The Observation Deck

particularly the call to remove pop/soda from the cafeterias.

they have removed pop and soda's from the lunch lines.. I haven't been able to buy ice tea with my lunch for the past two years. Twinkies, brownies, and other little snacks were replaced by granola bars.. the chips went from dorito's nacho chips to dorito's baked nacho chips... which is a lot less harmful according to the nutrition label on the bag.


I've always thought that it's not really the school's fault for having America be the most obese country in the world. But it's certainly My mom takes out 5 minutes in her morning to make me a bagel sandwich.

I know that some parent's don't have time.. or some kids don't have the priviledge of having caring parents, but taking 5 minutes out of their morning's to make a whole grain bagel with ham and lettuce and cheese on it isn't only a healthier alternative than plastic pizza's.. it also can save about $60 a month.

that means your child is spending $546 a year on only a pizza..sub sandwich.. or breadsticks..or even hot lunch, and a drink.

Ivor--- Sounds like a tasty sandwich!

I don't want to sound like and old fuddy duddy here but after reviewing the lunch menu, the link for which Ellen kindly posted, I don't see as many healthful offerings as we had "back then."

At the risk of widening the thread topic-- Ivor, you brought up obesity. Back then we walked everywhere. A kid wouldn't be caught dead getting a ride from his parents. Two broken legs was the only legitimate excuse.

Of course when we got home we had to help with the plowing and crop harvesting!!!!!!!!

Stan

Back then we walked everywhere

........

through 3 feet of snow, barefoot, uphill both ways...

Ivor:

See if you can get the School's recipe for Cream of Tomato Soup.

Jeff

Thanks for all the input, it's extremely helpful.

We may have stumbled onto another myth of the Magical Wood, a longing for the 'wholesome', fatty flavour of yesteryear.......that harkens back beyond the actual experience of the dreamer.

There are lots of import questions to be answered about changing perceptions of healthful eating throughout Lakewood's history.

Grace, I aggree with the "not so good" good-ol-time eating idea. However, as much as I reject the propoganda of the dairy and meat industries....... my primary beef is with the move from freshly prepared to DOA pre-packaged. The loss of the in-person, hand to raw material interaction.

This transition had to have taken place during the 20th century, we just have to pin-point the decade.

Also, we need not delve too deeply into the social dynamics, from nuclear to dual income, that's obviously a huge part of the action.

Oh yeah, I forgot about that factor too...


there's many things in society that can contribute to the obesity issue.
The schools and government try to educate everyone about making healthy choices and taking the right steps to a healthy lifestyle, but many are turning the other cheek towards health and physical education teachers.

Ivor:

See if you can get the School's recipe for Cream of Tomato Soup.

Jeff

I don't have the can nearby, otherwise I could give it to you.

My guess it's something along the lines of..

Open the packaging
Pour into a pot
add water


then serve cold 4 hours later with the "buns".


If I recall seeing the tomato soup in the cafeteria's.. I think you get a tablespoon of soup.

Dan

Have you read Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser? There is a wealth of information about how Americans have transformed their eating habits, how "big business" has invaded the farm, and how far removed we Americans are from the source of our food and what implications that has for us.

Great book.

That is a fantastic book - it was one of many that I read when doing research on BSE. While it only marrginally helped with the research it really put the history and economics of our agricultural systems in terms that were easy to understand.


Caution: If you love McDonald's now and want to love them tomorrow, don't read the book today.

Peace,
~Charyn

on Diane Rehm the topic is childhood obesity and school lunch programs, particularly the call to remove pop/soda from the cafeterias.

Thank you, Grace...I'm listening now (2:25 p.m.) on streaming audio!

Charyn Varkonyi wrote:Caution: If you love McDonald's now and want to love them tomorrow, don't read the book today.

We love McDonald's salads, although they no longer offer my favorite, but DH likes the Asian salad very much!

Dan, Check out chef Jamie Oliver and the impact he is having on lunches in England (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education). He is full of energy and all about feeding children fresh, nutritious food! I can't wait to read your story.
Kim

I went to Harding too. The food was, as I remembered, GREAT! ...then I went to LHS ..and tho' I ate out all the time..what few times I did eat in the cafeteria..was also great.

A few days ago, I was talking about feeding large amounts of people....and mentioned our schools food was excellent. I was corrected quite fast, by the teens that live a few houses down. They used rather colorful words to convey the taste of what is given out now.

This isn't to say what THEY said is gospel, but is it true, that it all is rather
substandard in taste and worse in content?

Can we hear from anyone that actually currantly EATS in the school's cafeterias, on here?

Can we hear from anyone that actually currantly EATS in the school's cafeterias, on here?

I ate in the cafeteria for the past 2 years, then I realized how much money I'm pumping into lunch for unhealthy stuff. I started bringing my own food.

When all the schools have the same lunch menu (which they do) and they've had this since I've been in Lakewood Schools.. you get bored after 4-5 years of the same food. The plastic cheese pizza and stale vegetables have lost it's spunk.

Maybe next year once school starts I'll provide some pictures of the food they serve, although LHS is very anti-photography due to policy.

I had a pretzel once this year, and ended up in the nurses office with a crazy stomach ache. I thought I ate a jar of nails.


Also, a classmate of mine found a maggot in her sloppy joe. I saw it with my own eyes!

The cockroaches running around and dropping from ceilings (no joke) are a great thing to have in our schools.. I remember when one fell on a girls head and she went haywire.

There's been some other weird things found in our hot lunch items but I can't recall what exactly they were.. I'll try to ask around if any of my friends remember.

I don't know about the selection of foods, but the quality of it seemed to vary wildly from year to year and school to school. What really frustrated me were the french fries. Usually they were actually fried. At Middle School they were baked just enough to defrost them: I'd have preferred simple boiled or steamed potatoes to defrosted french fries. French Fries are deep fried and flash frozen in a factory: They are intended to be re-fried, not defrosted.

so like, it is probably the back room politics of who gets the contracts and sub-contracts where and how.