Chicago school bans homemade lunches

[muses_nightmare]

My city didn't even participate in the school lunch program until a few years ago. Kids had to bring their own lunches from home.

When I got to high school, the district allowed pizza and sub places to sell their items in the cafeteria. I guess it was sort of baby steps on the way toward getting back into the hot lunch program.

If this kind of law were in effect, kids would have no choice but to shell out for greasy pizza and subs every day. This is an "I'm from the government and I'm here to help" rule if I've ever seen one.

No school I ever went to had a cafeteria, we had canteens in jr high and sr high, and "hot dog days" in elementary school, but that's about it. But no lunch ladies serving up whatever the heck it is they eat in cafeterias, and no actual cafeteria room. *shrugs* The whole idea of a cafeteria in a school is strange to me, and forcing kids to eat what the school provides? That's just BS. I wouldn't be surprised if the whole thing is changed back to parents being able to pack lunches before long, I can't imagine many parents just accepting having to pay for their child's lunches every day (what the school charges), especially those with picky kids.

This thread also reminded me of the Jamie Oliver TV show that I was watching the other day I think it was food revolution or something. He was in an American school trying to change what is served for lunch, Because what was being served there at the time was all crap, and there were maybe 2 things that were freshly made, the rest were all prepackaged crap. I can't imagine kids being forced to have to eat that stuff on a daily basis, in the name of "health", though I don't know much beyond what I've read online and seen on TV when it comes to the lunch programs in the US.

[AdminAssistant]

The Jamie Oliver show is actually pretty enlightening in terms of how school cafeterias work, all the regulations from the USDA, the quality of the food served, and the fact that the kids wouldn't eat the stuff that he fixed.

The cafeteria at my school was pretty good (the elementary school cafeterias also served lunch to Jr. High and High School students, although they also had the option of getting something out of a vending machine). Mom allowed us to take our lunch one day a week (usually on chipped beef or tuna day). I remember chicken nuggets, hamburgers, pizza (loved those!), mashed potatoes, green beans, corn, pudding, and some of the best hot rolls I've ever had. Of course, I was lucky enough to graduate before Gov. Huckabee had his gastric bypass surgery (oh, sorry, he lost all that weight with just diet and exercise ) and went all crazy on school food. Funnily enough, he seems to have gained all that weight back....

[Hyena Dandy]

I remember what we had at my highschool. It was damn good, and frequently pretty healthy. Not every time, but usually the official school lunch was good for you.

We had lobster meat once. That was awesome...

Just rambling

[protege]

I remember those school lunches. GOD I remember them . Horrible doesn't even begin to describe it. I remember when they took some of the halfway decent items off the menu because they weren't "healthy" enough. Yet they still kept their god awful frozen pizza that made Sbarro look like a five star restaurant.

I remember that shit too Pardon my French, but school food is fucking nasty. Especially the green (yes, really ) hamburgers in 8th grade. What really sucked, is that the school was whining about how they were going to have to raise meal prices. Are you fucking kidding me? You're going to charge *more* for the right to eat that shit?

[kibbles]

I'd never want to have to go to school in today's world and deal with the daily BS that exists. Unless it's in regards to life threatening allergies, what right does anyone have to dictate what someone can eat?!

[MadMike]

I just came here to post this but someone already did. God help me if my kids ever end up in a school that does this. I will either find another one for them or keep them at home.

It's getting easier to do that these days. A few people I know are enrolling their kids in cyberschool, including my one friend who lives in the city. The schools over there are worthless, and her kids were getting bullied and harassed constantly, and the school wouldn't do a damn thing about it.

Anyone who thinks this a good idea ought to have their head checked.

Sadly, I saw this on another board, and there were a few idiots actually defending it.

I'd never want to have to go to school in today's world and deal with the daily BS that exists.

I hear you there. My son is in his junior year in high school, and I'm glad that I won't be putting any more kids through the school system. It's sad that the people who are supposed to be educating our kids are some of the biggest idiots of all.

