It might be interesting to engage Chef Seth Bixby Daugherty and his Real Food Initiatives www.realfoodinitiatives.com in this discussion. He left a successful restaurant career to dedicate time to school lunch programs.
In my kids' school, it took parents coming together and getting involved at the school level. We now have locally baked whole wheat breads and local produce on the menu.
When the kids tell me they are still hungry and I see their tray devoid of any fruit or vegetable I tell them they need to take those healthy foods and make better choices.
I have a big problem with this statement. When it comes to academics and general discipline the school districts are first in line to state that they have the right to be a parent in absentia but when it comes to food they are hands off.
Listen: there should be NO choices available to the children which aren't healthy. That means no fried foods, no pizza (yes, it can be healthy but it's not generally in schools), no processed snack foods, and no sugared anything (that includes juices loaded with HFCS).
When you want to treat all areas of student governance the same, including what they eat, then you can truly meet your burden as a parent in absentia. Until then, you're just under the hypocritical threshold when you unequivocally state that you are doing such great things for these kids by what you OFFER to them to eat.
lee- i dont know where jackie eats such a mythically delicious school lunch but my kids school is in minneapolis, where i was a public school student as well, and the lunches have never been tasty looking to me, not in the last 25 years ive seen them, nor are the free, federally provided breakfasts even remotely healthy.
even the free milk is sweetened and flavored, probably to make up for the disgusting taste of feedlot-raised cow milk that has been ultra high temp pasturized to make it last longer. yuck.
who cares if jamie oliver makes millions? good for him. he is an a bussiness man, but he does advocate mostly real, healthier food for children. we live in a capitalist culture and country, why shouldnt people doing good deeds make a dollar or a million?
Shame on YOU, Anonymous #1. I appreciate your suggestions, but attacking me personally is ridiculous, and doing it without showing your face is cowardly. Cheap shot, indeed.
I have been in the school food service for more than 25 years and have seen a lot of changes. I know that there is always room for improvement and your food service program is only as good as the people running it. To lump all the schools together is not justified. How many schools have you been to for lunch or breakfast? Just this one? We are a small portion of the student's day. I am happy to say that a smile and a hot breakfast or lunch may be the highlight of any student's day and I am proud of my participation.
Shame on you Lee for not giving these children ideas on how to address their concerns.
1st - Save their parents money and start packing wonderful, wholesome, fresh, organic bag lunches from home. No more excuses that they didn't have time or there were not bag lunch items in the home refrigerator. Bag lunches from home only. Why would you ever want a child to geat awful food.
2. It sounds to me like the old saw "not only is the food awful, but the portions are too small."
3. Anyone who thinks Jamie Oliver is out to save American children needs to think again. He is going to make millions performing on his TV show. Lee is perhaps jealous that he didn't get there first.
3. Have these children write letters to the CEO's of the major food manufacturers in AMerica. ConAgra, General Mills, Tyson, Hormel, Arthur Daniel Midlands, etc. and have those kids express their concerns.
4.In the last 10 years, the revolution in school meals programs has been nothing short of awesome. Shame on you Lee. You have done nothing to help these children learn to be responsible and take action. You have just gone for the cheap shot. And cheap it is. You could not accomplish preparing wholesome, healthy meals everyday for millions of children because your ego is too big for the dollars that are available to prepare a meal.
I just started making my own cheese (ricotta and mozzarella). Using grass-fed milk really makes a difference in the taste and quality of the cheese. Thanks for the article.
Grass-fed milk into flavorful butter into scrumptious shortbread - now, that's a food chain that we can all appreciate! Thanks for bringing Pastureland and the Benruds into the spotlight.
It might be interesting to
It might be interesting to engage Chef Seth Bixby Daugherty and his Real Food Initiatives www.realfoodinitiatives.com in this discussion. He left a successful restaurant career to dedicate time to school lunch programs.
In my kids' school, it took parents coming together and getting involved at the school level. We now have locally baked whole wheat breads and local produce on the menu.
