Carnivore
So, today I woke up grumpy, it all slid downhill from there, and, as usual, I'm taking out my bad mood on Nine. We went out to eat at our favorite Chinese buffet, and on the drive there, she's interogating her grandmother as to how Grammy can justify eating meat when she professes to love animals so much. Grammy, as usual, justifies this with, "Because they taste good."
Once we get to the restaurant, also as usual, Nine fills her plate with crab legs.
I point out to her that fish are animals, and that, as a fish-eater, she's a carnivore. She says she doesn't care, that she doesn't like fish except to eat. I point out, if she loves animals so much, why can't fish and crabs and shrimp have a little bit of consideration, too?
She's nine. She's not very good yet at using intellectual dishonesty as justification. She's floundering, and although I'm still grumpy, I have to smile.
Nine says she's a pescatarian, and that's the same as a vegetarian. I say, no, a pescatarian eats fish, fish are animals, "pescatarian" means the same as "meat-eater." Logically, I'm the one that's more correct, which I proceed to beat her over the head with for the rest of our dinner.
On the way home, I casually mention that, considering the way they treat fish when the ships haul them up in nets, it's kinda like herding a bunch of bunnies, or maybe kittens, into a room and sucking all the oxygen out, leaving them to smother slowly. Of course, maybe that's not as bad as the way they kill lobsters, by putting them in a boiling pot of water. At least that's not how they kill crabs... is it?
Grammy says, no, that is exactly the same way they kill crabs.
I ask, so very casually, do they scream?
Grammy says yes, yes they do scream.
Silence in the backseat.
Heh. I love torturing children.
Once we get to the restaurant, also as usual, Nine fills her plate with crab legs.
I point out to her that fish are animals, and that, as a fish-eater, she's a carnivore. She says she doesn't care, that she doesn't like fish except to eat. I point out, if she loves animals so much, why can't fish and crabs and shrimp have a little bit of consideration, too?
She's nine. She's not very good yet at using intellectual dishonesty as justification. She's floundering, and although I'm still grumpy, I have to smile.
Nine says she's a pescatarian, and that's the same as a vegetarian. I say, no, a pescatarian eats fish, fish are animals, "pescatarian" means the same as "meat-eater." Logically, I'm the one that's more correct, which I proceed to beat her over the head with for the rest of our dinner.
On the way home, I casually mention that, considering the way they treat fish when the ships haul them up in nets, it's kinda like herding a bunch of bunnies, or maybe kittens, into a room and sucking all the oxygen out, leaving them to smother slowly. Of course, maybe that's not as bad as the way they kill lobsters, by putting them in a boiling pot of water. At least that's not how they kill crabs... is it?
Grammy says, no, that is exactly the same way they kill crabs.
I ask, so very casually, do they scream?
Grammy says yes, yes they do scream.
Silence in the backseat.
Heh. I love torturing children.