Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy the age of vegetarianism

As far as eating one's pets, I regularly stayed with a college friend who's parents ran a hobby farm in their retirement. They lovingly raised 20-30 cows and happily ate them, discussing over dinner whether Fred was perhaps tougher than Max had been. The meat went into the freezer labelled by the cow's name and the cut of the meat, so they always knew who they were eating. I never did feel comfortable joining those conversations. Or talking to their living cows by name either, after the first dinner coversation.

I have never butchered or eaten a cat either so all second hand (or worse) anecdotes. But those stories are old and lively.

Yeah, I have wondered about the issue of taste too (obligate carnivore vs. herbivore seem unlikely to be that close). But frogs taste a lot like chicken (and chicken are not exclusive herbivore) and... if nobody can 'fess up to cat, what about alligator?

I think I would have issues with the naming, too.

Anybody has read Temple Grandin's biography? They came out with a kids' version last year (http://www.amazon.com/Temple-Grandin-Embraced-Autism-Changed/dp/0547443153) which should be appropriate for gifted kids K and up. They talk at length of her work making cattle raising more humane, and there are lots of facts about the meat industry.

She explains that she tried to go vegetarian when she was a teen (she *identifies* with cows), but got sick without meat in her diet.

I've had alligator fritters. Tastes like chicken, but the texture is closer to beef.

Same here. I will spare the details except to say that the problem disappeared immediately after I forced myself to eat some chili con carne. And it never came back after I started eating some (but not a lot of) meat again.

Perhaps the foster parents were being very generous with her crunchies.

Ours just eats almost anything. He even steals donuts and knocks my cup of milk over if he can get to it. We have to hide everything.

Kitties are love, though.

A quite edible form of love, apparently.

Most likely any negative reactions are born out of prior experiences with outspoken, self righteous, judgmental, proselytizing veg*ns.

Edit: Which is not meant to imply that they are particularly common. It only takes a few bad apples though.

I'm like this too, and it used to drive my DW batty. If she declared something, I'd naturally start probing for the information that led her there, because that's how I approach the world. She'd immediately respond emotionally, because to her that meant a lack of trust in her and her abilities. "Why do you have to question everything I say??" Because I have to question everything.

If, through the course of reexamining, we both discovered her initial statement was wrong, that didn't help. It made things worse, actually.

Raising our DD to think this way has, I think, changed her perspective on this sort of thing.

that is so cool that having your kid has changed the dynamic - it has definitely done so around here, too - although i think DH is a bit freaked out that DD is shaping up so uh, Socratic, this early in her life. mercifully, the kid is a great deal more amusing than i am - but i guess you can get away with a LOT when you're five and have an impish little face to go along with your logic bombs!