I’m talking to myself, but my son is listening. I’m conflicted, but I can find no resolve. My son is shaking his head, but offering minimal input. The issue? Food!
Me: When I was a kid, there were 4 good groups.
Dylan: there are 5
Me: right! There are 5 food groups! I knew that…. Ok, like I was saying… meat, dairy, veggies, fruit, and grains. Five!
Dylan: Fish
Me: Fish is meat. Seafood is meat.
Dylan: sushi is seaweed. Seafood or vegetable?
Me: seafood is seafood; meat!
Dylan: corn?
Me: Vegetable. It grows from the ground. Wait! Grain, right? But vegetables grow from the ground like beans, peas, and other legumes.
Pumpkins are legumes. Wait. Pumpkins are fruit! Like watermelon and cantaloupe. They grow above ground. Like tomatoes! Tomatoes are a fruit. Wait. No. Tomatoes are a vegetable! They go in salads like lettuce (which also grows above ground). Salad? There’s nuts in a salad. Legumes! Grapes can be in a salad. Fruit! Wait…lots of things can be in a salad. Like croutons (grain) and chicken (chefs salad). Salad should not be the qualifier. Chicken is meat! It’s white meat like fish…
Dylan: seafood!
Me: As I was saying…white meat…
Dylan: Racist…
Me: huh? What? Stop it! Pork…
Dylan: Pig! 😳
Me: Is rabbit meat, white meat?
Dylan: Why? Because a rabbit has white fur 🐇? Ummm. No.
Me: I think it’s the texture. Chicken, duck, turkey, etc.
Dylan: Turkeys have dark meat.
Me: yeah, but it’s not red meat.
Dylan: isn’t all meat red meat because of the blood?
Me: 🧐
Also me: Fish bleed.
Dylan: vegetarian? Vegan?
Me: Pescatarian!
Dylan: Isn’t that a religion?
Me: Only if you worship fish. But if you did, you probably wouldn’t eat them. Alright. Enough! Let’s sum this up:
Five food groups! Some foods are questionable. Vegetables and fruits are interchangeable. Potatoes grow UNDER the ground. Vegetable…
Dylan: Starch
Me: huh, wait! No! Vegetable. Eggs are dairy.
Dylan: Protein. Shouldn’t eggs be meat? They come from chickens.
Me: Eggs are not to be eaten with chicken, but fine with pork.
Dylan: White meat!
Me: Grrr. Bacon is in the dairy isle with the milk and eggs and cheese and…
Dylan: …and orange juice! But oranges are fruit. Grapefruits are fruit. Apples are fruit. But Apple Jacks do NOT taste like apples and are not in the fruit aisle.
Me: well that’s because that’s a cereal to which we add milk.
Both of us: DAIRY!
Me: But milk comes from a cow, and a cow is meat. It’s in a different isle, is a different texture, and is MEAT!!
Dylan: Protein! Red meat! Not worshiped (by all), but tastes great with A1 steak sauce.
msktb 