Cricket2, i love it that you're launching an investigation into these things with your DD. i don't know of any global attributes that might sway one person more than another, but in our family it seems to depend on exposure.

i grew up in a single-parent, latch-key home and was largely responsible for making my own food choices from the age of 5. (i know that'd be considered neglect these days, but i loved it!) there was only healthy stuff in the fridge, and i learned to combine natural foods into easy, flavourful meals. since i was thinking about food choices so often, i rejected meat very early, but it was no big deal since the change really only affected me.

my husband, on the other hand, grew up in a traditional suburban home. it was wall-to-wall hot dogs and Wonderbread. we're still in the process of re-training his taste buds - but for him to give up meat would be a total paradigm shift.

DD is growing up in a home packed with healthy, local food and we talk about this stuff all the time. she feels genuinely bad for her dad's limited palate, and really wants him to eat more whole foods. this step into vegetarianism is kind of a logical extension of her growing knowledge of the world - i'm interested to see where it goes!

Every Sunday it brooded and lay on the floor. Inconveniently close to the drawing-room door.