Mr. Meatless

As many of you know, a few months ago our 7 year old declared himself a vegetarian.  Since that time, he has kept his diet largely meat-free.  For awhile, we could get him to eat a little seafood - we explained that some vegetarians do that and it's okay.  He looked a bit skeptical, but he accepted our premise.  At the time, he was sitting in front of a large plate of calamari and I think he was secretly happy to find a loophole that allowed him to try a tentacle or two.  Since that time, I think he's gone back to abstaining from all meat.

While many people are intrigued by N's diet decision, no one appears more so than his older brother, B.  He seems almost offended by N's position.  If you ask N why he made this choice, you'll get a pretty simple answer: "Because I like animals and I don't think people should kill them just to eat them." This answer was not sufficient for B.  Early on, he was like a criminal prosecutor, trying to poke holes in this position and get his brother back on the meat wagon.  We were witness to conversations like:

B: "If you won't eat chicken, why do you eat eggs?  Eggs turn into chickens, you know."
N: "I said I don't eat meat.  Eggs aren't meat."
B: "But they turn into meat."
N: "But they aren't meat yet."

While enjoying Chinese take-out, N found that he really liked mock duck (once he was assured it was not real meat).  B saw an opening:

B.: "So, you like mock duck because it tastes like meat!  So, you're admitting that you like the taste of meat!" (At this point, B sat back with a look of satisfaction, confident he had won the day.)
N.: "I never said I didn't like the taste of meat.  I just don't want to eat it."
B: (somewhat deflated) "Well, I'm still not sure if that makes you much of a vegetarian if you admit you like the taste of meat."
N: (shrugs and takes another helping of mock duck)

While it does make meal planning a challenge at times, I admire N's conviction.  His choice to not eat meat was a personal one.  He doesn't really care what vegetarians or vegans or pescatarians or any other group does.  Over the weeks, he's developed his own guidelines and he sticks to them.  I respect that.  I think even his brother has finally come to understand and accept N's position.  I've overheard him explain it to others.

Luckily for us, N is fairly adventurous for his age when it comes to trying different foods.  He's always been a big fan of hummus and black beans.  If we're having meat, he'll sometimes have a hummus or peanut butter sandwich instead.  Our doctor assures us that he is not lacking for protein and that he is perfectly healthy.  We're probably all eating a little healthier as we try to incorporate dishes that work for everyone.

In the spirit of compromise, N recently reminded me that the only reason he won't eat meat is because he doesn't think people should kill animals.  He said he would eat meat if we could prove that the animal it came from died of old age.  Yum.