Monthly Archives: March 2010

Day 40: mac and cheese

School Lunches, , , , ,

Today’s menu: mac and cheese, mixed veggies, breadstick, fruit cup, milk

 I can’t tell how the mac and cheese looks in the photo (I think it looks ok, but my husband doesn’t agree). What I can tell you was that it was very cheesy. It’s probably something the kids really enjoyed. You know, it wasn’t that bad and I’m not trying to be nice. All I’m doing is comparing this meal to the other school lunches that I’ve eaten and I can say that this ranks a little higher than most. I was able to eat everything but the fruit cup.

Looking over the school lunch menus, it’s amazing how nice the meals sound when you read their names. The images conjured up by “chilled peaches” or “turkey bagel dog” or “pepperoni pizza” are very different than what I’m eating. Talk about “doublespeak.” How are parents to know?

Guest blogger: A different teacher, a different lunch

Uncategorized, ,

Hi, My name is Ms. Weisberger. I’m a 7th year teacher in NYC, which is somewhat of a veteran in the city. Four years ago I helped start my current school–and this year we have our first graduating class!  I teach Environmental Science to 9th graders–and currently we are learning about “food issues.” 

One day last week I was on “admin” duty because our principal was out.  I had to man the lunch room with the 9th graders.  I was surprised that:

A) All the food was recognizable as food.
B) It smelled good.
C) Kids were eating it!
D) The lunch crew was eating it!
And E) It looked better than the tuna fish sandwich I bought, so I figured…what the heck?!  

I’ve been meaning to get down to the lunch room ever since Mrs. Q started her project.  I’m teaching the kids about food/gardening right now.  Meaning, we are actually doing two different projects simultaneously–we are reading “book club” books about food issues in America and will begin to write persuasive speeches about a topic of the students’ choice.  Then, we are also growing seedlings and learning about plant anatomy for our hopeful…soon to be…school rooftop garden!  
With this garden in mind–I would eventually want to be able to provide fresh vegetables for the lunch room. But, I was skeptical about how easy/feasible this would be.  And how open the school lunch crew would be to this idea.  Also, for a successful garden, we would need to compost.  So, with these issues in mind, I headed to the HOT LUNCH window.  I figured I first needed to build a rapport with the woman (and one man).  “Excuse me…but how would a teacher go about buying school lunch?”  After a sort of dull stare, the lady told me I had to purchase a ticket ($4) in the main office, and then bring the ticket back down. 
When I returned, I gave in my ticket and went to grab a tray (with more food than I needed on it), and heard, “No honey, that’s for the kids,” and she proceeded to pile my plate with food.  “Would you like another piece of chicken?”  Wow.  No thanks (I don’t even eat much meat to begin with).  She gave me a second styrofoam plate for my salad (What! salad!), which I returned and said I would just add it to the side of this plate.  The salad bar had lettuce, SPINACH, cucumbers, onions, and broccoli in small bowls, but it looked fresh.  I got my chocolate milk (fat free–which made me thinking about the great posting on milk a few weeks back) and headed up stairs. 
I went up to the art teacher’s room to begin my feast.  Over the course of the meal, four teachers and one student exclaimed, “Is that school lunch?!?”  

On the menu for tomorrow: Cheeseburgers. I don’t think I’m ready to stomach that.  But I will be back.

***

Ms. Weisberger, thanks so very much for guest blogging! I’m really impressed by the food. Do you know why your school has such terrific food (at least on this day)? If you have any questions for our guest blogger, please comment below.(Edited: she has already commented! yah!)

Chicken on the bone? Bok choy? Corn and black bean salad? YUM!

Thanks! Mrs. Q

***

NOTE: all guest bloggers have contacted me of their own free will, have given consent, and do not know me personally (although I’d love to meet up one day at a secure location).

Day 39: chili

School Lunches, , , , ,

Today’s menu: chili, green beans, tortilla chips, orange, milk

It could be so much worse so I’m feeling quite grateful for that. The chili wasn’t as bad as the veggie chili I had last week. It makes me wonder if it’s harder to make veggie chili than the meat version.

