Overheard in Lexington
I was in Stop & Shop earlier this week, looking for milk in that 20 x 20 section that sells organic/natural foods, when I heard the following conversation between a mom and her (I'd guess) 11-year-old daughter in the canned-goods aisle:
Daughter: "I can't eat this!"
Mom: "But honey, you can eat this. It's completely vegetarian."
Daughter: "I can't!"
Mom: "But look--it's just beans, tomatoes, spices--no meat products of any kind. It's completely vegetarian. Really, honey, you can eat this."
Daughter (getting progressively more agitated): "I CAN'T--you don't understand! There's stuff in here I can't eat!"
Mom (keeping calm, considering): "Really, sweetie--look. It's all vegetarian, all natural. No animal products of any kind. Let me get this for you."
Daughter (more agitated): "NO! I CAN'T! This isn't what I can eat!!"
I was in a hurry, so I finally had to leave, with the mother still trying (very patiently, I thought) to reason with her daughter that the vegetarian soup really was okay for a vegetarian to eat. And I had a glimpse of my future. Although I'm a pretty dedicated carnivore (as loyal readers know from my many posts on barbeque), I figure it's only a matter of time before my pet-loving, tender-hearted son goes veggie. His favorite foods are already eggs, mangos, and macaroni and cheese, so it wouldn't even be that big of a stretch, diet-wise.
On the other hand, he may change his mind when he figures out that being vegetarian means no bacon. At that point, all bets are off.
posted by Alison Rose at
10:53 PM
2 Comments:
oh man! this reminds me of first year students at Smith! I watched one girl eat nothing but applesauce because, like this girl, everything else had *something* in it...
sounds more like the kid's using vegetarianism as an excuse for an eating disorder. that was another thing that used to happen at Smith...
amazing how girls will convince themselves of anything to avoid eating and what they think is gaining weight. oh, I have news for them--wait till your metabolism slows in middle age. *Then* you will no what weight gain is all about!
LOL, Tish! Tell me about it! I'm the victim of the ol' metabolism myself. When I was a kid, I could eat and eat and NEVER gained an ounce, though I grew (height-wise) at a normal rate. My parents were convinced I actually had some horrible wasting disease (even though I was mostly otherwise healthy). But somewhere in my late adolescence, my metabolism changed, and suddenly when I ate and ate, I gained more than ounces! Talk about slowing--hah!
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