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Every year my husband and his friends have a tradition of staging a pig roast. They wake up at the crack of dawn one November Saturday morning and get all the guys together. With a secret recipe and the guidance of our North Carolinian friend, by midday, they have a beautiful feast prepared, complete with a centerpiece of a succulent whole roast pig.
This event is greatly anticipated by my husband and he’s been talking about it now for months. So the other day, when I mentioned how we were going to go to the pig roast this weekend, my older son looked a little perplexed. I could almost see the wheels turning inside his head when he said, “You mean a walking pig?” I said “Yes, that’s right,” and quickly tried to change the subject, but my ever curious son persisted with his line of questions. In the summer, we had seen the movie Charlotte’s Web, but at that point I think he was still too young to connect the dots of why Wilbur the pig was so worried about his fate.
So I had a little explaining to do. I get caught in this type of situation quite a bit these days and find that the best thing to do is be as honest and simple as possible. He is a pretty laid back guy and didn’t seem to be too bothered by it all.
But I could see how many a kid at the preschooler age would resist eating meat after learning the reality of the world. Back in the olden days when many people used to live on small family farms very close to the animals they would soon consume, this was no big deal.
These days in the United States, most people are far removed from this process, buying their meat, usually boneless and skinless, or preformed into patties and nuggets, in a neat shrink-wrapped package from the grocery store. Kids spend their first few years learning about barnyard animals and the sounds they make, and looking at a book with cute anthropomorphic characters. So no wonder it can be difficult when they first make that connection!
I was one of those squeamish kids. I remember that moment that I had the realization that the meat on my plate actually came from a cute fuzzy animal. After that, I went through various stretches as a kid where I wouldn’t eat anything with a face (since I was a picky eater anyway, it really drove my parents crazy!). And I know there are many children out there like that.
What to do if your kid is an animal lover who won’t eat meat? Well not to worry, meat is not a requirement for a healthy diet. Kids can get plenty of protein from eggs, cheese, beans, yogurt and tofu products like nuggets and not dogs.
When confronted with the reality of the circle of life later today, we’ll see if our elder son is still a confirmed southern barbecue lover. But I doubt we’ll be cooking a tofurkey, (a faux turkey made of vegetarian protein such as seitan or tofu) for Thanksgiving dinner this year. So if you are a vegetarian family or have a child who is staging a voluntary meat strike, this could be an option for this Thanksgiving!
©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
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With a Cluck Cluck Here and an Oink Oink There!
This event is greatly anticipated by my husband and he’s been talking about it now for months. So the other day, when I mentioned how we were going to go to the pig roast this weekend, my older son looked a little perplexed. I could almost see the wheels turning inside his head when he said, “You mean a walking pig?” I said “Yes, that’s right,” and quickly tried to change the subject, but my ever curious son persisted with his line of questions. In the summer, we had seen the movie Charlotte’s Web, but at that point I think he was still too young to connect the dots of why Wilbur the pig was so worried about his fate.
So I had a little explaining to do. I get caught in this type of situation quite a bit these days and find that the best thing to do is be as honest and simple as possible. He is a pretty laid back guy and didn’t seem to be too bothered by it all.
But I could see how many a kid at the preschooler age would resist eating meat after learning the reality of the world. Back in the olden days when many people used to live on small family farms very close to the animals they would soon consume, this was no big deal.
These days in the United States, most people are far removed from this process, buying their meat, usually boneless and skinless, or preformed into patties and nuggets, in a neat shrink-wrapped package from the grocery store. Kids spend their first few years learning about barnyard animals and the sounds they make, and looking at a book with cute anthropomorphic characters. So no wonder it can be difficult when they first make that connection!
I was one of those squeamish kids. I remember that moment that I had the realization that the meat on my plate actually came from a cute fuzzy animal. After that, I went through various stretches as a kid where I wouldn’t eat anything with a face (since I was a picky eater anyway, it really drove my parents crazy!). And I know there are many children out there like that.
What to do if your kid is an animal lover who won’t eat meat? Well not to worry, meat is not a requirement for a healthy diet. Kids can get plenty of protein from eggs, cheese, beans, yogurt and tofu products like nuggets and not dogs.
When confronted with the reality of the circle of life later today, we’ll see if our elder son is still a confirmed southern barbecue lover. But I doubt we’ll be cooking a tofurkey, (a faux turkey made of vegetarian protein such as seitan or tofu) for Thanksgiving dinner this year. So if you are a vegetarian family or have a child who is staging a voluntary meat strike, this could be an option for this Thanksgiving!
Roast Faux Turkey with Cranberry Onion Relish
Made with faux turkey roast, Dijon mustard, olive oil, yellow onion, dried cranberries, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, apple cider
Made with faux turkey roast, Dijon mustard, olive oil, yellow onion, dried cranberries, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, apple cider
Serves/Makes: 4
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons apple cider
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 faux turkey roast (such as Tofurkey)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion for two minutes. Add cranberries, brown sugar, and vinegar and continue to cook until onions are soft. Stir in apple cider and mustard and cook for two minutes more.
Place faux turkey on a sheet of heavy duty foil. Spread cranberry onion mixture over the top and wrap tightly in the foil. Place in a roasting pan and bake for 45 minutes in the center of the oven. Uncover for the last 10 minutes of serving.
Slice faux turkey into slices and serve with the pan juices.
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©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
https://www.cdkitchen.com/cooking-experts/pamela-chester/1204-vegetarian-kids/