Tuesday, February 28, 2006

Incongruous

Last Sunday my friend Lady R and I were walking to get some brunch at a restaurant called Toast in the middle of Los Angeles. On the way we passed by a laundromat and we saw a bald Buddhist monk in full red robe attire feeding some coins into the washing machine to do his laundry. It was the most out of place image* I could imagine short of a purple rhinoceros, or a baby with a machine gun. I cursed the gods that I didn't have a camera with me.

That is all. Please go back to what you were doing.




* incongruous

10 comments:

BEVIS said...

Even a monk's gotta do his laundry* somewhere!




* dirty clothes, linen, etc.

Enny said...

What was he washing?! I thought they'd only have one set...

We used to have one come in to the restaraunt where I waitressed and he'd get a pot of tea, even though we overcharged extremely for it. Tho, I did get some karma points - when he was telling me about his travel to Sydney and back I told him about the discount tickets if you booked a month early - mebbe thats how he could pay so much for tea!!

kranki said...

I was curious as to what he was washing too. Perhaps his futon sheets or towels.

I also imagined that they had a stream and a rock where they washed their clothes.

davethescot said...

I was almost expecting you to say that he burst into flames, glad he was just washing his smalls, although I would have have thought that monks freeball.

Sponky said...

While they are only allowed to actually own 1 set of robes, they can borrow (I think its 2) more, otherwise they would be washing in the nude all the time.

You've Got What I Need... said...

I wonder what he uses to keep his colors bright?

Cath said...

Years ago, I snapped a photo in Rome of a guy dressed in Gladiator wear (leather skirt etc), outside the Colloseum, on the phone. I had a similar thought about incongruity.

magical_m said...

That certainly sounded like a Kodak moment...

Are you sure he was doing his own laundry and not just helping out an old lady or something?

BEVIS said...

Apparently Magical_M knows of Buddhist monks who travel around LA, going from laundromat to laundromat, looking for little old ladies struggling with their underthings who they can assist with their weekly washing jaunt.

Sounds feasible to me.

magical_m said...

I have no comeback to that Bevis - I'm laughing too hard.