Feeding kids
Feb 12th, 2008 by Jill
Gerald Durrell’s description of the challenges involved in feeding zoo animals reminds me just a little bit of dinner at our house:
“[You] have to cater for their individual likes and dislikes, which vary enormously. I have known a rodent which, refusing all normal rodent food — such as fruit, bread, vegetables — lived for three days on an exclusive diet of spaghetti. I have had a group of five monkeys, of the same age and species, who displayed the most weird idiosyncrasies. Two of the five had a passion for hard-boiled eggs, while the other three were frightened of the strange white shapes and refused to touch them, actually screaming in fear if you introduced such a fearsome object as a hard-boiled egg into their cage. These five monkeys all adored oranges but, whereas four would carefully peel their fruit and throw away the skin, the fifth would peel his orange equally carefully and then throw away the orange and eat the peel. When you have a collection of several hundred creatures, all displaying such curious characteristics, you are sometimes nearly driven mad in your efforts to satisfy their desires and so keep them healthy and happy.” — Gerald Durrell, A Zoo in My Luggage
Somehow, this makes me feel better.
Actually this is hilarious and it should make you feel better
Happy Valentine’s Day Jill!
You are so right. Thanks for the laugh!
Oh Dear Lord. THAT is funny. Good to know it’s not just me who often equates the group dynamic of their home to a place where wild animals are kept in cages and exist solely on spaghetti for days at a time. Oh, validation. ‘Tis ever so sweet.
God I needed a laugh. Thank. YOU.