Just another ethical debate during dinner.

Henry: What are you eating?

Me: A chicken leg.

Henry: You're eating the leg of a chicken.

Me: That's right.

Henry: Meat is animals.

Me: ….yeah.

Henry: Someone cut the leg off a chicken and now you're eating it.

Me: Yeeaaah. Hey, Henry, maybe you don't eat meat because you're a vegetarian.

Henry: What's a vegetablerian?

Me: Someone who doesn't eat meat. Maybe you don't eat meat because you don't like the idea of killing animals.

Henry: I don't like meat.

Me: Right. Because you don't want animals to die, maybe.

Henry: No, I don't mind. I don't mind at all if chickens die. I just don't like them.

Me: So it's not for moral reasons.

Henry: I don't like morals, either.

Comments

[nate]

Mmm...morels...

[Stacy]

I absolutely agree with Henry! You cannot beat the logic of 4-year olds. It's impenetrable. George W. Bush could take lessons from Henry...maybe he can be a consultant. Just a thought...

[anne nahm]

lol - those weird little peeks into their working brains is wild.

The meat-is-animals things seems to have gone over pretty well. Not so much at our house, when my daughter had shrimp and asked,

“this is its tail? And did it curl up to protect itself before it died? Like an armadillo?”





Annnnnnnd that's right about the start of our new mostly vegetarian diet.

[Magrak]

People who are vegetarians because they just think meat is gross are called "aesthetic vegetarians." At least, according to George Bernard Shaw. I was one myself from ages 12-14 and 17-20. My downfall has always been salami, which calls me with its uniquely garlicky siren's song from across delis and buffet tables. I guess I should have compromised by being a salamitarian.

[Deb on the Rocks]

You can always get away with hiding morals under a cheese sauce.

[Lisa Milton]

I want the magical bacon plant.

[Vanessa]

I have a little "vegetablearian" who is terrified of chickens (traumatic petting-zoo experience -- don't ask) and gleefully talks about how other people kill and eat them, even though she wouldn't dream of eating one herself. If she ever became a meat-eater, it'd be strictly for revenge.

Incidentally, I, too, thought meat was gross when I was Henry's age. I quit it altogether when I was in college and am now in my 17th year of non-meat-eating, so you never know where these early dinner-table comments will lead!

[Mara]

Maybe he thought you meant morels-- do you all do a lot of gourmet mushroom cooking? I don't like them much myself, really!

[RuthWells]

I'm not a big LOL-er, but that one got me!

[Strizz]

Ha, that could have been a converstaion between myself and my 10 yr old. Although I would have described the chicken as a poor sweet feathery chick who wanted nothing more than to live.

[DM]

Stop it! Stop making me want to have kids. I know the chances of having a Henry of my own is very slim. Your kid is so brilliant.

And the magical bacon plant made me snort. I wish I had one right now.

[Sue]

Ha ha ha ha! Ha! Henry needs to have his own show, like Truman.

[the other leslie]

Those morals were effing delicious.

[Mignon]

Why won't he eat meat??? Or, I should say, please get to the bottom of this and tell me so I can figure out why my kid won't eat meat!!! Stat. We are running out of beige tasteless foods...

[badmamasmama]

Sign seen at a Northern Wisconsin Fishing Resort: "There's room for all of God's creatures...right next to the mashed potatoes"

[AuthorMomWithDogs]

I don't know who's funnier. You, Henry, or your commenters. You have a great crew who show up here! And you and Henry ain't too bad either. ;)

[Shellie]

I love it! A kid with convictions without morals. Like my daughter who spews forth "Fish are our friends, not our food", and "poor little fishies." She just hates fish, that's all.

[Tammy]

Ewww... morals.

[jeremy (fine art of fathering)]

man thats so funny....the dinner table is usally a place of funny stories.