As a parent, I had mixed feelings. I liked the convenience of school lunches, and even liked that my kids were being exposed to different things, because, even as a someone who loves to cook, I find myself falling into easy ruts as a working parent, and I like the idea of exposure. I don't as much enjoy the "exposure" to daily chocolate milk, coffeecake, or popsicles and ice cream bars...but I decided a little bit of that stuff won't hurt them. More importantly, it will hopefully keep them from becoming teens who, deprived of junk food as children, binge unhealthily on it as soon as they can access it (a story I've heard over and over again from folks who've gone through it, and truth be told, know from personal experience). So I turned a bit of a blind eye to it, for I strongly believe children who are too steered in a nutritional direction WILL rebel and the biggest gift I can give to my children is the gift of choice, of moderation, and of balance (really, when it comes to everything in life).
When I heard of Jaime's Food Revolution, I was interested...but I didn't watch the first season, mainly because I just forget to watch TV most of the time. I followed it through friend's facebook posts and reading the occasional article, and the first season sort of slipped by with semi positive, but not terribly in depth thoughts about it. Then it was time for the second season, and with guns blazing, he was coming to my home, so to speak, and nailing those LAUSD lunches to the wall. Hmm, I thought, seems interesting. The district backlash and defensiveness didn't really surprise me, but I was still on Jaime's side, until I read an article in a parenting magazine talking about the background in this particular fight. In the article I learned that the new LAUSD superintendent was actually interested in sitting down with the British cook and figuring out solutions to LAUSD's very very complicated lunch issues, but that because those kinds of sessions don't make good television, the answer was "no, thanks".
I recently read about the probable victory of getting the strawberry and chocolate flavored milks ("soda in disguise", according to one irate mother) removed from the menus, and was a little more than surprised when I saw this would only reduce the amount of sugars by 6 grams. That's less than 1/2 a teaspoon. Calories stay the same, cause the chocolate milk is fat free, while the regular milk is 2% (really, 38% fat), and we're saving 1/2 a teaspoon of sugar. Why, exactly, are we jumping up and down over this? And, to that irate mother, last I checked, chocolate milk (which my kids never get at home) has calcium, vitamin a, vitamin d, and protein...something I'm pretty sure NO soda has.
I statused on FB- "I hate to say it, but Jaime Oliver lost me. When he turned down the opportunity to sit down with the district people to work out a solution using the limitations that LAUSD has because he is here to "make waves", not ACTUALLY SOLVE THE PROBLEM...I am gone. I hate wave makers who put blinders on and don't try to find a solution. On TV and in life."
Conversation ensued...no one really opposed me, but I'm sure that was more out of a notion of being polite rather than a notion that I'm 100% right (oh, to be 100% right...). And as I proclaimed that I had actual solutions that would be helpful, I was asked to provide them, and I thought- crap...this IS hard. Which isn't really a solution, either. I mean, at least yelling about a problem gets it noticed. Just sitting in a corner and muttering "well, it's complicated" isn't really going to get any more done that the guy riding the quinoa horse and waving around his asparagus (my favorite imagery from one of my comments). So then what?
Look, ain't none of us perfect. This limey comes into to our home and tells us we're doing it all wrong, which many of us know. It's not really his fault that he's got a team of directors, producers, and lackeys all running around him telling him how to do things, what to do, and he's probably not thrilled with the way things are going either. And, at the end of the day, he's just trying to help. He's a father of 4. His kids are gonna start turning their noses up at the whole wheat cous cous casserole as soon as they realize they can. He's got other stuff he can be doing...but at the same time, I have to give him props for at least trying. But what I don't have to do is watch his show...because like all reality TV, it's there for a reason. Entertainment. Ratings. Sponsors. And I don't appreciate him making a group of people look bad who are also trying to do the best they can within the guidelines of what they HAVE to do sandwiched up against laws, budget cuts, facilities, and the fact that kids are just freaking picky. Especially not when those people are feeding my kids. Go into a tiny town that thinks potatoes are a vegetable and teach them how to do things a different way? Ok. But if you're going to come into MY town and try to "revolutionize" it but are not willing to work within the confines we have to abide by? You can move along, thanks.
No, there is no easy answer. There is an obesity epidemic in this country, but the problem doesn't lie in the 6 grams of sugar in chocolate milk. This HAS to be a wholistic approach that incorporates more activity, less empty calories, and the education to help that happen. It may not be "exciting television", but it's the only way it will work over the long term. And even that may fail.
