The conversations are imaginary, but the situations are real.
Hatta: Mummy, look! A cat! Miaow!
Me: That’s not a cat, Hatta. That’s a dog.
Hatta: It’s a cat. It has four legs and a tail, like Muci. And it’s furry, too. Like Muci. Muci’s a cat.
Me: Well, yes, it does look a bit like Muci, in that sense, but it’s not a cat. Not every animal with four legs and a tail is a ca-
Hatta: Oh look, another cat! Miaow!
Me: That’s a bird.
Hatta: Cat! Miaow!
Me: It has just two legs, not four. It has wings, feathers, and a beak. It doesn’t even miaow! It chirps.
Hatta: Muci chirps. It’s his hunting call. And Muci’s a cat.
Me: Look, the bird is flying. Cat’s can’t fly. Muci can’t fly.
Hatta: Yes he can. He flew straight up in the air the other day, when I sneaked up behind him.
Me: Not all animals are cats, Hatta. There are lots of different types of-
Hatta: Oh look, Mummy! Another cat! This one’s swimming in a tank!
Me: That’s a fish.
Hatta: Cat! Miaow!
Me: It’s a fish, Hatta. You can’t possibly argue your way out of this one. This one doesn’t even have legs! And it lives in water!
Hatta: It’s called evolution, Mummy. You may want to catch up on your reading, you know. And please don’t roll your eyes like that. They may get stuck like that one of these days.
Perfecting Asam Pedas 