The old square pizza and spaghetti with meatballs isn't cutting it anymore:
The day started around 4,000 meals ago for Elizabeth Brookins.She and her staff of 32 have served about 1,200 breakfasts and 2,700 lunches at Felix Varela Senior High's cafeteria, one of the largest in Florida.
They served vegetarians and probably a few vegans, teens with severe allergies and strict diets, a generation raised on Happy Meals and name-brand water and grocery shelves lined with kiddie-themed snacks.
And they cooked up all that food under pressures that Brookins' predecessors never imagined.
Parents demand sound meals that conform to constantly evolving notions about health and nutrition. Students demand the variety and familiarity of home-cooking and fast-food restaurants. Budgets demand stretching every dollar and maximizing use of bulk food donated by the federal government.
Well, I don't know what could be done with the budgets, but it seems like this pressure could be reduced if the schools conveyed to parents and students that, when it comes to cafeteria food, perhaps they should lessen their expectations a tad. Children may be "accustomed" to retail variety and may not be getting a home-cooked meal every night, but I'm not sure why schools believe they should have to step in and fill all the gaps.
And the students who are demanding brand-name fast-food should learn that they'll pay the same amount for it whether it's at school or the mall. Sounds lke a good time for a lesson in economics to me. Peanut allergies are one thing; having taxpayers fund an addiction to KFC is another.
Posted by kswygert at October 3, 2005 06:48 AM