I was unable to make it to the lunch room last week but my fellow Houston ISD/Aramark Food Services Parent Advisory Committee member, Donna Gershenwald, took a photo at her own child’s school. She happened to be there when one of the new vegetables on our lunch menu was being offered: steamed bok choy. The other menu items that day were either a chicken hot dog on a whole grain bun or Chicken Creole on brown rice (one of the new entrees we tasted a few weeks ago); a pear; and a double chocolate chip cookie.
When I first heard from Houston ISD/Aramark that bok choy was being introduced, my biggest fear was that it was going to be horribly overcooked. Admittedly, Donna didn’t taste it, and maybe it was delicious, but the bok choy’s appearance in this photo does not bode well:
As many TLT readers noted in the poll about making kids’ food cute, we all “eat with our eyes” first, and the appearance of this bok choy is not particularly inviting. As it happens, Donna noted that virtually no child even touched it.
According to Donna’s rough estimate, only about 20% of the kids were eating the new chicken and brown rice entree, which I attribute to the fact that it was served on the same day as a “safe” Kid Food — a hot dog. (You’ve heard my views about that practice before.) But one bright spot was that none of the kids rejected the bun, despite the fact that it clearly looked “whole grain” (it probably contained only 51% whole grain flour, but appeared brown). We sometimes hear from HISD/Armark that kids reject will whole grain baked goods due to their appearance or texture, but this was not the case here. Donna also noted that many of the children were eating their fresh pear, which is great news.
I’ll conclude by noting that this flier was posted by HISD/Aramark in the cafeteria to educate the children about the bok choy:
I have so much to say about this flier — little of it good, I’m afraid — that I’m saving that rant for a second post later this week.
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Shira says
bok choy? really? Wouldn’t it be smarter to start with vegetables that they at least have a chance of recognizing? Or one (as you mentioned) has a better shot at being cooked properly? This doesn’t make any sense to me at all.
Viki says
seems to me that they made that bok choy about as edible as the over cooked veg most schools usually dish out. yuck. Why not add it too a nice chicken stir fry? The kids might recognize it as something they have had at an oriental eatery then.
That poster, leaves a lot to be desired too. Eat this because it is good for you! No that little girl isn’t smiling is she…Why not a happy child eating something that actually looks like the food being offered?
NotCinderell says
Okay, I used to live in China. I love Chinese food. I’m sure that there were times when I happily ate bok choy at every meal consumed that day, breakfast through dinner. It is unquestionably the most commonly consumed vegetable in China, as it’s cheap to grow and has a long growing season. It’s delicious in dumplings, stir fries, soups, etc.
It is not meant to be steamed.
The idea of steamed bok choy is just disgusting to me, and I’m an all-opportunity vegetable eater and lover of international cuisine. How would the school board think such a menu item would sit with picky children? I’m offended.
Maggie says
Wow. I would think that any kind of cooked greens would be really hard to do well with the central kitchen/transport to school kind of system. (I’m guessing from the small, individual containers). Even cooking on-site in large quantity is a challenge with fresh, quick-to-overcook items. Doable, of course, but not foolproof.
Was this the first time the chicken entree was offered? Honestly, I wouldn’t be all that unhappy with 20% for a first offering of a new entree. I would hope that those that took it, did like it, talked about it to their peers. Hopefully some gave it a close look, considered it, but just couldn’t quite make the decision this time. Perhaps a student sitting next to child with chicken dish, sees how it looks, sees the other child eat it, hopefully the item will get better acceptance the next time…and the next time…and the next time.
I’m intrigued to hear the rant about the posters!
Em says
I am sad for that bok choy. What a terrible thing to do to it! I love bok choy and have probably had it prepared (and prepared it myself) a dozen ways, but steaming it never once occurred to me. What will they steam next, toast?
Dr. Susan Rubin says
To me, it looks like ARAmark deliberately bashed the bok choy. Within a few weeks, they’ll likely complain that no one is eating it and they are losing money.
The bok choy poster is complete BS. What kid in their right mind gives a hoot about Vitamin C, minerals and fiber. And why the heck should they? Kids should not need to become little biochemists!
Give this link to both the ARAmark folks and to your teachers.
http://www.freshforkids.com.au/veg_pages/bok_choy/bok_choy.html
Although this is from Australia, find some history, some fun/ interesting botanical facts and some bok choi trivia. Challenge your community to a “top chef” friendly family competition (the ingredient? bok choy of course!) Work with teachers and parents…..kids get extra credit if they eat some bok choy at home!
DEMAND that ARAmark learn how to f*#king cook bok choy, don’t let them turn this around and blame the kids for not eating it.
Sorry, Bettina, that rant had to come out of me. I feel much better now. Thanks for letting me vent! Feel free to use any and all of these strategies in your district. Make it a BOK CHOY school district! Get the principal down to that cafeteria, make sure he/she eats it and enjoys it in front of the entire student body.
PS my kids LOVE bok choy. lightly steamed with a splash of teriyaki sauce.
Lisa Suriano says
There are two things that really bother me about this.
1. The waste of food
2. The perpetuation of the notion that vegetables are “gross” and “scary.”
Preparing and presenting veggies this way really hurts our cause to improve and teach nutrition in schools. It is like the FSMC’s are saying “See we tried and it didn’t work. Back to business as usual.”
It just takes tasty and appealing veggie recipes paired with attractive and relevant nutrition education efforts. It really really does work!
AGeorgsson says
Inwas in the cafeteria. The bok choy looked stewed, not steamed. It looked pretty pathetic, sorry to say.
Maggie says
What is reason the food service contractor would want it to fail? Finances were mentioned. Wouldn’t it make more sense for the contractor to want it to be popular?
Is there a method that would work to prepare it that will work well with the central kitchen system? (again, I’m guessing, based on the individual containers on the trays).