Mrs. Q, aka Sarah Wu
If you’re a reader of this blog you probably already know all about Mrs. Q, the (formerly) anonymous public school teacher who set about the unenviable task of eating the same school food her students were eating for an entire year. Her photographs of that food and her accompanying blog, Fed Up with Lunch, provided an eye-opening expose of the kinds of meals served to millions of American schoolchildren in lunch rooms around the country: mysterious, shrink-wrapped entrees, fried chicken patties, the ubiquitous square pizza and highly processed PBJ “sandwiches” that crumbled to the touch. Mrs. Q wound up writing a book about her experiences and late last year she finally revealed her true identity on national television: she is Sarah Wu, a bilingual speech pathologist in Chicago.
Sarah’s book, also titled Fed Up With Lunch, is as much a personal memoir as it is a book about school food reform. We follow her as the unexpected success of her blog pushes her out of her comfort zone. Soon she’s doing interviews, speaking in public and adjusting to the new role of school food “expert,” all while struggling to keep her identity secret from her co-workers. We also see her consciousness about food slowly evolve, as she draws connections between her toddler’s frequent illnesses and his diet, and as she becomes more interested in the origin of the food she eats, both in school and at home. Meanwhile, her husband, who never before showed much interest in food preparation, begins to grow his own herbs and vegetables and learns to cook.
It’s an entertaining journey told with humility and humor, and made even more interesting by the many little “sidebars” sprinkled throughout the book covering everything from salad bars to recess to hormones in milk. The book concludes with “Mrs. Q’s Guide to Quiet Revolution: An Action and Resource Guide” which provides advice for different stakeholders – parents, teachers, kids, teenagers, chefs and nutritionists – as well as a Resources Guide to point would-be school food reformers toward helpful organizations, blogs and reading material.
Anyone curious about the current state of school food and how to improve it will want to pick up Fed Up With Lunch. And, thanks to Sarah’s generosity, one lucky Lunch Tray reader has a chance to win a free copy! Just leave any comment below by noon CST tomorrow (January 26th) to enter the drawing. You can tell us about the school food in your area, talk about Sarah’s blog, or just say hi. I’ll use a random number generator after the comment period closes to select one lucky winner, and if you comment twice (e.g., to respond to something another reader wrote), that’s fine; I’ll just use the number of your first comment to enter you in the drawing. I’ll email you directly if you win and announce the winner on TLT’s Facebook page, too.
Good luck! :-)
[Blogger disclosure: As with most of my book reviews, I received a free copy of this book for my perusal. However, I never accept any other form of compensation for the book reviews you see on The Lunch Tray.]
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{ 29 comments… read them below or add one }
I would LOVE to win a copy of this book, what a great idea! I bet she felt yuck after a year of eating that food, just like the guy that ate McDonald’s for an extended period of time.
If I don’t win, I’m going to buy the book or at least see if my library has it!!
I’ve followed her blog and can’t wait to read the book! I’m grateful for the risk she took to shed light on what kids are eating at school.
I’m with Jennifer. This sounds like a book worth reading. Thanks for the review.
I admire Sarah’s perseverance to carry out her actions to write such a book and one that Marion Nestle just put on her suggested book list as well! Bravo!
I would love a copy of this book!
I hadn’t heard of this book before. Sounds like a fascinating read.
I work for a nonprofit that is working to prevent childhood obesity. We are having similar issues to Sarah in our own community cafeterias. Although school meals are nutritious, kids still think their lunches are gross, and we are trying to figure out how to fit it. I would love a copy of the book to get a sense of student reactions to lunch. It would be a great read!
I’ve only recently started following your blog, but school lunches and our general food policies are quickly becoming a major concern for me. I would love a copy of this book.
I would love to have a copy of this book in my office. I’m a school food professional making small yet significant change every day.
Like other readers, I would love to read this book and will probably buy a copy if I’m not lucky enough to win one here
Thanks for bringing Mrs. Q’s blog and book to our attention!
I have already read the book but if I win I’ll forward the book as giveaway in my own blog about school lunch issues in Finland.
