I don’t normally post on the weekend but I’m thrilled to let you know that today I have an opinion piece regarding school food in the New York Times, both the print and online editions.
In the piece, I address why America’s school meals so often pale in comparison to those in other countries, and the many obstacles faced by our school districts which make scratch-cooked, healthier meals a real challenge.
I hope you find it informative!
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Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2016 Bettina Elias Siegel
Bob Hoffman says
To begin with why would I comment?
Well, I am a retired inner-city school teacher who watched my school’s food service turn from what previously was exemplary to OMG! This stuff sucks.
Why?
There’s a couple of things you failed to mention (I know, it was only a thousand words or so.)
The first is that it is not only the money but what corporations are involved in providing school lunches are demanding. If you separate the various entities you will find big-time names like Litton Industries, Tyson Chicken, various dairies, The Schwan Corporation who Tproduces, markets, and distributes products developed under brands such as Schwan’s, Red Baron, Freschetta, Tony’s, Mrs. Smith’s, Edwards, Pagoda Express, and many others.
They use their (considerable) influence to dictate policy and funding. The last thing they want is too high a funding level that would enable schools to have working kitchens (rather than large ovens to heat up trays prepared in a central kitchen) and a skilled staff capable of serving healthy homemade meals.
When I was hired into my district, in the early eighties the food was amazing: soul food for the most part but it was served on actual dishes with silverware. There was always a fresh bread component of some sort – they made the best damned corn bread I have ever had – and fresh vegetables prepared in the Southern Style and main courses that both reflected the culture and great taste. And dessert – small amounts of homemade cobbler or cake for the most part.
The problem was that the funding no longer paid for the cost of both the food and the preparation. Over the years they removed every single component of what had been outstanding and started serving some sort of processed food every single day.
Cost I guess.
The second problem is our own food culture. While those of us who love to cook (and eat) would like to think that everyone can tell the difference between cheese and cheese food and the quality of homemade soups compared with canned and so on but the truth is that people are just not very sophisticated when it comes to ingredients. They also face time strictures as well as lacking the knowledge to cook properly.
I sometimes – wait – ALWAYS have to stop myself from preaching at the grocery store when I do the weekly shopping. “STOP! There are better foods that are available for much less than you are paying. Can I show you how to make oven fries? How about preparing healthy veggies like zucchini or summer squash in such a way they become the star of the meal?”
But I don’t and instead watch them fill their carts with processed foods and instant type dinners.
But if I actually screamed, “Come here: I can show you how to make a great pasta out of ingredients that cost less than a couple bucks and have enough to feed your families,” would it make a difference?
The problem is a difficult one and with the current rage of making the public schools compete for children, I don’t expect it to change much in my lifetime.
Keep elucidating the problem.
Barbara Ray says
You may find it interesting to watch “Jamie’s School Lunch”, a 4-part series about a well-known London chef named Jamie Oliver who attempted to improve the heat-and-eat British school lunches. I found it on FMTV, an Australian subscription video streaming station.
Mbaranov says
It’s also on Youtube. I showed it to my class, who was reading Fast Food Nation ay the time c
Amber Austin says
Great job taking the conversation national, Bettina! Since your piece addressed the issues clearly, in a way that even people who have not been following the “lunch wars” can relate, it has sparked a great deal of chatter. I have enjoyed reading the comments and off-shoot exchanges (even the once that I don’t agree with) nearly as much as the article itself.
PS: Congratulations on being published in the New York Times – what an accomplishment!
Neil Sagebiel says
Congratulations! Terrific accomplishment to get published in the Sunday NYT.