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meat matters... a tale of my present

Cami Kaos

Cami Kaos

— 3 min read
Yesterday's tale of Kaos Vegetarianism was my past. I thought it appropriate to share with you because of today's post. I have to say I expected this to happen at some point, just not so soon.

K, at the tender age of 5, has decided not to eat meat.

Not because she is picky.

Not because she doesn't like it.

Not to drive us crazy.

Because it used to be alive.

We had a conversation that went a little like this

K: Mama, what eats birds

CK: Why?

K: Cats eat birds right?

CK: And people do too.

K: Well I don't.

CK: Chickens are birds, Turkeys are birds.

K: But I'm not eating them anymore mama.

It's true, for about a week now the only kind of meat she has eaten is bacon, because bacon is pretty much irresistible to anyone sharing my genes.

CK: Why not sweetie?

K: Because chickens used to be alive, I'm not going to eat any animals anymore. When will all the killing stop?



So you see my dilemma?

My problem isn't whether or not to force feed her meat because that is not going to happen. I applaud her moral stance, I just don't choose to follow it myself. We aren't even big meat eaters. We have red meat once a month at the most fish or poultry a couple of times a week.


No, my issue is more a logistical one. Do I point out at every turn what foods once had a face? I'll be bulking up her other protein sources and if she continues on her vegetarian quest I will talk with her doc about any supplements that may be necessary (K is only 5 after all and I oh so often hear people who think they are being funny comment "Oh sweetie, don't your parents ever feed you??" cause that is really funny right? Cause we need to give her a weight complex at this age right?).

Really though what do I do? For instance, her favorite meal of all time is talapia loins cooked in olive oil with rice and broccoli. Do I point out to her that the fish once lived and breathed in their own underwater gill having sort of way or do I just go ahead and put the fish on her plate and see what she does?

Last night hours after we had our "stop the killing" talk I was serving dinner. We decided on turkey burgers earlier in the day so I offered her a bun with melted cheese and pickles.

K: No thanks mama, I want a burger.

CK: You know that it's a turkey burger right?

K: Yeah, I want a burger, but not those potatoes they look nasty.

MK: I thought you were a vegetarian now, don't vegetarians like potatoes?

K: Yeah, they mostly do, but I am only half vegetarian, so I don't eat potatoes.

Mr. Kaos and I had to cover our mouths with napkins to keep from laughing at the absurdity of the situation.



This morning she is still a vegetarian... though I didn't cook any bacon so who can tell how that would go over.



I guess the question is do I let her walk around talking a big talk about how she doesn't eat meat cause meat is murder and continue to eat said murder when I put it on her plate? Do I sit her down and make a list of food she would be giving up? Do I ask if she wants to be a full vegetarian or a pescitarian so she can still continue to enjoy her fish and sushi? Do I give her the facts, the knowledge, the options, or do I just let her go and see what happens.



From the moment she was conceived I thought long and hard about what to feed my child, I know it seems a bit excessive but I have. I tried my hardest the breast feed her but when that was not possible I pumped, when that became futile we used the formula that we felt would be the very best. When she was old enough to eat mush we made sure to feed her the very best mush we could to make sure she would grow up to enjoy a healthy diet. It worked, she eats wonderful healthy food every day and loves it.



As her mother I'm torn between supporting her in being all she wants to be RIGHT NOW and saying eat this dear, you look thin...

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