Sunday, August 2, 2009

Can someone help me interpret this dream?

This morning I need someone who knows how to interpret dreams to help me for just a minute.

My grandmother always told me to never eat pork or spicy foods right before bed, and as always when I have disregarded her advice, I got myself in a small dilemma.

You see, on last evening I attended a dinner party at the home of a family member. Now my wife doesn’t cook much pork or pork by-products. She hardly ever brings pork in the house for that matter. But being a country boy born and raised in the South, I have a taste for pork.

Anyway, despite most occupants of that home having health issues ranging from hypertension to diabetes, pork seemed to be the main staple. They had prepared almost every part of the pig from the rooter to the darn tooter. They had prepared a big pot of greens seasoned with about fifteen ham hocks as well as roast pork shoulder, ribs, bar-b-q pigs feet, smothered pork chops, pork fricassee, sautéd pork, pork shish kabobs, pork ala mode, on and on, ad infinitum, Forrest Gump style. The whole table looked like some type of pork shrine.

So not having eaten many of these dishes for quite some time, I partook. And I was making quite the pig of myself (excuse the pun) until my bougie wife and children began to make snide remarks about the different dishes I was consuming. They were especially disgusted when I decided to try the pigs feet.

Of course I took me a plate home to have later. So right before bed, I enjoyed a couple of smothered pork chops drenched with hot sauce, and then I settled in to finish rereading Octavia Butler’s Kindred.

But at some point I drifted off to sleep, and that’s when the nightmare started. This is what I need your help with.

In my dream, I was escaping from slavery. I’m running through the woods and I could hear the dogs barking close behind me as that Roots, Kunta Kinte escapes music provided the soundtrack. You know, the bongo drums—boomp-digga-boomp-boomp, boomp-digga-boomp-boomp.

And then as I ran past a huge oak tree, someone or something hiding behind that tree catches me smooth across my face with a slab of ribs, knocking me to the forest floor. And as I lay there all dazed and confused and attempting to ascertain the identity of my attacker, I see Porky Pig sitting there in a wheelchair holding a slab of ribs, but he is missing both his feet. All that was there were two bloody nubs wrapped in gauze, and the whole time he’s screaming at me, “I told you I would get you back, didn’t I! I told you I would get you back!”. Except he was stuttering because, of course, Porky Pig stutters, right? Badly.

But anyway, I’m looking at him, shaking my head trying to regain my senses, but all I could think was “Why is he butt naked except for a little bright red bowtie and a bolero jacket? What’s up with that”.

So I’m captured and they take me to this clearing in the woods where this dining table is set up, and my grandmother begins to fill the table with all my favorite foods from my childhood until the table resembles the buffet of the previous night. But my grandmother is not smiling. She is not even looking at me. She’s wringing her hands and looking down with the saddest, most forlorn look on her face.

And I’m placed before the table, tied to a chair except my hands are free. Then the guy who seems to be in charge announces that for my punishment, I would be required to eat everything in front of me. And I’m thinking, that’s not so bad a punishment. So I say, “okay,” and turn to ask my grandmother for the hot sauce. She then blurts out, “That’s just it Max. You have to eat all this without any hot sauce!”

At that time I woke up screaming and covered in sweat.

Can someone possibly tell me the meaning of this?

11 comments:

KST said...

Pork ala mode? Now you know you're fibbing. Kindred? Love that book.

My thoughts on your dream: Slaves worked with what they were given. All kinds of icky pig parts, seasoned to high heaven. Mayhap this is why you're runnin' from the man?

Porky's assaulting you with the ribs and showin' you his nubs = Diabetes dude. Hmmm... I'm stuck on the part where you don't get any sauce. I tried.

Anonymous said...

LOL!!! That's crazy. That's paybacks. That was Porky's way of saying "LLL L Let my PPPP Peoppple ggg gggo" LOL.

Anonymous said...

I like KST's assessment of your dream. I could not come up with anything myself,accept a loud ass laugh. It was very entertaining and what I needed after a 12 hour shift from dealing with patients. So thank you.

