Day 34: pizza

Today’s menu: pizza, carrots, fruit cup, ranch dressing, milk

Pizza again. Not as good as the “french bread” pizza. Cheese pizza was the only choice today. Meat was not on the menu at all. I’m wondering if it’s because of Lent.

There is a vegetarian (or non-meat) option every day. If you want that food item, most days you have to request it specifically because it is not set out. I bet the lunch ladies recognize who are the regular vegetarians.

When kids are lining up for lunch, the preschoolers are in line first. They are pretty excited and often have trouble juggling their lunch ticket and getting a tray. Aides are present to help. It’s evident on their faces how “big” they feel and what a thrill it is just to be in line.

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5 thoughts on “Day 34: pizza”

  1. My first grader's lunch options look almost identical to the ones you post. I follow your blog and comment occasionally and am always totally disgusted with what you post (photos, not content of course). I've started packing his lunch as much as possible (he spends nights at his dads in which there is never a lunch packed) to avoid this horrendous 'food' they serve him.
    Today he told me that since they returned from Xmas break there has been a salad option at lunchtime. *gasp* He said he's been having it every day I don't pack his lunch. TWO MONTHS goes by before he mentions this to me?! I'm very happy if this is the case and I've emailed the nutrition dept of the school to verify (he is only six, who knows the exact truth, lol).

  2. aww preschoolers are so sweet, too bad they feed them that junk :-(. It's so bizarre too because a lot of children will grow up thinking all of that food is "normal". What a tragedy for America.

  3. I'm a teacher candidate at Vanderbilt, and I stumbled across your blog through AOL. I'm so glad you're getting this out there, and I appreciate the risk you're taking. You're so brave!
    I want you to know that your blog is influencing my own food choices. I am currently working in a nearby high school, and my students see what I eat for lunch. Your discussion about modeling good nutrition has caused me to think more about what I choose to eat and how my choices can affect the way the high schoolers will eat. I watched in horror last week as two of my girls shared a bag of chips and ate a lollipop apiece and called it lunch as another girl ate what they called the "healthy" option from the cafeteria: a tasteless fried burrito.
    I hope that my choices will help to influence what they think of as a healthy lunch. I wasn't eating junk food before, but now I'm making an effort to eat salads, fresh sandwiches, and fruit.
    Thank you for what you're doing. You're taking a risk on behalf of your students, and if they fire you for caring too much, they didn't deserve you in the first place. There should be more teachers like you out there. I hope to be one of them.

  4. I stumbled onto your blog through another blog I look at (Weighty Matters). I have to say that this is one of the most fascinating, as well as disheartening, projects I've seen. With the health problems we have in this country, it's amazing the sort of food we see served in schools with the justification of cost.

  5. Another thing to keep in mind too is the byzantine rules for the federal school food programs. I don't know them myself, but I know that cheese counts as meat (b/c of the protein), and that there are several ways to plan meals. Very important is the "offer vs. serve" rule which may be in effect depending on the grade level. It is to reduce waste and allow students to choose their food (because students always make the healthiest choices, right?). Students must take three out of five items, so if fruit and veg aren't chosen, oh well. Cafeteria directors have a lot of hoops to jump through to get the measley state and federal reimbursement, and I don't envy them.

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