"Do not dispose of the monkey's tail before he is dead."
I have no idea what it means. My best guess involves a rabid baboon as a metaphor for the potential line of succession to Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni. Or perhaps the ethical improprieties surrounding the dismemberment of live animals symbolizes the European post-colonial exit strategies and their absurd geographic consequences for national borders and ethnolinguistic unity. Or maybe it is just helpful advice for anyone trying to eat a monkey.
Other creative interpretations are welcome in the comments. More to come this weekend.
I vote it's the equivalent of "It ain't over until the fat lady sings."
ReplyDeleteDAD's theory: Let's say you are making the monkey equivalent of ox-tail soup, but you are saving the rest for later. If you inadvertently remove the tail of a "mostly-dead" monkey he may become quite understandably startled and leap up and run away. Now that he is sans-tail you will have no means of catching him and since no one really likes tail soup anyway, all your guests will leave and your left with a big pot of soup.
ReplyDeleteImpeccable reasoning. You win, Dad. You win.
ReplyDelete