My oldest son is 24 and he has decided to go vegetarian.  He is married and she can't cook, so I am not sure how this is going to work, but after a month, he says he feels a lot better and won't quit.  Of my 6, he is THE LAST one I would ever think would do this.

Well, he works for the big orange home DIY store and corporate gave them a feast at the last all store meeting.  They ordered Boston Market (eww!) and he was there, he had to be.  So he loads up his plate with sides, potatoes no gravy, cornbread, etc.  He sits down and he proceeds to eat.  A coworker asked why he didn't get some of that "awesome chicken" and my son said, I don't eat that, I am a vegetarian.  The guy says, oh we should have ordered fish for you then.  My son said no...I don't eat fish.  The guy says, but I know lots of vegetarians who eat fish.  My son said, then they are not vegetarians!

Another gal who is about my age, but perhaps not too well informed said that a friend of her daughter's was going to vegetarian and the gal told this girl that she could kiss her peanut butter and jelly sandwiches goodbye along with her baked beans.  My son said what?  Peanuts and beans are vegetable foods and I eat them. The gal goes on to inform him that peanuts and beans are MEAT because she saw that they are in the meat group on the old food group thing in school.  Oh dear.

He was asking me what he should say about this stuff.  I said well, you can be nice and say I don't eat anything with fins, feathers or fur.  You can say you don't eat anything with a face.  I said if someone just gets in your face and won't leave it alone, you tell them that you are not the living grave of murdered animals.  I told him it depends on how nice you feel you need to be, but the fins, feathers and fur really does cover it well and politely. 

What impressed him, the brainiac that he is, is how many famous scientists and writers, very learned people were or are vegan/vegetarian.  He said he had no idea that so many of the writers of books he has read and whose opinions he respects, have been of the veggie persuasion.  He said that in a way, this feels like keeping company with highly evolved and other highly intelligent people.  He asked if only extremely intelligent people know to give up flesh foods for a more gentle and sensible way of life.  I was thinking of all of you and I said yes, I think that is about the size of it.

Beans are meat...who knew? LOL hahaha!  Pass the pintos!