We Are What We Eat

I read a recently written blog on
that oldest of subjects-how absolute
is free will when suffering has relative,
and often relatively little, value?
An anonymous respondent to the piece
described themselves as 'a meat robot'.
I took the phrase to refer to their diet
rather more than their fleshly nature.
If every creature that is fleshly
is a robot then 'meat robot' is a tautology.
I would have been better saying less.
But I replied "You could be a vegan robot,
a vegetarian robot, a pescatarian robot,
a McDonalds robot, or even a bulimic
and/or an anorexic robot, very useful
for expressing contempt for the self
and McDonalds and other outlets
for fast food-fast in, faster out!
Finally you could be a complex
omnivore robot where if you are
thoughtful you would give names
to the percentage of vegetables
to meat to other foods you eat".
Where words give us variety of meaning
they give us choice. A robot with a choice
is less of an automaton than we think, ourselves included.