What School Lunch in France Can Teach us Back Home in the U.S.

[marmar]

from Simple Good & Tasty:




What School Lunch in France Can Teach us Back Home in the U.S.
by Andy Cook





Poached cod and potatoes with lemon butter, sautéed haricot verts, and fresh avocado -- sound like a meal from Heartland or Spoonriver? Well, that’s what I had for lunch recently at College Simin de Palay, a junior high school in the town of Lescar, France. And as good as the meal sounds, the story behind it is equally appealing.

But first, like a good meal, we need a little appetizer. In Minnesota and across the nation, health care and education reform are topics of high importance. And from the First Lady to five-star generals, more and more people are making the connection between what our students eat in school and how it affects health, well-being, and academic performance. On the heels of Simple, Good, and Tasty’s, exposition on Minneapolis school lunch, I wanted to share my recent visit to Lescar, where I experienced first-hand how the school prepares meals for its students and learned directly about their approach to school lunch.

On a rainy Wednesday morning with the Pyrenees under a shroud of fog and clouds, I was met by the Philippe Douborj, the head of the school; Madam Jean-Grange, School Treasurer; Florence Iritz, translator and former teacher; and Chef Moulia. Before moving on, I want to thank them all for their generous reception and fascinating insight. I also want to thank my friend Zen and her family for all the work they did arranging the day and accompanying my visit. France is known for its great cuisine, but it is also home to great people. My hosts explained that lunch is just one of the many ways the school welcomes and cares for students from the moment they enter the building, and I enjoyed the same treatment.

As Monsieur Doubourj explained, the French Ministry of Education makes sure students are fed on school grounds -- there are no “open lunch” or fast food runs here. The individuals in charge of food purchasing and preparation are leading a push to include more vegetables and utilize as many local ingredients as possible. They see this as a way to help the local agricultural economy and to ensure students have access to healthy, sustainable, and fresh food. On my day at Simin Palay, there were boxes of fresh greens in the kitchen, and meat from a farm just 35 miles a way was on its way for Friday’s meal. As a local food lover myself, I was thoroughly impressed by this commitment in French schools. ..............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://simplegoodandtasty.com/2010/11/22/what-school-lunch-in-france-can-teach-us-back-home-in-the-us

[Angry Dragon]

1. That lunch looks very good

I wonder on the cost

[caraher]

75. $9.50 or so

according to article in OP

[forty6]

90. Definitely TOO MUCH to spend upon our kids, we only pay about $1.59 a day ............

per pupil for their teacher....

Average High School teacher salary....divided by number of students, divided by number of days of teaching...

simple calculation.

43,500,000/150/180..........equals.........

$1.59

One Dollar and Fifty-Nine Cents a day per pupil to teach your child for almost an hour a day in basic subjects like Algebra, English, History, Science, Physical Education, Music, Art, Drama, Shop, Automechanics, whatever.......$1.59 a day!!!!!!!!!

http://www.payscale.com/research/US/All_K-12_Teachers/Salary

[Moostache]

119. This society does NOT care!

That is the sad truth about us as a people.

No matter what delusions some of us cling to, the fact is that the United States of America is going into the history books as a failed experiment - a shining example of what NOT to become when handed the brass ring.

We can "afford" tax cuts that allow for the richest of the society to be taxed at an effective rate LESS than the poorest. We can give money hand over fist to the very companies that crashed our economy and destroyed our present while stealing our future. We can allow corporations and their interests to lie to us in their controlled media outlets and to rape our "free" enterprise system with their rigged markets and gerrymandered laws (bought and paid for like the scumbag politicians of all stripes that they own). We can spend BILLIONS on wars, give away TRILLIONS to banksters and the richest of the rich among our number.

Yet when it comes to the future (you know...basic scientific research, clean energy, new infrastructure for a new century, new jobs and industries, new schools and teaching methods that actually maximize the technology available, physical care for the society's most vulnerable - the children, the infirm and the elderly) we are utterly BANKRUPT both literally and figuratively.

The expenditures of a nation reflect that nation's deeply held and cherished beliefs. What do we believe in? Take a good look because the rest of the world sees it quite clearly. We talk about the things we do not spend on ad nausea - as if a soliloquy can make up for the lack of funding and commitment; but on the other end, we ignore the 800-lb military gorilla in the room and pretend that if we just don't talk about it that no one will notice!

We can build useless outposts in Afghanistan, relics even before completion - yet we cannot fund the Fermi reactor in Illinois for the next decade with the EXACT SAME MONEY?!?!?!

We can build a few dozen fighter jets that will be used to drop a few thousand bombs on someone living in a goddamn CAVE - yet we cannot build a few dozen new schools to develop 21st century technology?

We can fund tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires, yet we cannot find the money necessary to balance the budget or provide the "security" in Social Security or fund a universal healthcare system that cares for our citizenry?

This country is getting EXACTLY what we deserve and no more or less. We reap what we sow and the crops of our planting are bitter and destructive for a reason...

[mntleo2]

125. Food stamps allow even less per meal

$1.19 per person per meal. This includes everything from the beverage to the main dish. Try to feed your family on this much per meal and then you begin to see why the poor are obese because it takes lots of starch to make up for the cost of protein and fresh veggies.

I hear that the French have lots of the "no-nos" in their diet like lots of cheese and butter, yet are still svelte and that perhaps it is because they use lots of fresh and local foods and also work locally, meaning they walk and bike to work, shops, etc.

The picture you show looks delicious!