The green beans were good. I didn’t have a chance to eat the orange because I simply ran out of time. I still want to approach a decision-maker about slicing the oranges prior to offering them to students.

Here’s a transcript of my mini-conversation with a student about today’s lunch:

Mrs. Q: “What did you eat for lunch today?”
Student: “Chips” while making a dipping motion.
Mrs. Q: “What did you dip the chips in?”
Student shrugged.
Mrs. Q (easy follow-up): “Was is chili?”
Student: “No.”
Mrs. Q: “Are you sure?”
Student: “Yep.”
*pause*
Mrs. Q: “Did you eat the green beans?”
Student: “No.”
Mrs. Q: “Did you eat the orange?”
Student: “N-Yes.”
Mrs. Q (internal dialogue)::snort::

(See what I mean about how they never want to discuss their lunches?!)

FAQ

Uncategorized,

What exactly is your school lunch project?

I’m eating school lunch just like the kids every day in 2010 to raise awareness about what students eat every day. My hope is that the US becomes more reflective about how the food children eat affects their well-being and success in school. I certainly do not speak for all school lunch programs, but from the comments I have been receiving, what I eat is fairly typical of what most students eat in our country.


What inspired you to do this?

I was disheartened by what I saw the kids eating at school. As I continue with the project and physically consume the lunches myself, I get even more upset.

Is this a publicity stunt?

I have nothing to gain from doing this project personally. I am just a regular person and I’m certainly not sophisticated enough to design some kind of “stunt.”

Are you affiliated with First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign or did she inspire you?

I came up with this idea on my own in December 2009. I applaud her efforts and support her 100%. She is welcome to contact me.

What are your credentials? How can you judge the food?

I am not a nutritionist. I am just a parent who wants the best for all kids.

Why are you anonymous? Don’t you stand by your ideals?

I am anonymous because I want to protect my job and my identity. I like that I’m “un-googleable.” Although I feel passionate about child nutrition, I believe that being anonymous is the best thing for my professional career. I really want to reveal more, but it’s not safe for me personally.

Why is this important now?

The Child Nutrition Act is being debated in congress. It’s important that people realize that funding for school lunches is vital to children’s success in school and in life.

What’s up with all the packaging?

The meals brought in frozen and heated up in large ovens. The containers are paper with plastic over the top. Microwaving is not allowed for school lunch (from what I understand). There are no real dishes or cutlery. Ninety-five percent of food delivered to schools is frozen.

Where is the food made? Are there microwaves at the school?

I don’t know where the food is made. I’m not going to name the company, but it’s a very common school food vendor. There are no microwaves in the school’s kitchen only large ovens. Microwaves are available to the staff in the teachers’ lunchroom/staff lounge, but students do not have access to that space.

Do the students get free or reduced price lunch?

Many of the students at the school get free and reduced price lunch.

Do the children actually eat this food?

The kids only eat bits and pieces of the food offered to them. Sometimes the kids only eat the fruit or the hot dog or occasionally they don’t eat any of it.

Do the children get a choice?

There is a vegetarian option as an alternative to the main course, which is usually meat-based. Sometimes the vegetarian option is lined up with the main entree, but other times a student has to request that item specifically.

Where is the nutritional information?

I cannot locate nutritional information at the school or on my district’s website for the meals my students eat.

How much time do the kids get for lunch?

Twenty minutes.

How much time do the kids get for recess?

There is no recess at my school. Believe me, this is becoming very common across the US. Even the schools that schedule recess often have to bump it to fit in academics.

Does your school recycle?

No. That’s a whole different issue.

How is your health?

I’m doing just fine. I had bloodwork done (completely coincidentally) in December and I’m normal. Because this is one meal per day and I’m free to eat other food for the rest of my day, my health has not be largely impacted from what I can tell. You can read more about my health if you click on the “health” label.

Why did you put ads on the site?

To help me recoup the lunch costs as well as to compensate me for my work on the blog, which is similar to a part-time job on top of my full-time work. When I did a poll of my readers’ opinions on ads in January, 80% of them thought it was a good idea.

Are you aware of Jamie Oliver and what he is doing?

