Wanyun said, "I know. The phrase 'a gentleman stays away from the kitchen' is from *The First Chapter of Liang Huiwang's Chapters*. King Xuan of Qi asked Mencius if he could be a benevolent ruler, and Mencius said yes, because the king couldn't bear to see an ox die.
"Mencius remarked that a gentleman's relationship with animals is such that if he sees them live, he cannot bear to see them die; if he hears their cries, he cannot bear to eat their flesh. This is why a gentleman stays away from the kitchen.
"Mencius promoted benevolence and believed an upright gentleman shouldn't take a life. That's why the world believes a gentleman's place isn't in the kitchen, killing living things.
"But I think Mencius was wrong. A gentleman stays away from the kitchen, you say? Well, does a gentleman eat meat? If he does, isn't it hypocritical to claim he doesn't kill living things?