Cat in Seattle

[lark]

148. Spent the summer in France

There are few cars, housing is stacked and averages 5-6 floors, and most places have no elevators, people walk everywhere. I counted and averaged walking over 100 flights of stairs a day. There are trains and buses, but you have to walk to get to them - I averaged walking over 5 miles per day. I ate GREAT, and drank a lot of wine, but gained no weight.

[The Doctor.]

144. Ummm.... It's closer to $55/day. What teachers make isn't the entirety of spending by far.

I'm not saying the children get the money's worth, but I'm just quoting the Census Bureau.

oe; http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/education/cb10-96.html

[harmonicon]

143. you can't convert prices from Euro to Dollar for things like this.

Exchange rates may have a uniform effect on something like the price of gold in different countries, the same won't go for food. I'm not expert, so I can't say why (I can speculate about a few reasons), but food is generally more expensive in France, but that's only part of it. However, the way that people live their lives is very different, so it's not as if you can even convert what is spent daily by someone in the US with someone in France; both require and use different things.

[upi402]

2. Well that will never fit in the toaster!

They don't fuss around, do they?

[RichGirl]

83. Can't squeeze all that in a hot pocket.

Or box it up in a lunchable.

[October]

127. ROFLOL!!!

It either pops into the toaster -- or it's on a STICK.

[xchrom]

3. Recommend

[CTyankee]

4. The French have a basic respect for good, fresh food...so do the Italians

and the Spanish, in my experience. They just don't have the vile food we encounter so often in this country...

[AlbertCat]

116. The French have a basic respect for good, fresh food.

And that's the rub. American kids' closest thing to fresh veggies, that they will eat, is a pizza.

I'm not sure why we think kids should eat crap and adults eat "restaurant food".

American attitudes toward food is just plain bizarre! I remember when I was a kid, people preferred Tang to real OJ! (The astronauts drank it!)

[Divernan]

5. Five course, restaurant quality meals & 1 hr. for lunch @$2.50 per child

I posted the link to a similar story on my Facebook last October.

The French serve up one helluva school lunch | Grist

http://www.grist.org/article/food-2010-10-19-the-french-serve-up-one-helluva-school-lunch
France clearly represents the gold standard for school lunch programs, while it's unclear whether America can manage even the mildest reforms of ours.


Restaurant quality, freshly prepared, mostly local foods - five course meals and an hour for lunch. Compare these meals to what American kids are served, and the 20 minute lunch periods in which they are expected to bolt it down. The cost of $2.50 per child (outside of Paris) is about what US schools spend. Vive le France.

[reggie the dog]

6. i often eat at the cafeteria when i teach here in france

[Odin2005]

12. I have a friend who teaches elementary school ESL in Germany.

She says that she is impressed by the quality of food served in her school.

[snagglepuss]

41. The article states $9.50 US per meal. Families kick in 3 Euros., the state pays the difference.

Those who cant afford the cost are state subsidzed.

[bobbolink]

142. Good article, and here is the important point:

"The French program is also "universal": virtually all students eat the school-provided lunch, and families pay "what they can afford." I would argue that it's the universal nature of the benefit that keeps the quality high, since everyone has a stake in the program: it's not perceived as just serving the poor or -- even worse it seems, if Post comments are representative -- minorities."

That is really what makes the difference. There is a woman in the U.S. who is making the case for universal school lunches for this very reason!

Should School Lunch be Free for All? Janet Poppendieck Thinks So
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/regina-weiss/should-school-lunch-be-fr_b_791425.html

[onehandle]

7. How can the person that wrote that piece be a Republican?

WTF? He is risking unemployment just by invoking France in a positive light, much less proposing anything to help children.

'Outside of politics (where he currently works in communications for the Minnesota House Republicans), Andy enjoys reading, writing, road biking, and -- of course -- local, organic and sustainable food.'

[Overseas]

35. I was surprised to read that too.

Wouldn't his clients object to increased spending on public education?

[kestrel91316]

114. Hell, if the repukes find out he's into road biking, he's toast.

Sounds perilously close to being a latte-sipping, Volvo-driving liberal to me........

[oneshooter]

8. US kids will throw it away. Taint McD's or or store bought junk. n/t

[gkhouston]

17. Actually, I just showed it to my 4th grader and she said it looks delicious.

Then again, she also said, "that's so much healthier than what we get. We're so behind on nutrition." Yeah, she asks for "home lunch" every day.

[Doremus]

9. Remember the reality-type show with the celeb chef making school lunches?

Can't recall his name now but the overworked, underpaid "lunch ladies" were only one of a whole string of nearly insurmountable hurdles to cooking healthy food for school lunches.

Imagine, if they were able to get the lunch staff to prepare such elaborate meals, the children's reaction when given a plate like the photo. Priceless, lol.

[WolverineDG]

24. Jamie Oliver

I couldn't believe it when the head of the school lunch program insisted that his from-scratch, no-crap lunch was "unhealthy," while the regular school junk was "healthy," all because of a "salad" that few children opted for instead of french fries.

dg

[supernova]

30. That was heartbreaking

watching Jamie's show trying to teach the kids how to eat and find more nutrious food.

I love JO, his heart is in the right place. But I fear too many people are just not listening. :-(

[WolverineDG]

31. and the little girl's mom who sent her to school with

nothing but potato chips & candy for lunch. A true :wtf: moment.

dg

[Arugula Latte]

47. My daughter knows sisters who bring stuff like that to school every day.

It's surprising, because we live in Portland, Ore. and a lot of the families do make an effort to give their kids at least semi-decent food, including fruit, with many families providing organic foods and so forth. But these girls subsist largely on junk food. They aren't obese; they are tiny. I'm sure they are malnourished from the crap they eat and the fat and calories haven't caught up with them yet.