Those smothered pork chops,mmmmmm, with some sweet potatoes, baked mac and cheese, greens and cornbread would hit the spot. Did you have any caramel cake or Jelly cake? My people used to make those two every family reunion. Oh and coconut cake. BBQ pork ribs, that some GOOD EATUNS, That is my fatism term.

SIMONe

Max Reddick said...

I've had a breakthough. @bubbadharma on Twitter helped me to kind of figure it out.

It seems that there is a part of myself I despise, and due to that self hatred, I stuff myself with pork even though I know it is bad for me. But ultimately, I am attempting to flee from that part of myself that I despise. But that part of myself does not want me to escape so easily, so it keeps popping me across the face to get my attention.

And I really, really like hot sauce.

♥ CG ♥ said...

Wow, I have this type of dream after drinking tequila...lol.

I'm a serious dreamer so I often try to make some sense of the odd episodes I have. I think the dream was revealing that there's a twinge of guilt for partaking in the pork fest. Dreams about grandparents often speak to some level of wisdom they've given us.

msladyDeborah said...

It sounds like your inner sense of guilt was rearing up within your mind. Not so much for Porky, but because you momentarily brushed aside the teachings of your grandmother. Plus that, it sounds like you eat a pretty hefty meal,

Tha..tha..that's all ff..folks!
(sorry! I could help myself)

md20737 said...

It means you should have listened to your grandma..Duh!!!! Just kidding I had the biggest laugh at your punishment not being able to have hot sauce!!

If I could try and make sense out of it. I would say value your current health and be preventatively. I am advocate of preventative measures because if you dont do right now. The insurance companies will have a field day with you later ex cpap machines, diabetes medicine, supplies, (they even get you on getting your toe nails clipped. although they know if a diabetic clips thier own nails & messes up and starts bleeding they could die. they still wont pay). Sorry I had a tangent. Just listen to grandma she knew what she was talking about.

Anonymous said...

Dreams do often represent the subconcious. Your family's reaction to your indulgence and knowledge of black history probably conflicts with the desires of your palate. In addition, you enjoy the food not only for the taste but for the fond childhood memories (probably the reason it manifested as a cartoon). Hence, the lack of hot sauce represents somehow the family of origin missing from your life in the abundance you miss. That's my best shot!

rainwriter jones said...

It sounds like you need to leave that piggly-wiggly alone! It's your subconscious telling you not to partake in the swine; and probably your family's scorn at your overindulgence! (LMBAO)

Oh, I'm ready "Kindred" right now. Loves me some Octavia Butler. Have you read "Parable of the Sower," and "Parable of the Talents?" Damn good, I say!

Charles J said...

Ok Max,

Imma try this to interpret. Though I was a Psych major. I only took one Object Relations class.

Hmm lets see...

*Your reading Kindred, so your brain took you back to slavery which is the time period that the book is set in.

*Porky Pig represents the pork you consumed.

*Porky getting you back represents what you already know about eating too much pork-- it causes health problems

*Porky bloody nubs--represent the pig feet that you consumed.
--Possibly representing what will happen to you if you get diabetes

*Your grandmother represents the voice of reason. She represents herself reminding you not eat pork after 10pm lol :-)

I hope this helps

PS Kindred is amazing book that I think you should bring up on this blog. A great question would be: "Do White men really understand Black women?" Because her husband definitely got use to her being a slave really quickly.

Unknown said...

WOAHHHH!!! Hahahaha!!! Talk about a vivid dream!!

I'm a firm believer that your dreams do represent a subconscious state, but oftentimes, they merely reflect your reality.

You were reading "Kindred" before you went to bed. It really is a VERY powerful book, so I am not surprised in the least bit that elements from the book should re-surface in your dreams. I further think that this was all facilitated by the guilt you felt at going against Granny's wise advice of not eating pork before bedtime ... esp partaking in the overwhelming amount of pork present for consumption.

Yes, Granny was the voice of reason, no doubt. I caught myself from laughing right aloud when she says, "You have to eat all of this without any hot sauce!" LMAOOOO!! She put her foot down, man!!!

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