For today’s Friday Buffet: a call to action, teaching British kids about veggies, a school lunch option that may make you lose your lunch, and The Lunch Tray eats a little crow.
A Call to Action from Slow Food USA
I’m passing on a reminder from Slow Food USA that — right now — the House Education & Labor Committee is considering the Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act of 2010 (H.R. 5504). Slow Food USA asks that if your own Rep is on the committee (you can check this list), to please call today or Monday “to urge them to bring H.R. 5504 up for committee vote quickly and to fully fund the bill with at least an additional $1 billion per year.”
Food Education Across the Pond
I “met” (via Twitter) the UK-based Joanne Roach, a kid-and-food advocate who’s created a series of twelve little books called “The Foodies.” Each book (one for each month of the year) is designed to teach British children about the fruits and vegetables that grow in their country during that particular month. After watching Jamie Oliver’s “Food Revolution,” in which some American school children were unable to identify even the most common supermarket vegetables, I now understand the need for such books. Joanne’s site is also full of other helpful resources, including recipes you can cook with kids. (But be warned: the recipes all use metric measurements and British terminology. E.g., zucchini = courgette. Who knew?)
I Think I’ve Found the Perfect Side Dish for The Candwich
Over at Slow Food USA’s blog, a student described and photographed this unbelievable concoction, sold in his cafeteria as an “a la carte” option for kids who don’t want to wait in the long lunch line. (Thanks to Lisa S. for the tip.) A la carte (or “competitive”) foods are a big, problematic issue in American public schools –more on a la carte next week.
The Lunch Tray’s First Editorial Correction
In my post yesterday (with the somewhat inflammatory title, “Rush Limbaugh, Heritage Foundation: Let Fat Kids Starve“), I quoted Chef Tom Colicchio about House testimony given by the Heritage Foundation in connection with the Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act of 2010 (H.R. 5504). Colicchio quoted the representative of the Heritage Foundation as saying, “if children are getting obese, then maybe we should stop feeding them.”
I wrote that post late at night and the next morning decided that I really should have taken the time to track down the actual testimony in question. I’ve now done so — it’s here, by Robert Rector, Senior Research Fellow at the Heritage Foundation. In fairness, the written testimony doesn’t include this glib comment — although that was likely Colicchio’s takeaway impression of the Heritage Foundation’s position, which opposes any increase in funding for child nutrition programs and uses obesity as one justification. (FYI, I’ve appended an editorial update to the original post for any future readers.)
Have a great weekend, everyone! And if you come across an interesting or offbeat kid-and-food news item you’d like me to consider for a future Friday Buffet, just email me using the Contact tab above.
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2011 Bettina Elias Siegel
Joanne Roach says
Thanks for the mention Bettina!
I will sort out some Imperial conversions for the recipes so that anyone who orders them from the States can have the converted recipes on cards alongside, good tip, thanks!
Kudos for a very informative blog!
bettina elias siegel says
My pleasure! Keep us posted on your doings, too. – Bettina
Mendy Heaps says
I’m anxious to read what you have in store for us next week. A la carte lines, grab and go windows, and vending machines full of junk food are all helping kids develop bad habits and terrible attitudes about food. I’m glad you’re going to make it your focus next week!