Yesterday was one of those days at the Legislature that started at 10 a.m. and went on forever.

As I was trying to eat a sandwich, write a story and monitor what our House lawmakers were doing, I heard Rep. Alex Sonson say, “One man’s pet is another man’s protein.”

The comment was made during floor discussion on a Senate Bill 2895 CD1, which adds equine animals to the list of animals covered under the animal cruelty law.

I don’t think Sonson was saying, “Hey, let’s go out and eat a zebra.”

He was opposed to expanding the list of protected animals because to some people, they happen to be food.

That’s a dangerous topic, so I’m going to step around it and bring it back around to raising kids.

I think all of us have that “ICK!” feeling when we first realize we’ve eaten a cute ol’ cow or silly lil’ chicken.

My daughter is different. Either she doesn’t grasp the concept or doesn’t care, no matter how much her brother tries to impress on her that she’s eating chickens just like the ones that cheer her up every time she spots them on the side of the Pali.

She likes those chickens, but she likes her Chicken McNuggets (and cheeseburgers), too. She’s not giving meat up for any ethical reason.

Sonson’s comment reminded me of a discussion I’d had with my daughter a couple days before, after we waved at the horse and cow we regularly pass on our way home.

“People eat cows?” she asked.

She didn’t seem particularly distressed when I said yes.

She was just leading up to the big question, though. “DO PEOPLE EAT HORSES?” she asked in horror.

“Um, no,” I told her, figuring I’d leave the dog food discussion for another day.

To her, it’s pretty clear: bovine = protein; equine = pet.