[Eisa]

WTF? I had free lunch 6th-12th grade, and I got lucky in high school 'cause we had decent food, but...what the fuck? Most school food is gross beyond words...and it's expensive. They are utter morons.

[Rageaholic]

Sadly, I saw this on another board, and there were a few idiots actually defending it.

Yeah I saw one person on the Yahoo board defend it. Her comment got so many votes down that it was made invisible.

[fireheart17]

quick bit o' background on the Australian education system: Primary school is from Reception to Year 6 (most states) or Year 7 (my state), while high school is from Years 8-12 (7-12 in other states). Most R-12 schools use the junior, middle and senior school model, which is generally R-5/6, 6/7-9, then 10-12)

When I was in Year 7, our school canteen were phasing out the junk food. Parents could still bring in packed lunches, but if you had money to buy stuff at the canteen at recess and lunch time, it HAD to be healthy. There were things like baked potatoes, celery/carrot sticks, fruit jellies (not sure how that got past the "healthy" rule, but it was like little fruit-shaped jellies, not jelly cups) and so forth.

All the schools I went to eventually instituted nut-free policies.

This arrangement tho in the article? Yeah, I'd be willing to bet that it's made from shredded newspapers and gym mats

[MadMike]

All the schools I went to eventually instituted nut-free policies.

Too bad those "nut-free policies" don't seem to apply to hiring.

[Cats]

It's a decent idea in theory, since we do have a child obesity problem on our hands (of course I'm ot blind to the fact that it's a wallet reach too). But in practice? No. It's not up to the school system to police what our children eat. A mandatory nutritional class? Sure, that would be okay, especially since a school's job is to, you know, EDUCDATE.

Call me among those who would go hungry; I'm a VERY picky eater (foods that smell good taste like crap to me, either because of texture or the combination of flavors. Most food I eat is plain, including spaghetti). You can't force the kids to eat the food, so much of it would just go to waste. Besides, health wise, given a choice, eating junk is still better than skipping a meal entirely on a regular basis.

It's not the school's fault the kids aren't eating as good, (though lack of options at school lunch is a small contributing factor), it's the lack of education, the amount of processed crap thats so much easier to get (and in some cases, cheaper), and parent enabling their children. I have one customer who comes in everyday, an her daughter is, well, fat. Nearly every single day, the girl gets a candy bar or some other kind of junk in the morning. That's the kind of attitude that needs correcting.

Improving school lunches, especially to make them healthier, is fine and great. But forcing kids to buy it or starve? Just...NO. If I had kids, I'd pull them right out for crap like that, and I know my own mother would have at least considered doing so (for a few years my siblings and I were all in separate schools due to the age gaps, so it may not have been worth it since they'd have to drive us all)


I am so glad I was out of school by the time that whole "nut-free" policy really starting taking off in places. When I brought my lunch in, most of the time it was a peanut butter sandwhich. You do not mess with my love of peanut butter.

[Boozy]

Too bad those "nut-free policies" don't seem to apply to hiring.

That was cute, Mike.

[Lace Neil Singer]

My parents would certainly not have been able to afford to give me money like that to buy lunch; all the money I got to spend came from my paper round and doing various jobs here and there. Since I had three brothers, it wasn't as tho my parents had the money to splash around. My mum would have raised a terrific stink if my school had done that; and she certainly would have pulled me out of the school.

Not everyone qualifies for free school meals; since my parents both worked, they didn't qualify. I would have just cut class and gone into town to buy junk with this policy rather than eaten the disgusting lunch. Looks like goat class aeroplane food to me, judging by the picture.

[daleduke17]

Here's what it boils down to: The State of Illinois is so far in the red that the school districts (all the way from the tiny districts to the behemoth Chicago) aren't getting money from the state. The school needs to make up the money somehow.

Gee, how about tell your puppets (aka General Assemblymen) to make a decent budget and stop funneling money to every pet project they have.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Gee, how about tell your puppets (aka General Assemblymen) to make a decent budget and stop funneling money to every pet project they have.

Come on now, this is Illinois we're talking about. The day that state's politics get cleaned up is the day they're selling down parkas in Hell.