As a parent and a teacher, I am constantly frustrated by the school food dilemma. My kids are allowed to eat school food once a week (their choice of day) as a “treat” (read as…junk.) I never purchase from the caf, as I refuse to pay that much for what I consider substandard food. In addition, it KILLS me to see the food served on throw-away styrofoam plates and no compost bins. Yikes! While it would be easy to point fingers, I know, as do you, that the issue is a convoluted one. The lunch ladies aren’t the enemy, neither is the district food coordinator. It comes down to funding. The best we can do is work together for change. However, I do have one immediate suggestion – stop giving the kids three choices of entree! When one of the three is a typical “kid” choice everyday, is it any wonder that they will choose the nuggets, pizza, or burger? I don’t think offering only one selection limits their personal freedom – I certainly don’t offer three options at home when I cook. Perhaps if we cut down on the number of items offered, we could focus on upping the quality of the items we continued to serve…
I would love a copy of her book!
I love her blog, and have shared it with many friends. In fact, it inspired me to start my own French Kids School Lunch project (sadly I can’t take photos, but I do list the menus that French school kids eat every day, which make for fascinating reading — if only for the contrast with what is often served in North America)! I’m looking forward to reading the book – which I plan to get whether or not I win the draw!
When I first found Mrs. Q’s site a few months ago, I was hooked. It took me days and days to look through her archives of the school food she had eaten, but I just had to see every entry, every photo. I never went to public school, so a lot of the “meals” were very shocking to me. I was amazed at her resolve to actually eat it! Even though I’ve been following her blog for awhile now, I would love a copy of her book. I think she’s a very interesting and honest person who is genuinely concerned with these issues, and wants to do what she can to help. She inspires me!
I would love to have a copy of her book! I am a regular blog reader of hers and have found inspiration for my own lunches and those that I pack and send to school.
I would love this book. My kids take there lunch everyday because I dont want them eating the crap at school.
I am thankful and now more knowledgeable about food systems and policies because of work like this. I would appreciate having a copy as a resource for our newly formed community school nutrition group in our district. Thank you all for your dedication to this.
My kids aren’t in school yet, but I have looked at the schools menu which is available on line. It’s sponsored by Kellogg’s whose logo is all over the menu. Their cereal is available for purchase every day (I’ve never been in the cafeteria, so I don’ t know if the cereal is limited to low sugar varieties – I’m guessing not). It seems as if they offer a healthy meal option which is a different choice every day of the week, but they also provide an alternative such as a hamburger, or hot dog, etc. in case you don’t like the healthier option (hamburgers are offered every day for one week of the month, hot dogs are the next week, etc. on a weekly rotation).
I see these articles and am glad that I make my childs lunch every day. The cost may be more but at least I know the nutrition he is getting. Having fries and pizza deemed a “vegtable” is so disheartening.
I love the articles. Keep them coming. I prepare my children’s lunches because I do not trust the school’s recommendations on what is healthy. Thanks for being a pioneer!
Would love to read this book!
I think that reforming our children’s school lunches has taken way too long!
What a great article! I have been weaning my family off “fast” food and moving towards healthy options ever since my 3 year old pointed to the golden arches and said “fries!”. Now the point at the grocery store and say “fruit!”, or at Whole Foods and say “protein bar!”.
Oh, if only the schools could see the link to what the children eat and the sick adults they become. What so sad now is that we don’t have to wait till they are adults to see the health risks. They are sick and overweight now. And the parents (most) and adults inter sad health situations still don’t see the root cause! Wow! @ my age I’m healthy, fit, and just took my BP 117/63 pulse 63 @ almost 50 my weight is on target. 5’6″ 111 lbs and a low body fat! I was sick as child from. Other reasons and mom took all pre made food out of my diet! No canned, frozen, fast food!
thank you mom!
I would love to read Sarah’s book and see her view. Not only am I am parent of a 3 year old hungry boy I also work for a leading food service provider in the Chicago Area. Every day I try to make one small improvement. Not an easy task!
https://www.facebook.com/QualityCateringForKids?ref=tn_tnmn
http://www.qualitycateringforkids.com/default.php
Would love to read her book. Thanks.
I just want to say that I’m touched by all the people who want to win my book — I wish I could give everyone a copy!!