[Foo Fighter]

95. I caught a few of those shows. They seemed to be coming around at the end

but it was definitely a hard-fought battle. Good on JO for sticking with it.

What got me about the show (aside from the horrible crap that the kids were being served at the start) was the fact that they use disposable plates, silverware, etc. I can't even imagine how much garbage is generated by all the schools in the US throughout a school year. Whatever happened to using real plates and silverware? HS kids at our school could work in the cafeteria washing the dishes for the next "round" of students as lunch times were staggered for the different grades. In the rural areas, it was one of the very few opportunities for kids to make a buck or two so it was a win-win for everyone.

[Odin2005]

58. I think a large part of it has to do with nutritional regulations regarding what can be served.

When I worked at a preschool kitchen I came across the same crap. Why? because, for example, certain perfectly healthy foods did not meet the "official" guidelines for what and what does not count as a serving of a food group

Our food regs have more to do with pleasing Big Ag than with good, healthy good. That is why starches were at the base of the food pyramid for so damn long, gotta please the corn and wheat lobbies

[Odin2005]

10. That looks delicious!

Those are some very lucky kids!

[tigereye]

11. wow- I want that for dinner!

Cool. Obviously we have a lot to learn.

[CTyankee]

53. too bad more Americans don't travel to Europe. They'd be totally surprised.

I think lots of Americans think the French are kinda weird, and under some kind of socialist repression. They have no idea...and we've had so much propaganda aimed against multi-lingual, multi-cultural societies we've just become ignorant as a people. It's just plain crazy.

[tigereye]

77. I find American ignorance about the rest of the world

rather shocking, given how global our society has become.

[Golden Raisin]

136. That's why we've

rebuilt mini Venice, Egypt, NYC in Las Vegas. You get to "see the world" without the inconvenience and disturbing qualities of actually leaving the country and you can still chow down on McDonalds, Velveeta, Pizza Pockets, Pop Tarts, and Hamburger Helper.

[tigereye]

146. although I think more Americans traveled abroad the last

few decades... you would think that that would change attitudes more.

[Tabasco_Dave]

78. I took some Tilapia out of the freezer after i saw that photo

I'll be having fish tomorrow night.:9

[WillowTree]

13. None of it is unhealthy in and of itself, but there are WAY too many carbs on that tray,

[Liquorice]

37. There's nothing wrong with carbs. nt

[WillowTree]

49. There's plenty wrong with that much excess in carbs at one meal.

[Liquorice]

51. Not from my perspective. I eat a very high carb diet being a vegan, and I'm very healthy. nt

[shanti]

66. too many carbs WILL catch up to you

or have you not noticed the diabetes epidemic. it's not caused by veggies (or meat, for that matter).

[Liquorice]

68. That's just not true. Most vegetables are all carb, and you can eat as much as you want

without risk of type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is almost unheard of in vegan populations.

[Codeine]

86. It's amazing what people will believe.

I've been a vegan for 22 years and I've yet to experience the scourge of diabetes. Never known a single vegetarian or vegan who became diabetic. Such silliness.

[WillowTree]

98. There's a huge difference between the carbs in the beans on that plate...

....and those in the large portion of potatos and the bread and the cheese and the apple.

As a vegan, one would think you would know that, but apparently one would be wrong.

[jbnow]

138. Not sure what your issue is.

if the bread is whole grain or stone-ground flour or even sour dough it is like the apple and many cheeses a low glycemic food that gives energy over a longer period, not some carb rush.
Most potatoes are medium or high but that might be the only thing (and kids there probably still have phys-ed kind of classes, maybe it is morning class and they are refueling)

Now if you are talking about a lot of starches, yes that is.

[RichGirl]

84. The French are not fat.

They eat a lot of butter, cream, croissants and other pastries...and don't get fat. It's psychological.

I read a book called "Why French Women don't get Fat". Good read.

[Dorian Gray]

108. The potatoes and bread?

That's fine for a child. There are more fruits and vegetables and protein and healthy fats in that one meal than what most American children get in one full day.

[kestrel91316]

115. The potatoes are complex carbs with fiber to accompany them.

The demi-baguette is de riguer in France. Growing kids NEED a lot of all sorts of nutrients. And a single meal with too much or too little of something is no big deal if the overall diet is balanced.

You wouldn't be trying to imply that we Americans' diet is superior to the French's, would you??

:rofl:

[AlbertCat]

121. There's plenty wrong with that much excess in carbs at one meal.

Not for an active kid.... who's not on the South beach diet. :eyes:

[XemaSab]

61. What, potatoes and bread?

Looks like a pretty diverse meal to me.

I'm sure there are WAAAAAAY more carbs in a burger and fries, or pizza, or whatever the hell other crap is being served in American schools.

[Hippo_Tron]

72. In terms of weight gain and loss, a calorie is a calorie

And carbs are no different than any other calorie. In fact, they are even more important if kids are going to be playing sports or engaging in serious athletic activity, which many do. Kids also need more calories than adults do because they are growing. I probably wouldn't eat all of those potatoes in one sitting as an adult unless I were prepping for a very long run. But as a teenager running cross country, that kind of carb intake was definitely necessary.

[comtec]

122. actually thats not true anymore

yes on a purely physics-level it's simply a measure of storing and use of energy.

however there are different ways of storing that calorie.
Example, Sugar - which is essentially pure glucose, body energy - is immediately processed in the body.
High fructose corn syrup is far more complex and has to be broken done. IIRC in that process it does really fucked up things to our body and neural chemistry.

