Known throughout the internet solely as Mrs. Q, one Illinois teacher is fed up with school lunch. Her blog documents the daily lunch offerings at one Midwestern school, complete with photographs and commentary from notable guests. Mrs. Q plans to eat her school’s lunch for an entire year in hopes of raising awareness about the meals our nation’s children are being served. We asked Mrs. Q how her project is going thus far:
Why did you decide to sample your school’s lunch?
One or two days last fall I forgot my lunch or I didn’t have time so I bought lunch at the cafeteria. I was shocked at how overly processed the food was.
Are there any freshly prepared entrees at your school?
No. There are days that fruit is offered though.
Is the lunch fare at your school similar to that being served nationwide?
Based solely upon the comments of my readers, schools have very similar menu plans and although other schools might not have things individually wrapped like my school, the food products are basically the same.
What meals have been the worst offenders so far?
The PB&J and the cheese lasagna were the worst. The PB&J made me sick and the cheese lasagna was not pasta-like at all.
Students at your school get 20 minutes for lunch and no recess. What is this teaching them about the value of proper diet and exercise?
The school is making a statement to the students that daily physical exercise is not important and that free play/ unorganized movement (what recess is versus a gym class) is not vital to learning. The diet message is that fast, convenience, and processed foods are ok.
