My father was in the meat business. He has a Ph.D. in Meat Science from Texas A&M.

Every household has its off-limit conversations. For our family it was the topic of vegetarianism. In our home the term “vegetarian” carried the negative connotation that “atheist” or “philanderer” carries in other households. My father always uttered the word “vegetarian” with a sneer. To this day any mention of vegetarianism elicits from him a brief lesson on how the vegetarian diet cannot provide the necessary nutrients needed for prolonged human life. His lesson typically concludes with this statement: “If God didn’t want us to eat animals, He wouldn’t have made them out of meat.”

God bless him, especially on this day after Fathers’ Day. He is a great man and a great father. I raise my kielbasa to him. (Yes, I actually did have kielbasa for dinner.) The photo above is a tribute to his “carnal” wisdom.