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I Might Need Stitches, Señor
Posted: Wednesday, May 26, 2010 by LePhilozophe in Labels: Bull fighting, dijon mustard, gored, Julio Aparicio, Las Ventanas, matador, occupational hazard, Spain
Before we go any further, let me state my position, loud and clear. i love animals. Whether glistening deliciously while twirling lazily over an open fire; or marinated with spices, rum and aromates before being diced up and skewered and then broiled over charcoal; or my favourite yet, seared and encrusted with Dijon mustard, garlic and rosemary flavoured bread crumbs and served with spiced garlic-sauteed baby potatoes, creamed cauliflower and a sweetchilli salsa, the very fact should be under no doubt whatsoever that i love my animals. With a passion.
Right, now that that's out in the open, let's get to the real business at hand. Sometime this past week, the news came out of Las Ventanas, Spain that a famous Matador- one dashing (and currently needing an over-subscription of aspirin and an adjustment to his Facebook profile pic) Julio Aparicio- had been gored by the bull he was engaged in a bullfight with.
Now, this normally would come as no great surprise considering the risks involved in trying to play "What's the time, Mr. Wolf?" with an 1100 pound (500kg) raging bull. One could easily see this as an occupational hazard, much like i would consider the papercut i received in the office Monday an occupational hazard (and a darned painful one at that). Note, i said "normally". Because what happened to Mr. Julio "i might need stitches" Aparicio was anything but.
Julio (silent "J" everyone, it's Spanish) had the misfortune of having said-bull tell him exactly what time it was. In a moment we can only put down to a loss of concentration, Señor Aparicio slipped, whence-upon Señor Bull spotted an opening in his tormentor's defences and rammed a razor sharp horn up through the chin of Señor "this can't be good" Aparicio, where it then proceeded to penetrate his tongue, pierce the roof of his mouth- thus fracturing the jawbone- and end its brief but now world famous journey out through the mouth. And just as quickly as it went in, the bull yanked it out.
Now, if it sounds as if i'm cheering for the away team, in this instance "Team Bull", well then you're very much correct in your assumption. Why, you may ask? i invite you to read the following brief excerpt:
" before the fight, the bull is enclosed in a dark box (pen), which has the effect of terrorizing him. When released and before he gets into the ring they (the bull "fighters") nail a sharp harpoon into his back. An animal previously abused, manipulated, shut up in darkness and in pain then runs galloping into the arena with an apparent furious attitude. Actually, when the bull enters the plaza, he is a frightened animal, desperately seeking to escape."
Oh but wait, there's more:
" to kill the bull, the matador traditionally has to thrust all three feet of his sword near the vertebrae to damage the heart or a major blood vessel. This is only in theory and almost never happens. The usual is that the sword can only manage to reach the lungs and the animal slowly agonizes and drowns in his own blood; after several attempts the bull is still alive, dying, moaning piteously and vomiting blood. Finally, the bull is stabbed with the puntilla ( a little dagger) in an attempt to sever his spinal cord. If the cord is not severed but only damaged, the bull is not really dead, but in some degree of paralysis and is dragged alive and conscious . Even if the cord is severed, the head of the bull is still 'live' for a few minutes, so he perfectly feels the pain when the ears are cut off. The bull is never completely dead for the second act of the carnage in the backroom of the bull ring, where the bull is quartered."
You like? i knew you would. By the way, Señor Julio "i'm thinking of being a cruise ship lounge singer now" Aparicio is recovering well in hospital.The reports i've consulted so far state that "it is not clear what happened to the bull". Hopefully it's gone to a place where people appreciate animals. Like i do.
ALeck the Senor isn't supposed to be written as Señor? with the tilde on top of "n"? :-P