Where does meat come from?

As I was preparing tonight's meatloaf, the inevitable question arose. "Mama, where does meat come from?" Now this isn't the first time he has asked but each time I find, my explanation has become more elaborate. Tonight I said, "Well, it depends which kind of meat. This meat comes from a cow." "How?" "The cow is raised on a farm, hopefully a small one. The farmer cares for it and feeds it healthy food, which means vegetarian food. Then the cow is taken to be killed. It is then sent to the butcher and cut into parts for food." He then asked, "Why does it have to be killed?" My reply, "We wouldn't be able to eat it otherwise." "Just like the chicken, Mama?" "Yes, like the chicken." I wondered if he would still eat his dinner. He did, along with a heaping portion of his recycled broccoli soup which turned into a broccoli, pasta, goat cheese casserole.