an election story
I was a vegetarian for 25 years. The night of the 2004 election I was wandering the streets of Manhattan and I was in Times Square when it was announced the Bush had won re-election. I was disgusted and deeply disturbed by this news. I found myself heading uptown and before long was standing at 72nd st. in front of Gray's Papaya. Somehow all moral constructs rang false at that moment, and I impulsively decided to eat a hot dog, expecting that I would probably get sick, giving physical manifestation to the psychic nausea I was feeling. I went in, ordered a hot dog, slathered it with mustard, and took a bite. And then another bite. All of a sudden I felt this surge of energy I hadn't felt in years. I didn't feel sick at all--to the contrary, I found myself leaping up staircases, running down the street, lifting heavy objects with ease. Gray's Papaya changed my life (but not my party affiliation.) Remember to vote this Tuesday!