Actually, the problem presented in the article is twofold:
1. A lot of the kids are used to eating chicken nuggets and frozen pizza and microwave corn dogs and the like at home. So, not surprisingly, they think other stuff is icky when it shows up at school.
2. The menu itself is less of a problem than the execution. Either the cooking isn't being monitored, the cooks aren't being trained properly, or the dishes aren't being selected for an institutional prep setting. (That's supported by folks who thought the voting samples were good, but what's actually served is not.)
I support the schools trying to come up with healthier fare for the students they are serving (there is no constitutional right to be fed nacho cheese Doritos), but to be effective, both of those factors need to be considered. #ddtb
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L.A. schools' healthful lunch menu panned by students
It's lunchtime at Van Nuys High School and students stream into the cafeteria to check out the day's fare: black bean burgers, tostada salad, fresh pears and other items on a new healthful menu introd…
So…the choice is chicken nuggets or a black bean burger? I certainly know what I would choose, and I don’t even like chicken nuggets. Not everyone can eat quinoa. I assume the pad Thai noodles are not made with peanuts. Surely there is a happy medium somewhere, because I wouldn’t wish to choose from either the old menu or the new one..
Part of the problem is that, unlike a restaurant, school cafeterias can only offer a limited number of food items. It’s something we struggle with a bit at home, since Kay usually eats from the cafeteria at her middle school. So finding a happy medium between “tasty,” “attractive to teens,” “healthy,” “manageable by a school kitchen,” “affordable,” etc. is a non-trivial problem.