Our Independence Day dinner consisted of pork chops grilled over wood smoke, hot German potato salad, homemade baked beans, and steamed broccoli. Baby Mouse had had quite enough supper, in her opinion, so she headed off to be bathed by Daddy before Miss Mouse and I were done with our food. Hence the following dinner conversation:
MM: "Pork chops are my favorite."
Me: "Pork chops were my favorite, too, when I was your age. They still are."
MM: "Mmm...I love pork chops. They come from pigs. Do pigs give us pork chops?"
Me: "Um, yes."
MM: "Ooohhh. Isn't that nice of them?! Do they see us and think 'I want to give them a pork chop'?"
Me: "Sort of."
MM: "Do they come from pigs like the ones we saw at the college (our field trip with the children's museum one week was to a kiddie day hosted by the ag program at the college)?"
Me: "Yes. Those pigs are probably being raised for their meat."
MM: "Oh. Isn't that just so nice of them?! They see us hungry and give us pork chops! Do they carry the pork chops for us in bags?"
Me: "Yes, it is nice that we have meat to eat. We carry the pork chops in bags from the store."
MM: "Oh. The pigs do not carry them for us. We carry them to coolers in the car. Otherwise they would melt."
Me: "No, pork doesn't melt, but if it gets too hot, it would get bad to eat."
MM: "Hmm...I hope the college pigs don't get too hot and get feeling bad. Do you think Piglet (her dear imaginary friend) would like to give us pork chops?"
Me: "No, I don't think he probably would. He isn't that sort of pig. And I think the college pigs are fine and not too hot."
MM: "Oh, I'm glad."
---Though I do savor my quiet moments with Miss Mouse, I was quite glad for Baby Mouse's timely, though naked, arrival in the kitchen as a distraction from this fairly odd pork conversation!
As a sidenote, I was also struck tonight watching the news showing, as they do every year, new citizens being sworn in, hearing people say how happy and excited they are to become Americans; it always amazes me at how very much United States citizenship means to those who were not born with it and how very little those of us who were born with it ever even contemplate it. Happy Independence Day!
1 comment:
Oh, my, the meat conversations. I still remember the moose conversation last fall...Thanks again for the photos and the humor. I love being able to share long distance with your family adventures.
I have also seen the intense pride that naturalized cizizens show that we take for granted...which reminds me of a recent tirade I wrote to and aquaintance who had insisted that this be a Christian nation. I pointed out that many of the radical Christians cannot recite the 10 Commandments that they insist be posted everywhere except in their own homes and tend to treat them as the "10 suggestions" not necessarily ALL
to be obeyed.I then mentioned the similarities of all of the major religions and the intense strife between the various sects. It seems that the radicals of all religions seem to attach intently to the minor teachings and often forget the major foundation of goodness which is taught by all.
There! MORE than enough said! Hug your little family for me.
Love, Auntie Linda
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