> Did you think it would be well received in a forum where conversation tends to be more serious and informative?

Yes, I guess I thought my light-hearted comment might be received the way it was intended. Even in a serious/informative setting it's OK to inject a little humor here or there. I really don't think HN is on the brink of devolving into pun threads if that's your concern. If people think a comment is an unwelcome addition to the conversation, downvotes will certainly get that point across.

> Are you aware of the rules and just don't care?

Yes, I'm familiar with the comment guidelines (which certainly don't ban humor) and I'm aware of the "unwritten" rule that HN will usually tolerate only a small amount of levity in comments.

It's a real contribution. The parent poster is (humorously) making the point that if we really wanted to, we could switch to e.g. goat's milk because farming cows is particularly damaging to the environment.

I understand where the pearl-clutching is coming from but I think you've overreacted to the word "nipple."