself eating something you don't find at Jimmy John's or Mamma Lucia's. Christian, a few other Golder folk working on the same project, and I went to a resturant known for their grilled chicken and steaks tonight. I ordered the chicken and it was pretty tasty. There were also a few skewers of beef on a plate that the fellas ordered up for everyone. I grabbed a chunk of meat and began to enjoy. "Not bad stuff" I said to myself as I found myself working just a bit harder to chew. After a few seconds I knew something was up and asked if it was "vaca" (literally "cow"). The fellas said..."Si, el oro de una vaca". Yep, that's what I said, the HEART of a cow. Honestly, not too shabby, but I don't think I'll be going out to order el oro de una vaca any time soon.

I also saw some pretty flabberghasting things on my way home from work today. The first ocurred at about milepost 183 on the PanAmerican Highway. I'm shootin the breeze with my mother and there on the side of the road, plain as day, is a dude standing with his wanker out, taking a leak! I had to double take. Absolutely no intention of being discrete. For goodness sakes, he could have hid behind the car or something. Pretty wild. Christian was rolling. A few miles down the road, we approached a slow moving truck similar to a grain or farm truck you might see driving around. In the back was a pile of stuff. On top of the pile of stuff were three women with an old man standing up and "holding the fort" (literally) as the truck sputterd it's way at a good 50 or 60 kph clip through town, wheels wobbling and all. There is next to no regard for human safety in this part of town. I'll try to post a video of what a typical street scene is around here. I think you'll be amazed.

Thankfully, I made it home safely and now it's time to call it a night as the dogs out the window bark and growl at the passing motorists. Have a good night.

Scotty