I Don't Eat Pork



Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell
Photo credit AFP/BBC Sport

 

Anyone who knows me well enough, is aware of the fact that I don't eat pork. For those who define them otherwise, I also don't eat pig's tail, ham, bacon or sausages with pork. When I travel abroad if there's a meal choice on a long haul flight I opt for Hindu or Asian vegetarian. More often than not I simply go full vegetarian to reduce the issues surrounding special arrangements. 

The fact is though, that I can't stop saying it, I am always placed in situations that require that I state up front that, "I don't eat pork". It's not written on my forehead and there's no outward sign of my aversion. Pork is not my only issue; I'm also allergic to shell fish, so I don't eat shrimps, prawns, scampi (which almost killed me once), lobsters or crabs. This too must be established up front, when the occasion warrants it for in the case of the allergy, it's a matter of life and death.

 

If you've got to this paragraph you're probably just about ready to shout, "So what" or "who cares, what’s the point?" Here goes. The news this past weekend for track and field watchers locally and internationally was, well, shocking for most. The vultures are circling with the news of five Jamaican athletes testing positive for banned substances. The conspiracy theories abound and fingers are pointing. The Gleaner carried a report that Asafa Powell’s physical trainer has been arrested in Italy (Italy police arrest Asafa's physical trainer over banned substance by Leighton Levy 14-7-2013). And the beat goes on.

 

So let me connect the dots for you, if I don’t keep saying I don’t eat pork, I can’t blame anyone if a slice of ham ends up on my plate at Christmas. On this matter I’m once again inclined to heed the words of sports medicine expert, Dr. Paul Wright, “local athletes are not paying enough attention to the information disseminated by the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission”, (Sports medicine expert says Jamaican athletes paying little attention to doping data by Melton Williams Gleaner 15-7-2013). At this point, I don’t know if Asafa Powell, Sherone Simpson, Traves Smikle, Allison Randall and even Tyson Gay are drug cheats, per se. I do know that one swallow of that yummy lobster bisque can cost me much more than mere discomfort so like me, they must at all times be vigilant.

 

“Trust, but verify” – Ronald Reagan