More from the "Food Police"

GeneV · 02-21-2012, 06:36 PM

Originally posted by MRRiley

"More balanced" because it makes it all look like the kid's fault Gene? I don't think so. Of course we will probably never know the whole truth, because you can't really expect a child that young to remember exactly what any unrelated adult told them to do, especially when its a scary inspector-type adult. And the school system and the Dept of Health are clearly circling the wagons and will never admit it if the inspector really did make the school give her a new lunch. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle, but regardless of that, the school system has no right making dietary decisions for any child unless there is clear and persistent evidence of neglect or malnourishment.

Mike

More balanced because it is not trying to over blow this into some national issue. Once this became part of the Limbaugh dogma, finding a straight source became difficult.

Four year old children often don't get it right. That is why they can't be witnesses. Children often find unknown adults scary, whether they are "inspectors" or not. We really don't know that the school made any dietary decision for any child. A suggestion to a 4 year old may easily be distorted into a decision.

I don't know about this particular child, but children of a single working parents who are barely holding it together (or two frazzled parents) with limited resources are often sent to school hungry and poorly cared for. Teachers and schools are held accountable when these children can't learn. Schools have been forced to do a lot of things which parents should be doing, and feeding them is just one of those things. It is sad, but I'm not sure what the alternative would be.

Last edited by GeneV; 02-22-2012 at 05:46 AM.

wildweasel · 02-22-2012, 04:47 AM

Originally posted by ihasa

However I do remember an incident with a particularly vile pink blancmange that sparked a wave of vomiting through the entire dining hall, creating a sea of acidic pink goo, that I'd rather forget!

Did we go to the same school? I had a similar experience at mine. We used to call the blancmanges 'shaving foam', especially the lemon one that tasted of chalk dust. We also used to get 'mystery meat' that was all the veins and other tubes compressed together into a vile mass of foulness. I actually faked a food intolerance so I was allowed to take in packed lunches, the mandatory school dinners were so bad, and I think the school was pleased to let me as it stopped me arranging petitions and protests about the food - I was very unpopular when I arranged one for an open day...

ihasa · 02-22-2012, 05:26 AM

I think there was something about the slippery foamy texture of the blancmange, combined with the sweet acidic taste which already had something vomit-like about it - as soon as one child was sick, there was an unstoppable 'domino effect'!

But overall I think being made to eat the slightly unnappetising, but probably pretty nutritious, and 100% 'home cooked' on site, food was good for us. I hate the idea of taking a child's home-packed lunch away (if that's what actually happened) but in general kids are overly pandered to these days... we give them what they want (or what the TV adverts make them want) rather than forcing them to eat what does them good. We give in too easily and go for the easy option of letting them eat deep fried pap, because it's convenient.

wildweasel · 02-22-2012, 05:58 AM

I agree with that when the food is good quality, but we were fed a diet of chicken nuggets, huge, repulsive sausages, veg tinned in brine and anything else that could be deep-fried cheaply and easily or brought in ready prepared - tinned spag bog anyone? An old idea, but we are what we eat and it's especially important to remember that when it's growing children involved. God I sound so old saying things like that, I'm only 36...

GeneV · 02-22-2012, 06:23 AM

Originally posted by wildweasel

I agree with that when the food is good quality, but we were fed a diet of chicken nuggets, huge, repulsive sausages, veg tinned in brine and anything else that could be deep-fried cheaply and easily or brought in ready prepared - tinned spag bog anyone? An old idea, but we are what we eat and it's especially important to remember that when it's growing children involved. God I sound so old saying things like that, I'm only 36...

Yes, not everything in the school cafeteria back in Texas was golden. I remember wondering why the hamburgers in school were these gray patties with an odd texture, and the flavor was odd as well. I later learned about the different grades of ground beef. The lowest grade is ground the finest, and the bones, tendons and everything just go into the machine. That grade of burger was only used in prisons--AND SCHOOLS.

normhead · 02-22-2012, 06:55 AM

Typical Republicans... the hundreds and thousands of construction and resource workers who die each year because of shoddy regulation are forgotten, because 6 public school workers have their lunch inspected by a university researcher, and the Republicans go nuts creating a phoney story... proving to everyone but themselves they are total wing nuts. If you work in construction, manufacturing or resource extraction, you don't have the right to a safe working environment, but if you're 4 years old, no one is allowed to check your lunch.

Since when is it OK for parents to nutritionally abuse their kids? I know a lot of parents don't want anyone looking over their shoulders. Because they don't want anyone to see what's there. So was it the chicken fingers, this woman was complaining about, or the fact she got caught sending her kids to school with a whole day's worth of sodium in the one bag of chips? It sure looks like righteous indignation born of embarrassment to me. If I sent my kids to school with chips (unless it was right after halloween) I'd be righteously embarrassed too. Darn there goes that "Good Mother of the Year" award.

ihasa · 02-22-2012, 07:18 AM

Originally posted by wildweasel

I agree with that when the food is good quality, but we were fed a diet of chicken nuggets, huge, repulsive sausages, veg tinned in brine and anything else that could be deep-fried cheaply and easily or brought in ready prepared - tinned spag bog anyone? An old idea, but we are what we eat and it's especially important to remember that when it's growing children involved. God I sound so old saying things like that, I'm only 36...

I must have been lucky! I also got my daily bottle of milk before 'Thatcher milk-snatcher' put an end to that practise! Nowadays there are coke vending machines in schools....