I became aware of his efforts in the UK and here in the US after I started the project. I watched his TED talk and I’m way excited about Food Revolution. I think he is a compassionate soul who can no longer stand by and watch as children’s health is compromised by crappy food. We follow each other on Twitter!

Ask me other questions and I’ll update the FAQ! Thanks for reading!

What’s to come

Uncategorized, , ,

Guest bloggers

I’m really excited about the line-up of guest bloggers I’ve got coming at you this month. The project is going to take on a new dimension with the addition of other viewpoints and fun, new school lunches. Some of you have commented on blog posts that you want to guest blog, but I need you to email me directly to coordinate this as I don’t have any time to seek you out.

(Would the teacher who ate school lunch with her child every day in February email me? I know she commented in the past, but I can’t find it. I’d love it if she could guest blog and I want the link to her blog again)

In an effort to “conceal” my spring break week, I’m going to sprinkle in guest blog posts every week with school lunches. So that means that some days I’m going to eat lunch and snap a picture of it, but not post it same day. I like the idea of having some school lunch shots “in reserve,” Occasional commenters want me to reveal my identity and I’d really love to one day, but right now I think I have power in my anonymity. There’s no reason (or pressure) to “come out” now. I think it would be great if I could do a big reveal at the end of the project. Seriously though it’s going to be anti-climatic!

Ads

I am revisiting putting ads on the blog. When I did the poll back in January, 80% of you supported my putting ads on the blog. Ultimately I decided against it. Since I am paying for the lunches out of pocket and I spend all my nightly free time on the project, I might as get some pocket change back to cover my costs and my time. I doubt I’d get much money for the ads, but if I did I would want to donate a portion to my school, a school-to-farm initiative, or something related to the mission of the blog.

Time, or lack thereof

I have so many interesting ideas for the blog, but I really have so little time. I have family commitments and I work full time. Every night immediately after the little one goes to bed, I run straight to my laptop to work on the daily post, look over the comments, and then check out twitter. Lastly I check my email, which in amount can vary widely. This entire process takes at least an hour and if I want to do more than one blog post, I’m on the computer for close to two hours.

There are many nights that I turn off my computer, head directly into the bathroom to brush my teeth, and go straight to bed. But I bring home work that I have to do two to three nights per week. It’s either a very late night for me or I skimp on the post. Normally I choose to stay up late! The state of our house? Wrecked! I leave everything until the weekend. My husband is picking up the slack (and doing stuff for the blog on the side to help me out), but it’s quite taxing on the household. Most nights the dishes do not get done.

The reason I’m sharing this is that I want you to know that I really want to interact with you, my readers, more. I want to comment on your comments, but I just don’t have the time. I want to respond to all of your emails, but I get the chance. Please forgive me. Time is my enemy.

Open thread: let’s discuss…. school lunches!

Uncategorized,

 I enjoy reading everyone’s comments so much. You educate me about school lunches because many of you know much more than I do. You share personal experiences that inspire me to continue. You encourage me. Thank you!

It seems like there needs to be an outlet for you to share your thoughts with the small “community” of blog readers. I’m going to open a thread for you to share something with the readers. If you have a question for me, please continue to email me directly, but if you have a question for the readers, put it here.

I moderate comments older than 3-4 days and I am proud to say I have only had to delete one (it was spam). I’m not afraid of negative commentary, but please don’t be hateful. Great discussions include opinions from all.

If the open thread is popular, in the future I’ll give you a specific topic to discuss. But for the first open thread, you can decide what to chat about. Happy weekend!

Day 38: pizza

School Lunches, , , ,

Today’s menu: pizza, carrots, milk, pineapple chunks

That brief spell where I liked the pizza is over.

Today I had to eat with a colleague so I took a quick, covert shot. I’m still figuring out what to do when I have to eat with others. I do miss conversing at lunch, but I can do without. But sometimes it’s basically mandatory to eat with people. It doesn’t attract attention that I’m eating school lunch (especially on pizza days); taking the picture(s) is the problem. I’m still figuring out what to do about that. But today in the confusion I had a small moment by myself to snap a shot. Phew!