HFCS is illegal in Europe. Every bottle of pop i looked at had sugar. Same in Mexico.
Europe doesn't have obesity like we do in the US. Hell the damned Dutch are trees. I'm 5'10" and i felt short (and mega fat)

since i've been back i've put on lord knows how much weight, and a couple inches.

Carbs in potatos vs apples.
Potatos at their base are poison, that MUST be cooked to be nutritious. Apples simple need to be plucked and eaten.
The sugar (carbs) in apples are natural, unprocessed, and not very complex (boil an apple for 10 minutes and compare it to a potato after that amount of time)

A (kilo)Calorie is not the same for every source.
I have done atkins, and lost 30+ kilos of weight (150+ to 120-). My (ex)wife and I were very careful about the kinds of meat we ate (I was so fucking sick of fish and chicken by the end of it) so that we didn't get the bad kinds of fat and cholesterol. We limited our eggs to 10 a week (total for both) and exercised (easy when you have a dog and a beautiful park).

My (ex)wife is diabetic, so I had to become rather educated on what foods would make her blood sugar high or not. starch, and carbs are bad, and to be done in moderation for a diabetic.

but i suppose im just wasting bandwidth trying to explain any of this to you huh?

[progressoid]

74. Yeah, anytime I see the French, I think, "Golly they really need to watch their carbs."

:eyes:

[Catherina]

76. Sure. For a population that waddles or drives everywhere it goes

and has so polluted its food supply for corporate profit that it's practically devoid of nutrition but strangely enough not for the ENTIRE rest of the world.

Funny how that's working out for the unhealthiest country on the planet.

[Codeine]

85. Sigh.

I'm a vegan. I live on carbs. Most of the damned planet lives on carbs, and we're fine.

The anti-carb fad died a few years ago, dude. Do keep up.

[Goblinmonger]

147. Those are not bad carbs.

The beans are high in fiber. From when I went to Europe couple years ago, that bread is generally good carbs, too, as they use higher fiber, non-processed grains than we do here.

[HockeyMom]

14. Looks good, but

would be too much for me for LUNCH. Look more like a dinner I would eat. I prefer salads with a whole lot of raw veggies for lunch. I agree with the other posters. Most kids would probably not like it and just eat the potatoes.

Personally, I think Americans, including kids, eat far too much MEAT, but then I am not an "average" American since I am 5'2" and weigh 99 lbs.

[gkhouston]

20. In some parts of Europe, lunch is the big meal of the day. Not sure if that's true in France. n/t

[nadinbrzezinski]

23. In europe Lunch is dinner and dinner is lunch

we eat on the European schedule, so except for sundays, when breakfast is the heavy meal... we eat a large meal for lunch and a light one for dinner.

[KittyWampus]

26. all that is what is available for students to choose. It doesn't automatically all get put on their

tray.

[remember2000forever]

36. Europeans, traditionally have a large, long lunch..

and eat less at dinner. We could take lessons from their life style. How cool is it that their kids get an Hour to eat. Bravo!

[surrealAmerican]

45. This is for middle school students.

Rapidly growing young teens need more calories than adults.

[HockeyMom]

55. Like Brunch?

When I go out to eat for brunch, I usually have something very light, and very early (7 AM) for breakfast (if at all) knowing that by 11 or 12 I will be having brunch. Then I have eggs, bacon, roast beef, turkey, etc. Then I have something very, very light for dinner around 6/7 PM.

I suppose our brunch is the European's lunch? I do know when I went to Europe they had a very big lunch, but it was later in the day than our lunch time. Their dinner was very light, but also very LATE at night (8/9 PM).

[Odin2005]

59. Kids are growing, adults are not, they need the food.

It's the JUNK FOOD and pop they don't need, that is what is making our kids fat.

[Codeine]

87. why wouldn't a kid like that?

If they've been raised hating veggies and living on meats, cheeses, and soda then they might, but one doubts the average French child is ramming Quarter Pounders down his or her throat with both butter-soaked hands in the manner of our children.

[nadinbrzezinski]

15. Compare that to this

and this



Granted the latter is not that bad.

Now here is one thing I learned from a dietitian on the TLC when they still did learning shtick. A nutritious meal includes colorful food... one way to know if you are eating crap, is just how brown the plate is.

I am not above eating junk myself... just want to point this out.

Our kids have been taught to eat by a society whose signature dish is this at present.



We used to eat more fruit and vegies, and all that... by the way.

Also this is what desert is in the US...



Instead of this



See what I mean about color?

I see it with my nephews... fruit? you shit me right? This is one reason I admire the First Lady, trying to change this will not be easy.

[marmar]

16. What are those wormy looking things in the second picture?

nt

[nadinbrzezinski]

18. Noodles

Granted I could not eat that due to my food allergies... but it is pasta in tomato sauce (of course the ingredients in the tomato sauce are not something I'd necessary want... certain junk made with corn... but it is better than the first)

[gkhouston]

19. I think it's pasta. n/t

[WillowTree]

22. Beef-a-Roni

[eppur_se_muova]

32. Probably Taco Bell quality beef ... :^(

(at Springfield Elementary, it's "Grade F Meat -- mostly circus animals, some sawdust")

[HockeyMom]

29. I work in the schools

with both Mexican and Haitian immigrant kids. When they serve rice and black beans, they will eat that. They also like fresh fruit. Neither group is terribly big on chicken nuggets, potatoes, or sweets. They almost NEVER eat hamburgers and fries. I guess it's not part of their culture.

[nadinbrzezinski]

34. Nope it is not

I bake cookies from time to time, I consider them a REAL TREAT.