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02-21-2012, 06:36 PM	#16
GeneV Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Albuquerque NM Photos: Albums Posts: 9,830	Originally posted by MRRiley "More balanced" because it makes it all look like the kid's fault Gene? I don't think so. Of course we will probably never know the whole truth, because you can't really expect a child that young to remember exactly what any unrelated adult told them to do, especially when its a scary inspector-type adult. And the school system and the Dept of Health are clearly circling the wagons and will never admit it if the inspector really did make the school give her a new lunch. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle, but regardless of that, the school system has no right making dietary decisions for any child unless there is clear and persistent evidence of neglect or malnourishment. Mike More balanced because it is not trying to over blow this into some national issue. Once this became part of the Limbaugh dogma, finding a straight source became difficult. Four year old children often don't get it right. That is why they can't be witnesses. Children often find unknown adults scary, whether they are "inspectors" or not. We really don't know that the school made any dietary decision for any child. A suggestion to a 4 year old may easily be distorted into a decision. I don't know about this particular child, but children of a single working parents who are barely holding it together (or two frazzled parents) with limited resources are often sent to school hungry and poorly cared for. Teachers and schools are held accountable when these children can't learn. Schools have been forced to do a lot of things which parents should be doing, and feeding them is just one of those things. It is sad, but I'm not sure what the alternative would be. Last edited by GeneV; 02-22-2012 at 05:46 AM.

02-22-2012, 04:47 AM	#17
wildweasel Inactive Account Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Plymouth Posts: 359	Originally posted by ihasa However I do remember an incident with a particularly vile pink blancmange that sparked a wave of vomiting through the entire dining hall, creating a sea of acidic pink goo, that I'd rather forget! Did we go to the same school? I had a similar experience at mine. We used to call the blancmanges 'shaving foam', especially the lemon one that tasted of chalk dust. We also used to get 'mystery meat' that was all the veins and other tubes compressed together into a vile mass of foulness. I actually faked a food intolerance so I was allowed to take in packed lunches, the mandatory school dinners were so bad, and I think the school was pleased to let me as it stopped me arranging petitions and protests about the food - I was very unpopular when I arranged one for an open day...

02-22-2012, 05:26 AM	#18
ihasa Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: West Midlands Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,066	I think there was something about the slippery foamy texture of the blancmange, combined with the sweet acidic taste which already had something vomit-like about it - as soon as one child was sick, there was an unstoppable 'domino effect'! But overall I think being made to eat the slightly unnappetising, but probably pretty nutritious, and 100% 'home cooked' on site, food was good for us. I hate the idea of taking a child's home-packed lunch away (if that's what actually happened) but in general kids are overly pandered to these days... we give them what they want (or what the TV adverts make them want) rather than forcing them to eat what does them good. We give in too easily and go for the easy option of letting them eat deep fried pap, because it's convenient.

02-22-2012, 05:58 AM	#19
wildweasel Inactive Account Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Plymouth Posts: 359	I agree with that when the food is good quality, but we were fed a diet of chicken nuggets, huge, repulsive sausages, veg tinned in brine and anything else that could be deep-fried cheaply and easily or brought in ready prepared - tinned spag bog anyone? An old idea, but we are what we eat and it's especially important to remember that when it's growing children involved. God I sound so old saying things like that, I'm only 36...

02-22-2012, 06:23 AM	#20
GeneV Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Albuquerque NM Photos: Albums Posts: 9,830	Originally posted by wildweasel I agree with that when the food is good quality, but we were fed a diet of chicken nuggets, huge, repulsive sausages, veg tinned in brine and anything else that could be deep-fried cheaply and easily or brought in ready prepared - tinned spag bog anyone? An old idea, but we are what we eat and it's especially important to remember that when it's growing children involved. God I sound so old saying things like that, I'm only 36... Yes, not everything in the school cafeteria back in Texas was golden. I remember wondering why the hamburgers in school were these gray patties with an odd texture, and the flavor was odd as well. I later learned about the different grades of ground beef. The lowest grade is ground the finest, and the bones, tendons and everything just go into the machine. That grade of burger was only used in prisons--AND SCHOOLS.

02-22-2012, 06:55 AM	#21
normhead Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Near Algonquin Park Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 40,451	Typical Republicans... the hundreds and thousands of construction and resource workers who die each year because of shoddy regulation are forgotten, because 6 public school workers have their lunch inspected by a university researcher, and the Republicans go nuts creating a phoney story... proving to everyone but themselves they are total wing nuts. If you work in construction, manufacturing or resource extraction, you don't have the right to a safe working environment, but if you're 4 years old, no one is allowed to check your lunch. Since when is it OK for parents to nutritionally abuse their kids? I know a lot of parents don't want anyone looking over their shoulders. Because they don't want anyone to see what's there. So was it the chicken fingers, this woman was complaining about, or the fact she got caught sending her kids to school with a whole day's worth of sodium in the one bag of chips? It sure looks like righteous indignation born of embarrassment to me. If I sent my kids to school with chips (unless it was right after halloween) I'd be righteously embarrassed too. Darn there goes that "Good Mother of the Year" award.

02-22-2012, 07:18 AM	#22
ihasa Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: West Midlands Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,066	Originally posted by wildweasel I agree with that when the food is good quality, but we were fed a diet of chicken nuggets, huge, repulsive sausages, veg tinned in brine and anything else that could be deep-fried cheaply and easily or brought in ready prepared - tinned spag bog anyone? An old idea, but we are what we eat and it's especially important to remember that when it's growing children involved. God I sound so old saying things like that, I'm only 36... I must have been lucky! I also got my daily bottle of milk before 'Thatcher milk-snatcher' put an end to that practise! Nowadays there are coke vending machines in schools....