Monthly Archives: April 2010

March recap

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Three months down…

March stats:
17 school lunches eaten:
(4 – pizza lunches) 
(3 – burger-like lunches)
(3 – chicken lunches)
(2 – chili lunches)
(1 – hot dog lunch)
(1 – pasta lunch)
(1 – cheese croissant)
(1 – cheese lasagna)
(1 – mac and cheese)

…

(7 – fruit cups)
(6 – carrots!)
(2 – pears)
(2 – bananas!)
(2 – beans)
(2 – oranges)
(2 – green beans)
(2 – fruit jello)
(1 – tater tots)
(1 – corn)
(1 – fruit icee)
(1 – broccoli)
(0 – apples)

…

What I posted in March:

What I learned about myself:

  • I am getting sick of eating school lunches. Imagine how the kids feel.
  • I got some media attention and it was electrifying and scary all at once.
  • This blog is a part-time job. I had no idea when I dreamed this up that it would take up all of my free time. On the plus side, I am more organized than ever before in my home life. I had to up my game or I would be wearing dirty clothes and there would be no food in the house.
  • I am still paranoid nervous about losing my full-time work as an educator. I’m trying to think positive about other opportunities that might open up if I were forced out (I no longer believe I would be fired, but I bet it would be “suggested” that I leave). 
  • I do enjoy the highs and lows of this project. It’s thrilling to read your comments and get email from you. So far the lows are primarily just in my head. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. Thank you for accompanying me on this journey.

Coming in April:

  • More school lunches…
  • Finally a visit to a gastroenterologist and a health update.
  • More guest bloggers – email me if you want to do a post (please don’t comment as I really don’t have time to locate your email address)
  • Who knows what! I wasn’t able to predict the trajectory of the project and as such I just can’t say what is going to happen in the next month. Hopefully I’ll still be employed…

I am anonymous

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I am a small person
I am very normal
I am not important
You would not remember my face.

I have an ordinary life
I work hard for the kids
I like my job
I am a parent
I am a wife
I am a daughter
I do the best I can
I am tired
You are just like me.

I am not out to get anyone
I am not an expert
I had an idea
I decided to go for it
I am out of my comfort zone
I am in over my head
I am just blogging
You can comment below

Our house is mess
Our rent is too high
Our cars are beat up
Our lives are joyful
You can see we are happy

I walked by you today with a screaming child
I shook your hand at church
I smiled and said hi to you in the park
I was kind to your elderly parents
I dined at the table next to yours
I took your order 
I high fived your daughter, my student
I wrote a letter to your cousin, my friend
I accepted your help
I was in line behind you at the grocery store
I baked you a casserole
I went to a conference where you spoke
I gave you $10 when you needed it most
I had your family over for dinner
I read that book you love 
I taught your kid something new
I ate what your son ate at school
I took a picture of your lunch
I could be anyone
I am anonymous
You can see I am you

Open thread: Dishes and cutlery

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There was a lot of commentary on my Spork post about the lack of silverware in school cafeterias. I think we all agree that we need to bring back real spoons and forks. But some readers were shocked that I oppose knives in the cafeteria. I find that funny because I do believe that knives are not appropriate.

Although it’s true that forks and sporks are pointier in some cases, for some kids “knife” is a loaded word. There are students with an emotional or behavior disorder who have difficulty with self-control and regulation of emotion. Have you ever had a student attack their parent on school grounds with an object? That’s just one example. Oh, I have stories!

Let’s go back to trays and plates. Divided trays? Flat trays? Plates on trays? Multiple small plates? One large plate?

What do you think?

Day 53: salisbury steak

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Today’s menu: salibury steak, bread, butter, corn, peach fruit cup

There you go. That’s what I ate. I don’t know what else to say aside from that was no steak. But I’ve never been a steak or a beef person. (I love bread and butter though)

I moderate comments on blog posts older than 3-4 days. A few weeks ago one commenter wrote that I was a “vegetarian hippie” (I guess that’s an insult?). I don’t normally delete comments, even the negative ones, but I might have deleted that one. Obviously I’m not vegetarian — hello! — I’m eating these very beef-heavy meals! But the commenter might know me better than I thought… I think I’m done with beef after this project is over. One step closer to vegetarian!

Framing obesity

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Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years (CDC). It is an epidemic and it’s going to cost our country big bucks. I’m happy that Michelle Obama started the Let’s Move campaign to focus on this issue. Who doesn’t want to fight “obesity?” It’s just…

“Obesity” implies eating too many calories. But the assumption is that nutritional needs are being over-fulfilled. Not so. I believe you can overeat the wrong foods and miss vital nutrients.

Instead of having a discussion about obesity, I wish it could be framed in the language of “nutrition” or “nourishment.” Because I’d like to include all the kids, fat and thin, big and small, in a larger discussion of food.

I see lots of thin kids at school and they are eating the same foods as the obese kids. Are they eating the right calories and fats to nourish their bodies? Somehow I don’t think so. They must be just eating less and maybe not enough of the good stuff.

I think I know why the Let’s Move folks chose “childhood obesity” as the enemy because it’s an easy win — who can argue? If they instead tried to focus on nourishment or nutrition, they would lose people. Let’s face it, “childhood obesity” conjures up a picture of “a fat kid” (not politically correct but true). In our thin world it’s easy to say “let’s fight fat!”

