Refugees taught how to eat American food

[T_i_B]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/5216960.stm

In a classroom on Chicago's north side, nutritionist Bindi Desai points at a sign of an obese man holding a hamburger with a pained expression on his face. "This guy is overweight," she says, explaining that this is because he eats too much fast food and drinks cola. "And guess what happens?" she asks. "Inside his body there are lots of problems."

At a table, a dozen or so refugees - most of them from Africa - sit and nod. Some smile and chat among themselves. They appear to get the picture.

This workshop on how to eat American food responsibly is part of an Illinois state-funded programme to improve the nutrition of refugees who are being re-settled in the land of plenty.

"First we are most concerned about whether they will understand how to eat American food," says Shana Willis, with the non-profit refugee resettlement agency Heartland, one of the project co-ordinators. "They did not only not understand how to eat American food, but they went immediately to the junk food and it was then that we realised, this is going to have a much more important impact than we anticipated."

[ThomCat]

1. Can we teach this class to all high school students?

Even a simple, basic nutrition class would be better than what we're doing to kids now. We leave food education to commercials, and we leave nutrition education to corporations.

[ChazII]

7. No colas or junk food

vending machines in my school district.

[ThomCat]

8. Do they serve mystery meat, and pizza

that is nothing but white-bread with cheese? How health is the cafeteria?

[MissB]

9. I'm sure it varies greatly from district to district.

In our district, our school lunches are actually healthy. We have vendors bring the food in - we don't use our cafeteria.

Hell, I'd pay $5 a day to eat the school lunch.

[ThomCat]

10. Cool. I've never seen a school with food that

I'd feed to a kid. But I am sure there must be some good food out there in in schools somewhere.

[MissB]

12. It is adult food.

So I think most adults (like me!) would like it. Much of it is ethnic as well.

As a parent, I'm pretty damned happy that my kids don't have the choice of cheeseburger w/mystery meat and french fries for lunch. Not that they like those items anyway, but I'd rather it not be offered in the first place, kwim?

The other local school district offers free breakfasts in some of their schools, which is great for families who don't have a lot of resources. Feeding the kids first thing in the morning would (in theory) help to ensure that the kids are ready to learn. The schools that offer the free breakfast offer it to the whole school - not just the kids that qualify. However, the district there offers a choice of a breakfast burrito (hey, Taco Bell!), hamburger bun w/processed cheese and canadian bacon (hey, McDonald's!) or a cinnamon roll (hey, Cinnabon!).

When I toured one of the potential elementary schools for my kids, nearly every kid in the Kindergarten class was eating a district-provided cinnamon roll.

It wasn't the only reason why we moved, but I'm sure as hell glad that I don't have to fight that battle. The parents here seem to be concerned enough about what the kids are eating to be very involved with the school lunch program.

[Prophet 451]

13. Forgive the dumb Brit

But what the hell is "mystery meat" anyway?

When I was at school over here, we used to get a choice on our school meals. Problem was that virtually everyone picked chips (fries) with everthing.

[ThomCat]

14. It's stuff they call hamburger

but with grissle and unidentifiable chunks in it. Usually it's as tough as shoe leather. Nobody who actually ate it ever believed it was really hamburger.

[Prophet 451]

15. Ah, I get it

It's the stuff known over here as "economy burgers", the ones where they bung in everything that won't fly in "premium" burgers.

This is why I got into the habit of buying the 100% beef "premium" burgers.

[T_i_B]

17. Same here

When choice in school meals was introduced all that happed was that we all simply ate Chips with every meal and avoided the healthy stuff.

Ah well, maybe we can let Jamie Oliver try and sort out American school dinners while he's at it.

[babylonsister]

2. Many Americans need to go to this workshop, too! nt

[slackmaster]

3. Relieved to see this isn't about Hurricane Katrina refugees

:D

[demosincebirth]

4. Sure way to get fat, pronto.

One Trip a day to McFat will do it. Don't get me wrong, I like fast food, but once every two weeks is enough for me.

[K8-EEE]

5. "Did Not Understand How To Eat American Food"

Avoid the fast food like the plague, is the lesson -- there is no "right way" to eat that crap!

[kenny blankenship]

6. You see by his expression the American man is experiencing great stress

usually this feeling and outward expression is accompanied by inner American thoughts such as:
How can I fit another 3 of these inside me before lunchtime?
or
where in this damn desert am I going to find a 2 liter bottle of high fructose corn syrup to wash this puppy down?
or
the gas I got from eating the first 5 of these sourcream and bacon double cheeseburgers is ripping my abdomen apart but I still have to eat this last burger before the dripping fat congeals!

--and sometimes even:

I know there is a whole roomful of these free for the taking to my right, but the only exit out of the building I am in, which happens to be on fire and already burning down around my ears, is somewhere to my left--what to do?

New Immigrants: do not eat the American food! It is poisonous even to Americans. Lesson over.

[WorseBeforeBetter]

11. Oh, the wingnuts will love this story.

They'll be calling for a Constitutional amendment to protect the sanctity of the 1,150 calorie Burger King Double Whopper w/ Cheese. I'm feeling confrontational today, so I may have to pop on over to that "other" site.

[Buns_of_Fire]

16. Lesson One: American food is NOT to be eaten with the fingers.

The fingers are to be eaten separately. (barrrroooomp! ding!)

(Thank you, I'll be here all week. Don't forget to tip your waitress. Try the Tofu Scallopini. And for those of you leaving us tomorrow, please drop off your car keys at the Coat Check.)