But desert, from the time I was a kid is an apple or an orange. Ice-Cream, cookies, puddings, they were treats from when we had guests.

Now to your mexican kids, it is the preparation. A common dish in mexico is chiles con rajas



This is not something you could serve American kids, and it will take time to prepare. It is spicy.

Also the other common form is pureed, but french fries (especially the thin fries in the US) is not common in Mexico.

Also I got some Mexican candy... made with Amaranth seed... Me and one of the two conures loves it... it is far less sweet.

That said, junk food is invading mexico like a bad dream... with the increase in diabetes, and obesity to boot.

[Odin2005]

62. And folks of Amerindian genetic background in Mexico will not do well with an American diet.

They will have the same problems with diabetes and blood pressure Native Americans have.

[XemaSab]

65. Here's a photo essay from a few years ago: what the world eats

http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1626519_1373704,00.html

The Mexican family had a lot of Coke, but they also had a big pile of fruits and veg.

[Liquorice]

40. Mexico just surpassed the US as the fattest country. 30% of Mexicans are obese. nt

[nadinbrzezinski]

54. We have been taking turns for the last five years

I remember warning the Chief of The Social Security for the Baja California region as the fast food invasion started... 20 years later he apologized for ignoring it.

[Odin2005]

60. Yup, they stick a half of a fruit on a plate full of shit and call it a "balanced meal"

It's the crap I ran into working at a preschool kitchen. Healthy food didn't count but the junk did as long as it had canned fruit and canned peas with it! :grr:

[wildflower]

134. Wow, that is a lot of starch and sugar

on those lunch trays.

[cali]

21. In Vermont we're doing a lot of local foods in schools, but I guarantee

that the cooking just isn't on a par with France. My local school district has been doing a farm to school thing for 6 years now, but then my town is the epicenter of the artisan food movement in the country. http://www.slowfoodusa.org/index.php/slow_food/blog_post/hardwick_vt_the_town_that_food_saved/

http://www.farmtoschool.org/index.php

[marmar]

27. I'm really hoping the Slow Food movement has some legs.

nt

[Ysabel]

28. here too :)

http://www.farmtoschool.org/state-programs.php?action=detail&id=12&pid=59

[sufrommich]

25. We can blame a lot of American school lunches on

outsourcing lunchroom food to companies instead of cooking it at at the school. Most school kitchens are now used to heat up pre-prepared frozen foods.

[HockeyMom]

33. I used to work in the cafeteria in NY schools

I made salads. lol I got a lot of compliments, kids and adults, with the veggie salads I made. I had carte blanche to make whatever kind of salads I wanted using whatever fresh veggies were on hand. Teachers? We made all fresh things for them; from pasta to roasts.

All lunches aren't created equal. It ISN'T all just fast food.

[WinkyDink]

118. In PA it is vastly different. Teachers' meals are exactly the same as students'; indeed, in my

district, we had to STAND IN THE SAME LINES.

Moreover, our cafeterias (at least, in Eastern PA) are self-supporting. Yes, that means no local tax money for the service/food, only for salaries. Thus, economy rules.

[old mark]

38. Compare to this:

http://brands.kraftfoods.com/lunchables/varieties.aspx

The Turkey and Cheddar is one of the new, healthful varieties!

(And ketchup is a vegetable...)


mark

[Starry Messenger]

39. $9.50 per lunch vs. $2.50 for USA student lunches.

From the article:


"While I was impressed by the infrastructure and ingredients, I went into my visit with questions about how it’s all funded, and if it could be replicated in the U.S. Madame Jean-Grange, who along with Monsieur Doubourj is responsible for the school budget, explained that the cost of one meal for one student -- including ingredients, staff, etc. -- is roughly 7 Euros, or $9.50 U.S. The amount that families pay is calculated by the school administration, with all families paying the same amount -- at this time, about $3 Euros. Assistance for families that cannot afford the 3 Euro share is provided by the state after being calculated on an individual basis."

You want American schoolchildren to eat like this? Fund the schools. We'd be thrilled to feed students like this. But we only get $2.50 per lunch to feed kids. You get what you pay for.

[defendandprotect]

42. You'd have to adjust for differences ... i.e., French lunch is dinner ....

so that US lunch would have to be adjusted to reflect a price of a dinner --

Let's just say $4.75 which is half of the $9.50 --

However, the quality of the foods is also different -- basically French food would

be gourmet compared to our foods.

PLUS, our food is exploited -- their foods are carefully produced.

Ours is usually mainly processed foods which delivers more profit to those making it --

and sometimes even profits to the school when they push soft drinks/chips from machines

in the schools.

[CTyankee]

50. Isn't it all about what a culture expects? Our culture doesn't expect much.

Theirs does. Plus, so many Americans have been hammered with anti French propaganda for so long that they somehow think that France is our enemy! It's just crazy...

[Starry Messenger]

63. Their "culture" is taxing for social programs.

I don't know because I wasn't living then, but it seems like school lunches were a little better here before Reagan came around and declared ketchup a vegetable. I doubt they've ever been gourmet, but I've seen old school menus with pot roast and other actual cooked foods on them. The school I teach at does its best with the little it can, there's fruit and rice bowls with chicken teriyaki, salads, etc. I'm sure a few bucks more would go a long way. Our culture treats children just like it does anyone that isn't a profit generator: they stick them with the cheapest program possible. That's capitalism.

[CTyankee]

69. This is our greatest SIN, in my opinion, in America.

We had such a prospect for a great future and we just threw it away for this capitalist dream that is really killing us as a people. How on earth can we do this to our own children?

