The Devil which is school food

[acer5200]

And gotti, Queens is a very rich part of NY. Let's not forget that.

I'll be back when I stop laughing.... and that might be never.

[MrHyde]

Where in NC?

and Acer it is true lol

[gottibabe1]

Hyde... I actually live in queens...

I think I would know if we were the richest part of NY lol

We aren't, we have some neighborhoods that are decently rich but I would not consider them rich, more just above average salaries.

[I Legend NEWBREED]

I don't know what public schools are like because I was private schooled my whole life.

[acer5200]

No, it's not true bro. Queens is poor as hell

[MrHyde]

Looked at stats and said Queens is the richest out of the 4.

Might not be right.

Also, private school kiddos.

psh.

[gottibabe1]

Looked at stats and said Queens is the richest out of the 4.

Might not be right.

Also, private school kiddos.

psh.

We have 5 boroughs...

[Rodri]

Pizza, nachos, cheeseburgers, chicken nuggets, sloppy joes...

Does the term junk food mean anything to you Americans? [I say Americans because that's where all the respondants have been from, nothing personal.]

It's almost as if these schools are trying to teach students poor eating habits, especially if, as you say, the salads and vegetables were highly suspect or just plain bad. Don't get me wrong, I will eat most things but pizza every day? I think it would kill me in pretty short order.

It sort of reminds me of the Simpsons episode where Homer decides he can get rich by selling used cooking fat and the school canteen was the mother load.

There will be those who will tell me that they ate this stuff every day at school and never got fat but that's because you are/were young and a young person's metabolism burns a lot more calories than someone nearing 30 or older. Obesity is becoming the largest health issue in most western nations these days, being linked to heart disease and diabetes, and just generally makes life harder for those with this problem. It can also become a cause of the other major health issue in the west - depression.

Not only that, processed foods such as these can contain all sorts of nasty little extras such as trans-fats, corn syrup, excess salt or sugar and various preservatives, chemicals and additives that have no nutritional value whatsoever but may cause other health issues besides obesity.

Personally, I would rather have, say, a ham and salad roll (wholemeal or multigrain bread roll) for lunch than most of the stuff mentioned so far but that might be because that is the sort of thing that my mother would pack for me as a young'un. I still prefer fresh foods over processed foods now (many, many, many years later) and I put that down to the lessons my mother (and father) taught me about food when I was young.

On my 50th birthday I had a physical exam from the doctor and although I could lose a few pounds, (not enough exercise) my general health and fitness are pretty good (for an old man). I hope all of you can say the same when that time comes.

[Balaam]

wellllll... my kids don't ever get to eat from the tuck shop
we pack their lunch every day
their school only offers junk food in the canteen

not to say i don't give them a sausage roll or pizza in their lunch from time to time, but at least i know what's in the lunch they carry

[GeminiCricket]

This thread makes me glad I was schooled in England lol.

The high school I attended had a wide range of freshly cooked meals, such as lasagna, chilli, stew etc. But also had a salad bar and a sandwich bar so whatever you wanted was available (since they blocked leaving the site at lunchtimes when someone got hit by a guy delivering pizza). It wasn't too expensive, about £3 for a meal and pudding while free school meals were entitled to a meal, pudding and drink of their choice. Though personally I stuck to packed lunches because I'm not a fan of waiting in queues for my lunch for 20 minutes.

My college provides a variety of meals as well for a reasonable £2-£5 price because they're policy is to ensure students are having a healthy 3 meals a day instead of starving or eating junk so they keep prices low. Meals usually consider of pasta, sandwiches or some random meal of the day. Although pizza, hot dogs, curries, wraps and things are available. Alternatively we're given the choice of freshly made pizza, fry up or sandwiches from the college next door or students are allowed to eat at the trainee chef's restaurant for £10 a head but it includes a 3 course meal

I think it's mainly up to the children though, if they want to eat healthily then the choices are there but from my experience most prefer to buy a small sandwich and load up on sweets than a proper meal.