No bottoms. No heads.

Jon reports that today as he was exiting onto the main road to take the kids to school that a pig was in the process of being slaughtered.  There they were, stuck,  waiting for traffic to pass so that they could turn onto the road.  Motionless they witnessed a process that in the states would not occur in such plain view right there at an intersection of sorts.  But here in the Dominican, the preparation of food from start to finish is just a regular part of life that is not concealed by doors with hanging plastic.  And this particular event led to a lengthy discussion among a 6, 5, and 3 year old about what animals and what animal parts are acceptable for consumption.  It went something like this:

Allie:  Daddy, why is the pig bleeding and still standing up?

Jon:  They are fixing to kill it so that they can eat it.

Allie:  Oh, but no one eats horses.

Jon thinking to himself:  They do here!

Gracie:  And no one eats birds.

Jon:  Chickens are birds.

Allie:  Oh ya.  But NOT cute little birds.

Tate:  jingle bells jingle beeells jingle all the way oh what

Gracie:  But NOT their heads.

Allie:  And not their feet.

Jon:  Allie, I have a picture of you eating a chicken foot.  Remember, you liked it?  

Gracie:  But not their legs!

Jon:  What do you think "chicken on the bone" is?

Tate:  JINGLE BEELLS JINGLE BEEEELLLS JINGLE ALL THE WAY!

Allie:  Okay, but NOT their heads!

Gracie:  And NOT THEIR BOTTOMS.

Jon (snickering):  That's right.  No heads.  No bottoms.