[nadinbrzezinski]

79. I wish we stopped calling it capitalism because it is not

after that, yes, we treat children like crap... and what we feed our kids reflects on our values as a society as well.

[Starry Messenger]

82. Yes it is.

But I'm sure we will never agree. We agree about children's welfare though, so I don't want to turn this thread into an argument. But in my view, our "values as a society" are created by the economic condition, which is a system of profit-making.

[nadinbrzezinski]

91. Which is not what Adam Smith described and that is my point

it is actually what he wrote against... and why he said the system required regulations, living wages and of course no monopolies.

You may want to have an argument or realize that in order to fight this what it is... matters.

[Starry Messenger]

94. I know you like Adam Smith.

He was living in a specific time and place. Perhaps he would have amended his observations if he'd seen the actual reality as it unfolded. I don't think he meant his books as a recipe. The profit making system tends towards monopolies, we can say what the "ideal" is supposed to be all the day long, but the theft of labor leads to what we have now. Perpetual motion would be nice too, but it doesn't exist either. There is no "reforming" capitalism into some vision nearly 300 years old. The reality sucks. Get rid of it and start over.

[nadinbrzezinski]

96. There were monopolies

it was called the East India Company. That is what he was writing against,

We need to call this what it is... it is not capitalism... it has a lot in common with mercantilism, and of course consumerism. It is time to move away from old paradigms and realized this is something else.

[Starry Messenger]

97. I'm a Marxist Nadin.

It's all capitalism. You can stick a feather up its butt and call it a chicken, but it is still capitalism. As long as wage-earners are enriching profit-takers, that is capitalism. The East India Company was the beginning of European imperialism and is definitely a topic for another thread. Children's school lunches in the US are a product of heartless cutthroats who don't give a shit what they eat. They existed in Dickens' time, and they exist now. Once some capitalist finds a way to make a profit off of something, it gets debased to the cheapest shit possible to maximize earnings. You can't live in this country and ignore this pattern over and over.

[nadinbrzezinski]

99. Ok, I know Marx too

Whatever, have a good day...stay in 20th century paradigm, best case, while the world moves on. I am betting Karl would recognize the difference and how much worst this is. Yes, I've read all of Marx as well.

[Starry Messenger]

100. Great day so far!

You too. :hi: I'm betting that as long as there are two antagonistic classes, the ruling class and the working class, Marx would be hustling his ass off showing us what was going on: exploitation. You can only believe in "Good Capitalism" if you believe in wages and private property. I'm sorry Nadin, I told you we would disagree.

[JVS]

104. Moribund Capitalism is still capitalism

[ctaylors6]

117. My first thought: avocado is so expensive

And that's half of an avocado. I love them and buy them for home but that's an expensive school lunch food.

My kids' school district has generally very healthy food, much of it made at the cafeteria. My son eats almond crusted tilapia every friday. There's a fresh salad bar and baked potato bar. The hot lunches are a little higher in fat than ideal but not too bad and there's always a light version available. My daughter's elementary school serves pizza and hot dogs every so often but mostly healthier fare. I know they make the soups from scratch - I got the recipe for the potato soup from the chef because my child liked it so much.

Even when my middle school son (who's growing and eating a ton) gets lots of food (entree, side, large salad, roll, milk), I don't think it costs more that $6. My daughter's costs about $3.50 per day but she usually gets at least 3 servings of fruit.

[MindPilot]

43. One question: What th hell are "haricot verts"?

Sounds like a part of an airplane.

[Starry Messenger]

44. Green beans. :)

Sounds more glamorous in French.

[canetoad]

46. Green beans nt

[Codeine]

88. You've probably heard the term,

pronounced (very roughly) "harry covair."

[Arugula Latte]

48. Looks good -- although it seems like too much food for lunch.

I don't think they need bread and potatoes, for example. Still, Europe is of course light years ahead of us yet again.

[marmar]

52. But in many European countries, lunch IS the big meal of the day

nt

[skepticscott]

56. In an American that lunch would be

french fries and (fried) fish sticks, and anything else would probably not get eaten. French children are far better conditioned from a young age to regard a lunch like the one pictured as good food, but American schools have pretty much surrendered to the lowest common cultural denominator. It's a shame, but can't blame them entirely..they're trying to please kids (and do it economically) when a good percentage of them have already been programmed to favor a more limited and less healthy diet than their European counterparts.

[LongTomH]

57. K&R

:kick:

[lib2DaBone]

64. As Ronnie Raygun said...."Ketsup is a vegetable".....

Republicans could care less if American kids starve to death.. as long as they make a profit..

[JI7]

67. i'm guessing they probably walk more in France which can help with the carbs in that meal

although i don't think those potatoes are that big and it's not fried. the bread depending on ingredients can be nutritious.

[CTyankee]

70. Much as I love what is pictured, I don't think I could EVER eat that much for any meal, much less

lunch!I'd probably eat half of everything if I could (which might be doubtful). As I get older I don't eat that much at one sitting, so this would be a big problem for me...

[nadinbrzezinski]

80. Realize this is the main meal for growing kids

We do our main meal during lunch and I have something for dinner. Due to hubbies' schedule we are on a european eating schedule.

[Codeine]

89. My metabolism is screwy.

I could slam a meal that size (well, substitute a veggie protein for the fish) and eat again in a few hours. Still thin and fit at almost-41, knock on wood.

[Lorien]

111. See post #109

the portions are probably 1/3 the size that you think they are.

[Lorien]

109. The potatoes are quite small and not fried. I believe that they're boiled

(I've had them quite often in France) portions in France are downright tiny compared to what we get in America. Plate sizes are smaller too. What looks like a big dinner is actually fairly light, and probably half the calories of an average American meal.

