Overheard a kid at the grocery store ask his mom what a butcher is

Kid saw me walk out with a wrapped package and whispered 'is that where they kill animals?' Made me think about how far removed most folks are from where their food comes from. Any of you get questions like that from younger customers?

2 comments

2 Comments

betty_wells1d ago

Doubt the kid was shaken up about it, seems more like natural curiosity than anything deep. People act like not seeing the slaughter is some huge disconnect, but honestly most of us are fine not watching every step. Kids ask weird stuff all the time, this one just happened to be about meat.

dakotab931d agoMost Upvoted

Is it really about being "fine not watching every step" or more that we've built a whole culture around not having to think about it at all? @betty_wells I get what you're saying about natural curiosity, but that kid's question is actually pretty spot-on. My nephew once asked me why we call it "ground beef" but not "ground chicken," and it made me realize how our language hides the process too. We say "pork chop" not "dead pig slice" because we don't want to picture the live animal. So maybe that moment in the grocery store isn't just a kid being curious - it's a rare break in the wall we've built between us and where our dinner comes from.