Sometimes I still run across a Disquieter article that reminds me that this region is still one of the red cesspits of the country. The article itself is just mediocre, it's the comments that drive it home. I put some choice morsels at the bottom.

 

District drops federal lunch program

 

Lunch at Fort Thomas Independent Schools may include more French fries, fewer vegetables and larger portions this year. One thing that won't be on the menu: federal dollars. (...) The 2,800-student district joins a small but growing number of school districts across the country – mostly wealthy districts who can afford to forfeit the money – who have dropped out of the federal program in the wake of stricter nutritional standards.

 

"It is not school's responsibility to feed the children."

 

"Michelle O will just have to go down there and tell those kids they have to eat the food or they will put mommy and daddy in jail ."

 

"Just remember, Future Voters, that the Democrats wanted you to eat crappy food, or starve."

 

And my favorite from the school district itself: "We try not to pass costs on to consumers, but we're still a business," he said.

 

Wait what? You're a business?" I thought you were a school district.

interesting. i think it was like 20 years ago or so just the opposite happened in lorain when the lorain district was deemed to be so poor overall that they dropped charging kids for school lunches and just gave the whole city free lunches as it was easier.

No link?

^added

Most childhood obesity is caused by daily binge eating while at home. Vegetables don't even register as food to kids, so they just binge eat even more when they get home if lunch was peas and milk.

We know now that sugar is almost entirely to blame for obesity. There's a lot in these federal guidelines that are already obsolete, like removing the fat from everything.

 

But still, this is the type of story that shows what happens when you go from promoting an ideal (like nutrition) to making Americans accountable for it (no more federal money for pizza and fries). Americans whine and bitch. It often feels like there is almost no sense of collective responsibility in this country except for things like supporting the troops. Plastering the freeway overpasses with yellow ribbons is patriotic, but promoting nutrition in schools is, I guess, communist.

My other problem was since high school started so early in my district that I didn't eat at school at all since lunch was at like 10:45 and I wasn't hungry yet. I've never liked lots of food early in the day and coupled with nerves because of girls and general teen jitteryniess I just didn't eat anything until I got home. Then massive amounts of food when I got home because I'd be having a near-death experience by 2PM.

When I rode my stegosaurus to school, the cafeteria mainly had those old fashioned plate lunches & lame pizzas.

Later my high school got those creepy Stewart Sandwiches.

Anyway, it makes you wonder what the parents are feeding their kids at home.