[2Design]

71. no chicken nuggets - this looks delicious

[James48]

73. I had to look up "haricot verts"

to make sure they were green beans.

Yep. They are.
Mmmm.

Sautéed Haricot Verts
Ingredients:

* 1½ pounds haricot verts, trimmed
* 2 medium sized red bell peppers, seeded and diced
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* ½ cup pine nuts, toasted
* 1½ tablespoons olive oil
* 3 tablespoons butter

Directions:
Boil water in a large cooking pot. Add salt to it and cook haricots verts in the salted water for about 4 minutes, until crisp and tender. Drain and rinse with cold water. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add pepper and sauté until tender. Now, melt butter in the same skillet. Sauté garlic for about 3 minutes and then add the haricot beans. Sauté about 5 minutes, until heated. Mix in the pine nuts, season with salt and pepper and sautéed green beans are ready to be served!

[Diclotican]

81. marmar

marmar

Nice.. It looks like my dinner at Saturday evening, easy and good;).. And also really healty

Diclotican

[ScreamingMeemie]

92. I don't know. I can't complain about my son's school lunches.

They are appetizing balanced, and sometimes even use locally grown produce. I don't really need to learn anything from the French. I guess we're lucky.

Some of the menus from my son's school:

Asian Chicken Salad
Pasta Primavera
Chicken Pad Thai
Spring rolls
Veggie stir fry

[MilesColtrane]

93. Meanwhile, in the States..."More testicles means more iron."

(Seriously though, that looks good, but where's the wine?)

[alp227]

101. The author's last name is Cook? Very fitting with this article.

So I take it that France doesn't have a big agriculture lobby as the corporately drained USA has. I wonder how France feels to be the namesake of French fries, part of the fast food that's fattening up Americans.

"Open lunch" or fast food runs? What does "open lunch" mean? Does every student need to eat school-prepared lunch? Conservatives complain about how Europe is so socialist and against individual freedoms, but from what I'm reading here I can agree with the no fast food runs thing as American schools are generally closed campus too as most nations should have.

[Odin2005]

152. France's Ag lobby is actually worse than ours.

Its farm subsidies are the butt of jokes in the EU countries.

[DaveinJapan]

102. That French menu looks nice, but my (Japanese) wife immediately said

"that's just 'okay', Japanese schools have even better and healthier menus!", and she proceeded to look some of them up...



Mostly pictures from various elementary schools, but interestingly the upper right picture depicts a typical school lunch from the 1950's, and the lower left one is Japanese prison food (which doesn't look half bad, either!).

Very interesting conversation here, I wonder about how school foods (and prison, too!) varies around the world. America is certainly guilty of fast fooding the process and it's hardly recent, I remember elementary school days when the vast majority of kids (with their parents' permission) opted for chocolate milk at a ratio of something like 4-1, and we used to make fun of the poor "white milk" kids who were stuck with it! :p

Upon further inquiry, my wife tells me that chocolate milk is not on the menu for Japanese schools. ;)

[DaveinJapan]

103. More on Japanese kids meals...

My wife found a REALLY awesome picture, this is a welcoming feast for incoming first graders, and at this particular school the 6th graders sit down with the 1st graders for a "welcome to the school!" meal. Looks YUMMY.

[masmdu]

130. Looks yummy. Nice memories...I was in Japan from 95-2000...Kyushu..Where are you?

[DaveinJapan]

160. Near Tokyo. And yes, I think it looks yummy, too!

Never had the like when *I* was in school, I can say that much!

[old mark]

105. I remember reading that German POWs held by Americans in WWII

complained bitterly about the food they were given...turned out it was the same rations that US soldiers ate routinely...Our concept of "food" is just different than that of others...


mark

[lostnfound]

106. 90 minutes for lunch!! The kids here complain they spend 10 minutes in line and 10 minutes eating

http://www.frenchentree.com/fe-education/DisplayArticle.asp?ID=78

[Arugula Latte]

113. My kids constantly say they don't have enough time to eat lunch.

If something comes back in the lunchbox and I ask why it wasn't eaten it's always the same story: "We didn't have enough time!"

[lostnfound]

156. The answer the teachers give is "if he didn't spend his time talking.."

Imagine, a child wanting to spend time talking. The nerve of them, wanting to try out their conversation skills with their friends.
Americans are whipped, and they learn to expect nothing better, at an early age.

[Arugula Latte]

157. Yep -- exactly.

In Europe taking time to savor food and conversation is valued. Here it's the goal to gulp down a fat-laden 2,000-calorie fast food meal as quickly as possible.

[WinkyDink]

107. More, and of other countries:

http://educationwonk.blogspot.com/2005/03/around-world-on-school-lunch.html

France: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1967060,00.html

[firehorse]

110. I went to school in France, and thats exactly what my lunch looked like daily

I lived there 6 months and ate this way every day at my school, and when I came back home to the states I had accidentally lost a a lot of weight from eating this way. In 6 months I went down 4 pant sizes without even trying and I never felt healthier in my life.

Breakfast was always last night's bread toasted with marmalade and chicory coffee.

Lunch looked very much the same as the picture. Nothing came frozen or processed out of a box - food was made there that day in a kitchen. Every day though was some lean cut mystery meat - but always delicious. So one day it would be rabbit, another day some kind of bird, fish etc, etc. I don't remember red/cow meat being offered very often or at all. Most of the time I had absolutely no idea what the meat was and because I was a teenager I didn't want to know.

