napkin refusal

There was another fun part about dinner I forgot to tell you about. Keep in mind that my mom had botched oral surgery, so when she eats, she gets food all over the outside of her mouth. She needs napkins.

Mom: Could I have a napkin?
A.: They're in that vase.
Mom: Where?
A.: There.
Mom: Oh, no!
A.: What?
Mom: I can't do that.
A.: Why not.
Mom: Then you'd have to wash it. It would be wasteful.
A.: I'd throw it in the wash with all my other laundry. It wouldn't change anything.
Mom: Otherwise you'd throw in something else.
A.: No, I wouldn't.
Mom: It's a waste of water!
A.: Well, paper napkins are a waste of paper, and you just throw them out afterward.
Mom: I don't. I reuse them. I use them to clean the floor.
A.: I reiterate that washing these cloth napkins will change nothing in terms of water consumption. And I add that that kind of water consumption is a drop in the bucket compared to that involved in (1) the manufacturing of plastic water bottles and (2) the meat industry. If you're concerned about water, stop eating cows.
Mom: Then what are you going to do with all the cows?
A.: Stop raising them!
Mom: I know. I know about the methane...
Dad: All of that stuff has been debunked.
A.: It absolutely has not. It's just science.
Mom: I know it's bad, but what are you going to do?
A.: Stop eating cows! And have a cloth napkin.
Mom: No!