That’s soooome pig!
I’m reading Charlotte’s Web to my girls. We are currently at the part at the fair where Wilbur is, as always, worried that he’ll be killed. Charlotte assures him he will win a ribbon and won’t be killed. Nice, right?
So, at dinner, my four-year-old takes a bite of meat and says, “Mmmm… Yum-my! This tastes like DEAD PIG!”
Sigh. Then later I asked if she’d like some carrots. She said, “Yes, please, and more dead pig!”
Good grief. I’m not placing money on her becoming a vegetarian.
Since Nikitaland asked for funny stories about my husband, here’s a bonus for you:
At a work meeting, the boss asked if anyone had any burning issues to discuss. One coworker, who talks a lot, raised his hand and said, “I always have a burning issue.”
My husband replied, “You know there’s an ointment for that.”
My husband said he’d never seen his boss laugh so hard. The coworker was slightly less amused. Ah well.
Motherhood and Martial Arts 
Good one by your husband!
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He’s a funny guy.
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Ointments and dead pig. I like the way your family thinks. 😉 But good to know your daughter won’t be one of those kids scarred by Charlotte’s Web!
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I’m sure it helped that they had already seen the movie and knew what to expect. But I still got a little misty when Charlotte died. The kids were just fine! What’s up with that?
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Either you’ve taught them excellent coping skills or they’re headed for counseling. 😉
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Let’s hope it’s the former. Thanks, Doc! 🙂
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Love that work story – reminds me of a few I’ve worked with. and I suspect you’re little one will soon be asking for dead cow.
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It WAS funny! Both actually. But I am referring to the ointment. 🙂
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Just wondering why you sighed at your 4YO’s remark. She’s just YOUR “burning” “issue”, if you know what I mean. Were you hoping she’d turn against meat?
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No, I don’t know what you mean. And, no, I wasn’t hoping she’d turn against meat. I was just expecting a little more animal sympathy.
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Heh. This is why the humor is the way it is in the cartoons, because among other things, it appeals to kids to know that animals eat other animals. Especially when they swallow them whole and they hear them complaining in their stomach.
What I meant was that she was “burning” you by her remark, and of course since you gave birth to her, she’s your issue. I guess that wasn’t as obvious as the other “burning issue” joke.
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Ah, sorry. That escaped me.
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THAT makes for a great work meeting! 🙂 Pass the pig! (Poor Wilbur!)
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Haha! I don’t think I could ever live on a farm and raise animals knowing I’d just be killing them one day. Apparently my kids would be fine with it, though!
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Maybe they have ‘farmer’ in their blood, or their career path?
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Who knows. I wouldn’t mind. I think that would be cool. It would be nice to be self-sustained like that.
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I know a lot of folks turning to self sustaining in some small measures. I love the idea of it…..
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I do too. It sounds lovely. We’re doing our best to grow vegetables and fruit. We’re having varying degrees of success. I’ve flirted with the idea of chickens, but don’t think we eat eggs enough to make it really worth it. But they would be sort of fun. The big game I’d happily leave to someone else.
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I am considering chickens too!
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Are you now?
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Since I am already raising “chicks” I might as well get some eggs and fertilizer out of it. 🙂
And the experience of raising chickens is one from my childhood.
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Awh. Well, have fun building a coop. Put it on your list!
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I miss the days of my own big garden and canning. I play with the ‘idea’ of returning to it. Haven’t actually taken the step yet. But I admire those who do. Don’t those vegies and fruit taste best when they’re your own grown? 🙂
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The fruit certainly does taste better than store-bought, but I honestly think that’s not just in our heads. They just really are better for some reason. The veggies, eh. The lettuce seems to be particularly difficult to get tasting good! 🙂 I’ve never gone so far as canning. What we can’t eat we give away. Canning seems like too much work!
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Canning is a tremendous amount of work for sure. But I have to say, when I did it, I loved it. I have no desire at this time to do it. But part of me wishes I did. It’s an entirely different commitment. I would have to give up my writing, reading, and other creative endeavors to take on those endeavors. Which I “should” do. But I’m partial to these right now…..
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I hear ya. I’d rather not can writing. Hyuck! Hyuck! 😉
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Haha! Well done! 🙂
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If you have too many eggs, I’ll buy them! Fresh eggs!!!
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I’m afraid we ruled in favor of simply buying our eggs at Costco.
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That little girl of yours is so funny and I think she may have inherited it from her father.
I used to get grossed out when Beth and Alisha would ask at the dinner table if we were eating cow or pig or chicken. I always wanted it to be just meat not something I visualized that used to be alive.
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And yet when they see a little bit of blood in the meat before it’s cooked they’re confused as to where it came from. They know it’s an animal, but they don’t seem to connect that it’s an animal that was once alive!
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This is interesting because of the contrast with my friend Bill. He wanted his children to have no illusions about such things, although he took pains not to rub it in their faces either. He did a ritual slaughter of a pig at home, which INCLUDES TALKING NICE TO OINKY, singing & whispering to the pig before killing it. The children were allowed to watch or not, as they wished. He also made sure no part of the animal went to waste.
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Talking nice, singing and whispering to make the pig relax? That’s harsh. I guess if it’s what needs to be done. I could never do it. It’s so deceptive. Just shooting a wild pig with a bow and arrow I would be okay with.
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Your family sounds incredibly well adjusted. Kudos!
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Ha! That’s not really how I was interpreting it all, but thanks!
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This is hilarious, Betsy! At least she isn’t squeamish about eating animals haha.
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Philosopher Robert Nozick said he became a vegetarian (not instantly, but after thinking about it a while) after his child looked at a Thanksgiving turkey and said, “This turkey wanted to live.”
That might make sense, except I don’t think the child’s statement is factually true. I don’t think other animals want to live. They avoid death out of instinct & they learn to avoid injury. However, a friend reported to me that after watching him kill a sheep, another sheep from the flock came to my friend & licked his hand unconcernedly. They don’t comprehend death, so they don’t care about it. Some animals that live in their own communities will communicate distress to others in dangerous situations, but that’s out of instinct, not understanding. They don’t make plans for the future. All the things they do in preparation for life events are programmed.
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Maybe that sheep licked his hand because he was grateful. Perhaps the sheep who got killed was a real pain in the neck. I’m kidding! I’m kidding!
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I’m having the exact opposite problem. Both of my children refuse to believe that their meat was formerly an animal. We’re going to have to read Charlotte’s Web.
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Either that or visit a farm!
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They live near a hundred different farms, and as many times as we’ve gone over where their food comes from… It’s all magic to them. Awww… Cute piggies. That piggie isn’t bacon! Silly Mom.
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Eventually they’ll get it. I guess they’re just in blissful denial for the time being.
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