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Nine-year-old’s lunch blog shames school into making changes

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Re: Nine-year-old’s lunch blog shames school into making changes

#41

Post by MattLaroche »

tjpick wrote: post #39
hack_edu wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The cost of the materials is only a small part of it. Preparing and cooking fresh food requires much, much more effort than prepared packaged foods. Microwavable or similarly low/zero-prep food products require very little labor, require only a few steps before they are served, and create almost zero items to be washed and cleaned. You would be surprised how much cheaper a flat of microwave burritos is compared to an…

> Preparing and cooking fresh food requires much, much more effort than prepared packaged foods. Microwavable or similarly low/zero-prep food products. Microwaving corn on the cob is pretty much as low effort as it gets.

Corn is a grain, not a vegetable. Dietarily, Americans do like to treat corn as a vegetable, but it should be more thought as as a starch.

Re: Nine-year-old’s lunch blog shames school into making changes

#42

Post by hack_edu »

tjpick wrote: post #39
hack_edu wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The cost of the materials is only a small part of it. Preparing and cooking fresh food requires much, much more effort than prepared packaged foods. Microwavable or similarly low/zero-prep food products require very little labor, require only a few steps before they are served, and create almost zero items to be washed and cleaned. You would be surprised how much cheaper a flat of microwave burritos is compared to an…

> Preparing and cooking fresh food requires much, much more effort than prepared packaged foods. Microwavable or similarly low/zero-prep food products. Microwaving corn on the cob is pretty much as low effort as it gets.

Someone has to remove the husk, de-hair it first, and chop it to size, not to mention dress it with butter or etc. Each single one. Compare that to the amount of effort it takes to microwave a 20lb bag of creamed corn that is already dressed, and ready to be scooped onto a plate.

Go inside a small kitchen at 4pm or so and watch the amount of effort it takes to even chop onions in preparation for dinner service.

Re: Nine-year-old’s lunch blog shames school into making changes

#43

Post by jbenz »

From her blog (http://neverseconds.blogspot.com.es/2012/05/i-had-really-coo...):

>Today I have been sent lots of photos from America. This one was sent in by Kimberley who works in the Glenview school district, near Chicago, Illinois. Dad timed me to find Chicago on the globe and it took me 48 seconds but it was not fair as I was looking for it spelt SHicargo.

I hope I'm that kind of dad someday. Cheers to her father for the encouragement and for meeting with the school council. And of course cheers to Martha.

Re: Nine-year-old’s lunch blog shames school into making changes

#44

Post by mibbitier »

adnam wrote: post #30
keithpeter wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I became vegetarian when I went to University and had my very own Baby Belling. My school dinners in the UK were cooked in a kitchen in the school by cooks my Mum knew, the veg and meat were bought locally and there was always meat and two veg except Fridays when there was fish. I quite liked them. I have fond memories of those chocolate brick puddings with the minty custard served from metallic effect jugs (60s we a…

School dinners in the 80s: healthy, fun and £1. In 1990 the kitchen was closed down and we all had to eat packed lunch in a classroom. Decided there and then never to vote Tory.

I do hope you're joking.

Re: Nine-year-old’s lunch blog shames school into making changes

#45

Post by sukuriant »

potatolicious wrote: post #28
tnash wrote: post #6

If you watched Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution show to this point, it was quite depressing how little was done about it on the American show. We unfortunately live in a world where we value money over people's health.

My question is: where are the parents in this? I don't know about the UK, but in North America there are few things a school fears more than angry parents. A group of angry parents can rain hellfire down on a school board and principal. Why is there no outrage that their children are being served slop?

Did /your/ parents know what you ate at school?

Re: Nine-year-old’s lunch blog shames school into making changes

#46

Post by [deleted] »

gavinlynch wrote: post #29

I just want to point out a MUCH more serious attrocity being committed here: This poor, sweet child is so under-educated in the UK that she doesn't even understand the difference between "dinner" and "lunch".. We must rectify this injustice! Will someone think of the children!!! ;)

[deleted]

Re: Nine-year-old’s lunch blog shames school into making changes

#47

Post by AsylumWarden »

slantyyz wrote: post #2

I get the impression that had she been American, the school would have suspended her for her actions.

This was food, not prayer. I've heard of complaints about food being met in a positive manner in LA (California) and where I finished high school in South Carolina.

Re: Nine-year-old’s lunch blog shames school into making changes

#48

Post by fierarul »

It's sad that such a thing needs international attention and Jamie Oliver to add some normal food and vegetables to a kid's lunch.

If anything it shows the patchwork attitude and the total lack of pride, or care for quality, of the people involved.

This is something that seems systemic to the (western?) world though...

Re: Nine-year-old’s lunch blog shames school into making changes

#49

Post by sukuriant »

sritch wrote: post #11

She writes remarkably well for a nine year-old, quite witty. I may have smirked a couple times.

Indeed. It almost makes me question whether this was a real 9 year old, or a teacher that wrote lower than their level (but not low enough) and that was outraged by the activities ... and then signed it their child's name.

Re: Nine-year-old’s lunch blog shames school into making changes

#50

Post by hencq »

hack_edu wrote: post #36
leot wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Blarney. Healthy food is not pricier unless you get fancy. Legumes, quinoa, and vegetables aren't more expensive (though they do have smaller margins!) than the crap that they had been serving previously.

The cost of the materials is only a small part of it. Preparing and cooking fresh food requires much, much more effort than prepared packaged foods. Microwavable or similarly low/zero-prep food products require very little labor, require only a few steps before they are served, and create almost zero items to be washed and cleaned. You would be surprised how much cheaper a flat of microwave burritos is compared to an…

Very true. It's definitely easier to make packaged food cheap than to make fresh food cheap. Regarding labour costs however, there's also a chance that the people currently pressing the microwave buttons, would actually be able to (and perhaps even enjoy to) cook real meals. In that case these costs need not necessarily be much higher.
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