10.07.2010

What IS this?

Help for readers, writers, or eaters?
Today I walked into lunch just as the kids peeled back the plastic on their lunch entrees. "What is this? What is this?"

As they ate, I asked a couple of kids what they thought it was.

"I'm not thinking, I'm eating."

I tried again. "What does it taste like?"

"Bread."

Actually, it's a chicken patty. 18 grams protein, 36 grams carbohydrates, 15.5 grams total fat, 3 grams saturated fat. Most of the kids covered it with ketchup, stuck it in the whole wheat bun, and gave it a shot. Chicken product, with breading, in a bun.

I passed out carrots from the farmers market and recalled Slow Food's philosophy ... that the food we eat should taste good; that it should be produced in a clean way that does not harm the environment, animal welfare or our health ...
I find comfort knowing that there are school-based nutritionists, like Oakland's Renegade Lunch Lady, Ann Cooper, and talented chefs like Britain's Jamie Oliver, dedicated to putting healthier foods on the lunchroom table. And I'm a renegade soldier in their troops!
Before I left, I pulled out a little book from a nearby tub, Salad Vegetables. It read, A carrot. A tomato. A cucumber. A radish. A lettuce.

What? What is this?
A lettuce?Looks like we've got some work to do on the literacy front, as well!