Jack Eats a Big Mac!

The reason why anyone would care? Jack has been a self-imposed vegetarian since he was three years old. At that tender age, I took Jack to a petting zoo and placed a baby chick in his hand. He looked up at me with his big brown eyes and said "Chicken?" in a shocked voice. That was it for chicken nuggets. Thankfully the other meats are not named after the animal so I continued to serve him hamburger, steak, pork chops and bacon. But he is a smart little cuss and over the next year, he would ask over dinner questions like "What's pork?" Meats were quickly crossed off his list of things he would eat - first ribs, then bacon, then pork, and last hamburger. We honored his decision and his conviction and so we struggled on for years, trying to make sure he got enough protein and variety in his diet. We are not vegetarians, and so every night two dinners were made, one for us and one for him.

I always figured when he hit puberty he would start eating meat simply because he would have trouble eating enough to satisfy his growing body's need for calories/protein. Considering that he has grown eight inches in less than a year, I would say I was right. He is now taller than my 5'6". And today he is officially not a vegetarian any longer. Patrick and Jack went to McDonald's for nostalgia's sake today while roaming around PV. Patrick ordered himself a Big Mac and some fries for Jack. Jack watched him take one bite, and then said, "Can I have a bite?" First one, and then another, and then he said "I'm going to order myself one." That was the end of that. Though he may never be a meat glutton, it makes our life easier in so many ways.

Laura