Actually, if I refer to my vegetarian four year-old as any sort of
animal, she gets concerned that I'm going to eat her.  Perhaps I shouldn't
have been so blunt, so early, about predator versus prey species....

"Is that meat?"

Yes it is, honey.

"What kind of meat is it?"

It's cow.

"What's the cow doing?"

It's dead, honey, and I'm eating it.

"But what did it used to do?"

It used to say "moo."  But now it's just lying there on my plate, cooked.

"Yuck! ... Momma and I don't eat animals, right?"

That's right.

"But you do?"

I do.

"Are you going to eat me?"

Probably not.  Have you cleaned your room today?

--
Jeremy Gollub
jeremy@gollub.net