Can a Proper School Lunch Make a Difference
Thanks to 'mad right-wing' disease, even feeding kids properly has been politicized.
When my son comes home from school, he asks what I am making for dinner. In this instance, I tell him I’m grilling seabass with asparagus.
“Pop, we had that today in school.”
“Bud, do you want something different,” I ask. He declines and tells me how much he likes seabass.
It’s pretty common that his lunches in school outdo the dinners we plan at home. The soup you see here is made of puréed vegetables and some spices. It is the most popular soup in Portugal and is eaten by half the country every day by 2 p.m.
I love to ask him what he has for lunch each day because, as an American, I know how the right so ignorantly politicizes school lunches.
“We had grilled octopus today.”
Imagine a kid in the U.S. coming home and telling his parents they had grilled octopus. The amazing thing in American schools is there is actually nowhere to prepare food. Food can only be warmed up. Okay, you get my point about the lunches. In American schools, they are horrific and not created with concern for the child’s future health, both mental and physical.
Here is another little discovery I recently made that shows me how sane the rest of the world is and how ridiculous we have become.
The mid-morning snack Portuguese kids have at school is provided by the parents. Around 10:30, the kids have time to get their lunch boxes and eat snacks. There is usually enough time for the kids to eat and then play for a half hour.
It is also common practice for the “nannies” to check what food the child is bringing from home. If it is nothing but junk food and sweets, the women make kind suggestions to the child to bring healthier food. All schools have two women assigned to each class between the first and third grades whose sole task is to keep an eye on the kids. They are like “mini moms.” Their presence is so calming and reassuring to the children.
Fruit and other snacks are cheaper in Portugal than junk food, so it is seldom an issue of money. If the parents keep sending in junk food, a note with healthier suggestions will be written to all the parents. My son was kindly asked not to bring his Halloween candy to share with the other kids. Usually, he brings apples, berries, a cookie or two, and a chunk of Laughing Cow cheese.
Could you imagine the reaction if someone in a public school asked the child of a Trumpist to bring in healthier food options for snack time? Children between 5 and 9 years of age are twice as likely to be obese in the U.S. as in Portugal, and young adults are almost three times as much between 18 and 30.
A good foundation can do so many things for a child’s future and a country.
Imagine what life would be like if Ronald Reagan had never gutted the Fairness Doctrine. The effect of Rush Limbaugh would have been minimal. Fox News would likely have never been launched. George Bush would likely have never been elected. 9/11 would not have happened. We never would have gone to war with Iraq or Afghanistan. Vladimir Putin might be an ally. SCOTUS would never have launched its revolution from above. Climate change might be under control. Guns would likely not be everywhere, and gun deaths would actually be less.
So much that is reality today would have remained the subject matter of bad B-movies.
Who would have thought that a sound and healthy lunch could have such an effect?