When the kids tell me they
When the kids tell me they are still hungry and I see their tray devoid of any fruit or vegetable I tell them they need to take those healthy foods and make better choices.
I have a big problem with this statement. When it comes to academics and general discipline the school districts are first in line to state that they have the right to be a parent in absentia but when it comes to food they are hands off.
Listen: there should be NO choices available to the children which aren't healthy. That means no fried foods, no pizza (yes, it can be healthy but it's not generally in schools), no processed snack foods, and no sugared anything (that includes juices loaded with HFCS).
When you want to treat all areas of student governance the same, including what they eat, then you can truly meet your burden as a parent in absentia. Until then, you're just under the hypocritical threshold when you unequivocally state that you are doing such great things for these kids by what you OFFER to them to eat.
lee- i dont know where jackie
lee- i dont know where jackie eats such a mythically delicious school lunch but my kids school is in minneapolis, where i was a public school student as well, and the lunches have never been tasty looking to me, not in the last 25 years ive seen them, nor are the free, federally provided breakfasts even remotely healthy.
even the free milk is sweetened and flavored, probably to make up for the disgusting taste of feedlot-raised cow milk that has been ultra high temp pasturized to make it last longer. yuck.
who cares if jamie oliver makes millions? good for him. he is an a bussiness man, but he does advocate mostly real, healthier food for children. we live in a capitalist culture and country, why shouldnt people doing good deeds make a dollar or a million?
Shame on YOU, Anonymous #1. I
Shame on YOU, Anonymous #1. I appreciate your suggestions, but attacking me personally is ridiculous, and doing it without showing your face is cowardly. Cheap shot, indeed.
I have been in the school
I have been in the school food service for more than 25 years and have seen a lot of changes. I know that there is always room for improvement and your food service program is only as good as the people running it. To lump all the schools together is not justified. How many schools have you been to for lunch or breakfast? Just this one? We are a small portion of the student's day. I am happy to say that a smile and a hot breakfast or lunch may be the highlight of any student's day and I am proud of my participation.
Shame on you Lee for not
Shame on you Lee for not giving these children ideas on how to address their concerns.
1st - Save their parents money and start packing wonderful, wholesome, fresh, organic bag lunches from home. No more excuses that they didn't have time or there were not bag lunch items in the home refrigerator. Bag lunches from home only. Why would you ever want a child to geat awful food.
2. It sounds to me like the old saw "not only is the food awful, but the portions are too small."
3. Anyone who thinks Jamie Oliver is out to save American children needs to think again. He is going to make millions performing on his TV show. Lee is perhaps jealous that he didn't get there first.
3. Have these children write letters to the CEO's of the major food manufacturers in AMerica. ConAgra, General Mills, Tyson, Hormel, Arthur Daniel Midlands, etc. and have those kids express their concerns.
4.In the last 10 years, the revolution in school meals programs has been nothing short of awesome. Shame on you Lee. You have done nothing to help these children learn to be responsible and take action. You have just gone for the cheap shot. And cheap it is. You could not accomplish preparing wholesome, healthy meals everyday for millions of children because your ego is too big for the dollars that are available to prepare a meal.
Here is some good news on
Here is some good news on this front: http://www.iatp.org/iatp/press.cfm?refid=107269
And for all the details on the survey: http://www.agobservatory.org/library.cfm?refID=107270
I just started making my own
I just started making my own cheese (ricotta and mozzarella). Using grass-fed milk really makes a difference in the taste and quality of the cheese. Thanks for the article.
Grass-fed milk into flavorful
Grass-fed milk into flavorful butter into scrumptious shortbread - now, that's a food chain that we can all appreciate! Thanks for bringing Pastureland and the Benruds into the spotlight.
@Daniel - Yes, I have had and
@Daniel - Yes, I have had and enjoyed Brau Bros' products, especially some of their smaller batch, specialty beers.
@Elizabeth - Thanks! It was wonderful to meet you as well and of course enjoy the Worthy Adversary.