What about “childhood nutrition?” I see a cornucopia with squashes and gourds (see above). “Nourishment?” Hmm, I see my mom is making chicken soup with buttered bread. No enemy there!

Don’t get me wrong: being obese is a big problem. I wish the obesity problem wasn’t thought of as “just being fat,” because there’s a chance most kids are undernourished regardless of their size.

NOTE: I apologize if this post offends you. It is not meant to hurt anyone’s feelings. I removed the line that offended people.

Day 52: tex-mex

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Today’s menu: “tex-mex,” beans, tortilla chips, banana

Remember how I said “tex-mex” was my favorite? Well, it still ranks right up there. I like stews and soups and casseroles so… “tex-mex” is closer than say a burger. What “tex-mex” refers to is taco meat over rice with a little cheese on top. I enjoy comfort food and this is nice.

I took a close up of the beans, which are darker on the top (at first glance you think “black beans”) and lighter on the inside (then you think “pinto beans”). I don’t know what kind of beans they were but I’ve always liked refried beans. They were ok. Next time I’ll take a picture of the nutritional facts of the tortilla chips.

Guest blogger: Free For All – Janet Poppendieck

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I was intrigued but a bit scared when Mrs. Q invited me to be a guest blogger. I have never really blogged before, and I was full of questions? How could I distill the results of six years’ writing and research into a brief blog post?  How many words do I get?  May I mention my new book? (Free for All: Fixing School Food in America) My publisher? (University of California Press).  My name, rank and serial number? (Jan Poppendieck, Professor of Sociology Hunter, College, City University of New York).  Of all the fascinating stories and puzzling facts that have gone into my study of school food, what should I emphasize?
Then it hit me. This is the moment for readers of FED UP to SPEAK UP.  Right now, the Child Nutrition Reauthorization legislation, the legislation that will control school food and other child nutrition programs for the next five years, is wending its way through Congress. Now is the time to tell your Senators and Representatives what you want to see as an end result. Now is the time to ask for enough money to do the job right.
I’m sure many Fed Up readers are old hands at communicating with Congress, but for those who are not, here are some tips. If you are uncertain about just who your legislators are, you can find out by  entering  your zip code into designated box on the web site called Contacting Congress: http://www.contactingthecongress.org/. Then, you can go directly to a form for submitting an e-mail to a member of the House at https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml and to your Senators at http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm.
You don’t have to draft the legislation for them; that is their job.  You just have to tell them: 1) what you want, 2) how important it is to you, 3) and why it is important—and  remind them to put enough money in the bill to make achievement of these ends possible.
The best letters (e-mails, faxes) are the ones that tell a personal story.  “I was upset when I learned that my child’s middle school hallways are full of vending machines,”  or “Last year three high school students in our community were killed driving back to school from lunch at the  local gas station convenience store,”   or   “Our family is eligible for free lunches, but my older boys won’t eat them because they are embarrassed; in their school the  kids with money buy in cash from the a la carte line and the  main line is regarded as ‘only for poor kids.'”  Or “I’m trying to promote healthy eating in my family by encouraging my children to eat more whole, unprocessed foods, and I feel undermined when I see all the packaged goods in the school breakfast program.”  Or even,  “I’ve been reading the Fed Up blog for the past month, and I know we can do better.”
The most important thing is to send  a message—you don’t have to be an expert. Congress can consult any experts it wants.  Just make your priorities heard: — ending hunger through better access, healthier food, local procurement, or better care for the environment, whatever is most important to  you. The more people who write, and the more often we write, the greater the buzz and feeling of momentum, and the more likely that Congress will find the resources to do what needs to be done. While it is especially important to contact the members of  the next body to take up Child Nutrition Reauthorization, the House Education and Labor Committee, (and you can find out who they are by consulting FRAC’s up to date Congressional Directory at http://www.frac.org/pdf/hill_list_2010.pdf), all of our members need to hear from us. 
If you do want to know more about the problems and promise of food in our schools, of course I’d recommend reading my book (Free for All :Fixing School Food in America).  It was written precisely in the hope of empowering the movement for  feeding our children better.  You can also find out a lot more about current programs and pending legislation ( and see sample e-mails and letters)  at any and all of the following web sites: The Food Research and Action Center at www.FRAC.org;  the Community Food Security Coalition at  www.foodsecurity.org, California Food Policy Advocates at  www.cfpa.net, the One Tray Coalition at http://onetray.org/, the Healthy Schools Campaign at http://www.healthyschoolscampaign.org, and the New York City Alliance for Child Nutrition Reauthorization at http://NYCforCNR.org. Many of these web sites provide pre-prepared letters that you can send, though writing your own has more impact.
But you don’t need to read the book or pour over web sites to write to Congress.  If you’ve been following this blog, you know what you want. Now is the time to speak up.
*** Thanks so much to Ms. Janet Poppendieck for offering to write a guest blog post. I’m so honored that she wanted to participate. I purchased her book from Amazon more than a month ago and I haven’t had a change to get far into it. If you have any questions for her, feel free to post them in the comment section. ***