the road to vegetarian...

...is paved with turkeys and chickens.

Now that Josh is in Kindergarten and making sense of the world, he had all sorts of questions surrounding the Thanksgiving tradition of turkey on this past long weekend:

J: Mommy, are we having turkey for Thanksgiving?

Y: No, we’re having chicken.

J: Why aren’t we haven’t turkey?

Y: Because there are only 4 of us eating it.  Turkey’s are just big chickens.  Since we don’t have many people eating, we don’t need a turkey.

J: Do you think the turkey wants to be killed?

Y: (Ugh.  Seriously?!)  Uhhh…what do you think, Josh?

J: I don’t think the turkey wants to be killed.

I think at that point, I changed the subject because he caught me off guard and I didn’t know what to say!  But later on at dinner, the conversation came up again as we were eating our Thanksgiving chicken:

J: Mommy, do you think this chicken wanted to be eaten?

Y: Well, I don’t think the chicken was thinking about being eaten when it was alive.  Chickens have really small brains (good one, Mom!) so I don’t think that they think of much.  They are just happy to be running around (I’m considering my chicken was free range, of course!) and getting fed.

J: I don't think that chickens what to be eaten.
Y: (In my best trying to be empathetic voice) Well, Josh, if you don't want to eat chickens or turkeys, then you don't have to.  Just tell me and I won't give you any.

What else am I suppose to say when the kid is questioning the ethics behind eating fowl?!