Today's menu

"Evr'body in China eat dog." As if today weren't Monday enough.

"You know there are a billion people in China," I say, enunciating the B.

"Really?" Yes, same as last time I told you.

He disregards the odds: "I saw it on YouTub-ee."

"Then it must be true!" I say with a grin, not bothering to correct him.

He tries a different tack: "I asked Josh, and he says, 'yes!'"

"Josh is still Korean," is my automatic reply, but this time, I think, too late, that's not gonna help.

"He say they had an old dog, so when he was done, they ate him."

"Are you sure he wasn't playing?" I'm not, to be honest, but any sidetrack in a harass-your-classmate storm. They are so unintentionally unrelenting. And this particular tangent just would not be close to quelled until the picture dictionary comes out and we play a five-player, four nationality game of "Is this food to you?" Monkey? Grasshopper? Rat? Each a serious yes from someone. And I can't say that I'd ever heard the "I'm a dog person, not cat" dichotomy come out in quite such an interesting context. Thank goodness we'd already had lunch. And thank goodness I could draw some heat off of our Asian friends with something as simple as frog legs.

"Ms. P., are you serious?"

"Don'tcha know? Tastes like chicken! (hello!)"