School Lunch Reform
• 25 August 2009
Last year I had the chance to spend an afternoon with one of my favorite Boston {now-Berkeley} pals, Lesli. When catching up she told me all about her son's school lunch program and my jaw dropped...you should've seen the menu! Not only was it healthy, but it encouraged children to try new flavors like curry and lesser-known vegetables like kale. I wish all of our schools adopted such programs. I am hoping that Michelle Obama's influence helps redefine what a proper school lunch should be. I would love to feel good about my child buying a school lunch more than once per month.
You can read more about what the First Lady's efforts to modify what our children eat in schools here.
A few of my favorite portions of the article if you can't get to it:
"...Waters and other pioneers of the local-food movement have long struggled with perceptions of elitism. Critics mocked their breathless praise of farmstead cheeses or the ultimate roast chicken, painting them as out-of-touch, arugula-loving yuppies. "Michelle has used her position in a way that has made people realize this is a very simple, very American impulse," said Josh Viertel, president of Slow Food USA, which promotes small farmers and artisan producers. "What they're doing is normalizing something that should be normal."
and this one too:
"The more they can tell the story of what they're doing, the better it will be," said Slow Food's Viertel. "If they can let people see a family meal, if people see that the busiest man in the world takes time to sit down with his kids for dinner, that could have an incredible impact."
photo by Lynn Sweet
Our First Lady is quite possibly my new hero! Teaching children the importance of healthy foods and how to eat properly is critical for our nation.
ReplyDeleteThank you for posting this and the attached article.
this is a great article! i can't wait to see how this takes shape.
ReplyDeletexo
If anyone can do it--it is you. I may not love California's ed plan in general, but their gardening/composting emphasis is awesome!
ReplyDelete