It was served in courses. First course some bread and mustard. Second course, much like the plate above, meat with veg. Dessert was either a salad or a piece of cheese.

[JamesJ]

112. Not just the nutrition

It's the presentation! as well.

Another example of French exceptionalism.

[ctaylors6]

120. I had the opposite thought - I think the brown things

look kinda gross. Maybe it's the photo. My kids' school serves green beans that are crisp and green looking. Those looked overcooked to me for haricot verts.

[brooklynite]

123. Here's a related question...

...if this meal costs $9.50 to produce, why can't airlines offer this as a pay-for option in coach, instead of cold sandwiches?

[TK421]

124. What is that next to the avocado?

[MilesColtrane]

126. Looks like cheese in a wrapper. (Perhaps soft cheese?)

[yellerpup]

128. A wedge of cheese.

Part of dessert!

[whistler162]

129. One problem.....

it is not served with white grape juice only the dark grape juice so the French children refuse to eat it!;)

[AllyCat]

131. That not only looks edible, it looks enjoyable.

Beats the pants off hot dogs and potato chips with a cola.

[SoCalDem]

132. School lunches have always been what kids normally eat

"brown bag" lunches were often leftovers from last night's dinner or sandwiches made with what Mom had in the fridge

as eating habits evolved, and more family-fare became drive-thru buckets'o quasi-food, it's not unusual to see that school lunches evolved into fast food too.

why waste money and time prepping meals that kids won't recognize as "food".. If it has no creamy filling, frosting..is not deep fried or wrapped in plastic, many of today's kids don't know what it even is, and probably would not eat it anyway.

fast cheap easy... that's the mantra today..and if a corporation wants to step in and take over, school boards are all for it.. :(

[EFerrari]

155. Pollan pointed out some interesting stuff about the way the French eat

in a lecture I just saw. He says their plates are much smaller than ours and so, portions are, too. He says that they don't snack all day and find the idea of eating in the car disgusting, lol. So, they go for quality not quantity.

It made me wonder if as a culture, we have a more immediate sense/memory of hunger which might account for our tendency to want big portions and snack all day.

[Nihil]

158. Valid point there about the plate size ...

> He says their plates are much smaller than ours and so, portions are, too.

Having grown up with the culture that "you finish what's on your plate",
I found it a real shock to get plates in the US that were more like serving
trays ... your concept of "portion size" is way larger than anyone's in Europe.
:wow:

> It made me wonder if as a culture, we have a more immediate sense/memory
> of hunger which might account for our tendency to want big portions and
> snack all day.

I think it also has something to do with attention span too ... something
that can be bolted down between conversations before the boredom factor
sets in (cf. the "news-bite" attitude of your "news" programmes and
documentaries that spend the last third of the segment talking about
what will be coming up after the commercial break then the first third
recapping the little that was said before the break ...).

:shrug:

[EFerrari]

159. Time urgency is what social anthropologists used to call it.

Americans have the sense that they are late -- all the time. So, they feel they don't have time to do anything. :shrug:

[robinlynne]

137. It certainly looks better than my meals here at home!

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

133. If poor children eat healthy...

..there's a risk they may live too much and collect benefits, and we can't have that. They all must do their patriotic duty and die of a heart attack at 55, tops.

[JohnnyRingo]

135. Meanwhile, back in the states conservatives defend the snack and soda machines....

from Michelle Obama's Healthy America ax.

Wealthy Americans who send their children to the finest private schools cry like Boehner banshees when their precious tax dollars are spent educating children who "don't deserve it". Worse, they convincer hillbillies without two nickels to rub together to join them with threats of violence if the "gubernit" dares force feed their children a balanced meal and book learnin'.

A nation's healthy and educated child is it's stock in the future.

[AsahinaKimi]

139. I wouldn't mind a bento box..

[FailureToCommunicate]

150. +1 for Calvin and Hobbes!

[Scout]

140. curious how much waste they have ... i.e., are the kids actually eating this?

'cuz i know as a kid i would not be eating those green beans, no matter what you call them, or poached fish either.

doesn't look that great to me now. except the potatoes and the cheese and maybe the avocado and the bread.

[harmonicon]

145. Green beans were my favourite food as a kid!

Of course I was still horribly fat, because eating too much good food is still eating too much.

[swilton]

141. Highly Recommended Movie on the Same Subject

Food Beware: The French Organic RevolutionNos Enfants Nous Accuseront; That Should Not Be: Our Children Will Accuse Us(2008) NR

Jean-Paul Jaud's documentary visits the Barjac village in France, where the mayor has mandated an all-organic menu for the lunch program in the local school. Farmers, parents, kids and health care advocates discuss the impact of the decision. School and government officials also weigh in on why people are dying of cancer in ever-increasing numbers, the food industry's role, the use of pesticides, nutrition and local sustainability.

Genre:
Foreign Documentaries, France, French Language

Format:
DVD

[elehhhhna]

149. Eff that! We could buy a lotta depleted uranium or shell casings with that money!

USA! USA!

[LeftinOH]

151. That looks wonderful, but most American kids wouldn't eat it -not at school, nor

anywhere else. They might nibble on the bread roll, though. Otherwise, the slop buckets would be be overflowing with untouched cod, green beans, avocado and potatos.

[defendandprotect]

153. Set government free to explain to them the rotting teeth and bad complexions produced by our fatty,

salty, surgary foods -- and they'd be eager to eat this food.

[ThatsMyBarack]

154. I don't even like fish or avocado, but....

THAT looks *scrumptious!* :9

Sadly, someday soon we may have to settle for "Lunch in a Cup" (like in the movie WALL-E). :(