I've been thinking about school lunches a lot lately. We're looking to see which local school might be the best fit for our daughter. There's a lot of information to consider and I often find my thoughts wandering to the kitchen. School is such a lovely and important part of a child's life and it takes some serious nutrition to let play, creativity and curiosity bloom. That nutritious food needs to taste pretty good, too. I'm looking for a place that will feed her mind and body with nourishing concepts and meals.
I have so many thoughts on the different programs that bring local food and gardening to children and schools. I'm sure I'll write plenty more on the subject because birthday cupcakes aren't the problem with healthy eating at schools. Daily intake of high-fat food, fried foods, greasy pizzas, low-fiber meals and foods poor in nutrients are the real problem—especially when they are all that's available. If schools and towns can commit to making nutrition for kids a priority—and tasty, too—then the kids, the schools and everyone else will be all the happier. Then it doesn't matter so much if you have an occasional cupcake. What we need are some major changes in how we feed our kids at school, how we think about institutional food, and how the cafeteria relationship with fresh and local foods can change.
The New York Times this week ran a story about White House Chef Sam Kass and his quest to change food policy. His steps to draw that dialog into the spotlight are wonderful. It's well worth a read and a think. He's really created his own role in his effort to change childhood nutrition.
What do you remember most from school lunches? Me? Tater tots, greasy pizza with "green" peppers, and oily meatloaf slices topped with ketchup. Reagan declared when I was in school that ketchup was a vegetable, and the school took it to heart. Did you fare any better?
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