Scared to Touch Chicken

I was driving my kids to school this morning along with a neighbor friend the same age as Thomas, this was the conversation that I heard:

Friend: Only one more week of school and then I'm going to Arizona, for Thanksgiving.

My Kids: Oh! We love Arizona! You're going to love it there. There's so much to do! (I'm sure they are thinking this friend is staying at Lynn's house.)

There's lizards all over the place and you can chase them around and try to catch them.

Thomas: Yeah, the lizards are cool. But I never touched one... I was chicken... and when I say chicken, what I mean is scared.

(Seriously? It was all I could do to not burst out laughing, what 7 year old talks like that?)

There's a lull in the conversation at this point for about 30 seconds when our friend pipes up.

Friend: Wait. You're scared to touch chicken?!

(This time I do burst out laughing!)

Thomas: "No! When I say I'm chicken, what I mean is I'm scared... I'm not scared to TOUCH chicken."

There's a few more seconds of silence.

Friend: "Huh..." (You could tell by the tone of her voice that she was still hearing the same words... I'm scared to touch chicken.)

Marisa: "Mom? Why are you laughing? What's so funny?"

Me: "Nothing, just remembering a funny story I read..."

So I ask you, if a person is scared to touch chicken... how do they feel about turkey?

Frankly, I'm a little scared to touch chicken myself. But that has nothing to do with little lizards and everything to do with salmonellae.