At panera bread, eating sandwiches.

“What’s this?” [holds up alfalfa sprout]
“Alfalfa sprout.”
“What is it?”
“Lettuce for hippies.”

~later~

“What’s a ‘hippie’?”
[I make peace sign and lower eyelids to half-mast.] “Duuuuuuude.”
“OHHHH… [pause] I didn’t know there was a name for that.”

Here's where I give you the lecture that my vietnam vet friend Jon gave me when I was 11:

"There is no such thing as a hippy, child. That's just a label people try to put on you to try and make you fit into their preconceptions..."

27 years later, it still rings resoundingly true...

True enough, and true of more than hippies.

That said, I want him to understand what people mean when they say 'hippy'.

As for saying 'hippy lettuce'... I've already been admonished for that :)

and according to the news - you should cook it before you eat it. It could poison you, otherwise.

I knew there was a reason I never liked the alfalfa sprouts. Bean sprouts where good - alfalfa alwasyys

Admonished or not, it is still funny as hell. The generation gap is starting to rear its ugly head for those of us entering our 30's.

My son is astonished that I had Count Chocula when I was is age.

"They had this THEN?" mouth dropped open.

"Yes, son...We ate rocks in our milk before this came out. The technology for marshmallow shapes hadn't been invented until then."