i have fallen through some strange time loop, or displacement, i bought a book called the carnivores inquiry and started reading it, i'm half way through and realise i have read it before, yet it is a new book, i searched the contents to see if it was republished under a new name, nothing, i do a web search, nothing, yet i know the story, i've read it before. mmm it's a mystery.
last time i ever had dinner at the 'last train to bombay' was about 10 years ago with my friend Tim who has a taste for very expensive wines and lots of them, consequently i became so drunk i can't recall much of the evening, only that Tom Cruise and Nicolle Kidmen and their children where sitting next to us. I do recall when i got home my floors were undulating. Last night i went for dinner with tim to the same place and this time i had h2o and left him to do the drinking. tim is one of australia's leading barristers, he's a huge intimidating guy who everyone is frightened of and his precense is massive, walk into a room and within minites people are bowing down to him, catching his ash, pouring his drinks, making him a deal, it's kinda nuts but i've known him for years and as an observer like to sit back and spectate at this phenomena. anyways tim and i were thrown together in mysterious circumstances, and we have been friends ever since, i don't see a lot of him, but i kinda like that, we share a distaste for civilization and yet a hunger for more experience within it, a paradox. tims been everywhere done everything, he's nothing like the mask he wears, deeply profound, animal, brutal, gentle a realm of personas, yet a child, a babe.
it was an intresting night, he was telling me about his experiences in PNG in the 60's when he was with a friend in the remote hills. the friend after hiking for 6 hours pointed to a river and said, 'Tim this is going to sound very strange but we need to go to the toilet here.'
'What do you mean?'
'We need to shit in that river and we need to stick togeher.'
Tim obviously (ha ha) thought that his friend (who was married) was somehow trying to seduce Tim into some sort of homosexual ritual.
'Look if you're feeling attracted to me you should just tell me.'
'No No it's nothing like that but we have to go now!'
'Why?'
'We are being followed.'
So Tim being somewhat at ths mans mercy sat next to him and they both did their buisness.
When they finished the guide said, 'Don't make a big deal about wiping yourself, just stand up slowly.'
Tim looked around but could see no one, as he pulled up his pants there apppeared from the bush hundreds of natives, they all cheered and howled and came forwards to meet the two australians.
Baasically these people needed to know that the white people were like them, they needed to see that they were human and therefore needed to 'shit.'
You see, Tim explained, what you put in your mouth, come's out. We eat in public but we don't shit in public.
Tim told me this just as out daal arrived.