Occasionally, I rebel against the mashed potato and un-sauced meat diet that keeps my family fed. Then, I go to the hot food and salad bars at Whole Foods and pile a mish-mash of green things into a box to eat while the heathens make their daily sacrifice to the Gods of Meat.

Recently, my son looked inquiringly at my plate. “Whatcha got there?” he asked. Because hope truly does spring eternal, I jumped at the chance to introduce him to foods without hooves.

“Well,” I said, “This is cole slaw, that’s tofu and this is broccoli.”

He didn’t turn away, so I continued on a tour of my dinner plate.

“This is quinoa salad and that, with the yogurt, is falafel.”

He looked at me and said,  “Now you’re just making up words.”