NationStates Jolt Archive

I'm watching an interesting program at the moment, some of you might know about it or have seen it before (it's a rerun).
It's called "Jamie's School Dinners", and it's basically about Jamie Oliver trying to change the menus on school dinners in London (and eventually all of England, obviously), taking away the pre-done, frozen, deep fried stuff like chips, fish fingers, burgers, etc. and replacing it with fresh food, including salad and vegetables. What completely amazed me was that first of all, none of the schools had served anything resembling vergetables, let alone fruit or salad before, and secondly that the kids threw in a complete fit, refusing to eat it, demonstrating against it.

Now, I remeber being a kid, and I remember well that there were a few things I completely refused to eat (spinach, celery, strong cheese), but I generally would eat most things, and I would at least try things before dismissing them as uneatable.
So why is it that these kids had never ever even tried a salad before, why would they object to Spaghetti Bolognese, Chicken stirfry or Chili?
Were you that fussy as a kid? Are you kids as fussy? Am I the exception here or have food standards declined so dramatically in the few years since I left school?

I'm watching an interesting program at the moment, some of you might know about it or have seen it before (it's a rerun).
It's called "Jamie's School Dinners", and it's basically about Jamie Oliver trying to change the menus on school dinners in London (and eventually all of England, obviously), taking away the pre-done, frozen, deep fried stuff like chips, fish fingers, burgers, etc. and replacing it with fresh food, including salad and vegetables. What completely amazed me was that first of all, none of the schools had served anything resembling vergetables, let alone fruit or salad before, and secondly that the kids threw in a complete fit, refusing to eat it, demonstrating against it.

Now, I remeber being a kid, and I remember well that there were a few things I completely refused to eat (spinach, celery, strong cheese), but I generally would eat most things, and I would at least try things before dismissing them as uneatable.
So why is it that these kids had never ever even tried a salad before, why would they object to Spaghetti Bolognese, Chicken stirfry or Chili?
Were you that fussy as a kid? Are you kids as fussy? Am I the exception here or have food standards declined so dramatically in the few years since I left school?
Unfortuantely yeah., there are a lot of kids who are that fussy these days. I've got a friend actually, who won't eat vegetables of fruit purly because they are fruit and vegetables. I don't know what's got into them. I'd imagiune it's just parenting that's not strong enouugh nowadays. I mean, my parents forced me to try things, and a lot of good it did me. It's just one of those cases in which the childs rights should be deferred to the parents'. :/

I agree that food standards have slipped though I think they've always been bad, they're just worse now. Take my older brother (he's 26) and won't eat anything that isn't fried. Chips, burgers all that. Me, I enjoy trying new things, but I won't eat some stuff, like eggs and cheese. Tried em, don't like em, but the important thing is that I try it before I make my mind up. Hats off to Jamie Oliver for the effort though I think he's a muppet myself :sniper:

Unfortuantely yeah., there are a lot of kids who are that fussy these days. I've got a friend actually, who won't eat vegetables of fruit purly because they are fruit and vegetables. I don't know what's got into them. I'd imagiune it's just parenting that's not strong enouugh nowadays. I mean, my parents forced me to try things, and a lot of good it did me. It's just one of those cases in which the childs rights should be deferred to the parents'. :/

It seems to me, though that the parents are just as bad as the kids in those cases. When I grew up, my parents would sometimes, but rarely, make chips. If there were fish fingers, my mother would always make a bowl of salad on the side. If there was pizza, it was freshly made with ham, veggies and cheese. And we would help with the cooking, I always loved that. The way these kids didn't even seem to be able to recognise rhubarb and leeks I guess they don't get decent food at home either.

So, what can be done? Compulsory cooking classes?

I agree that food standards have slipped though I think they've always been bad, they're just worse now. Take my older brother (he's 26) and won't eat anything that isn't fried. Chips, burgers all that. Me, I enjoy trying new things, but I won't eat some stuff, like eggs and cheese. Tried em, don't like em, but the important thing is that I try it before I make my mind up. Hats off to Jamie Oliver for the effort though I think he's a muppet myself :sniper:
Yeah true enough. I mean, food is a deeply personal thing. Ultimately, you're not going to convince people through TV. You've had enough TV personalities going "MMM, that's lovely." throughout the years to know it's a total sham. :p

But seriously, I think today's children are going to grow up with some serious nutrition problem unless we make real headway into the supplementary vitamins (and such) market. :/

I agree that food standards have slipped though I think they've always been bad, they're just worse now. Take my older brother (he's 26) and won't eat anything that isn't fried. Chips, burgers all that. Me, I enjoy trying new things, but I won't eat some stuff, like eggs and cheese. Tried em, don't like em, but the important thing is that I try it before I make my mind up. Hats off to Jamie Oliver for the effort though I think he's a muppet myself

He obviously didn't succeed on a national level, as there wasn't an additional 10 p per kid in the budget....

But just drawing attention to the problem is a great thing to do, anyway.

But just drawing attention to the problem is a great thing to do, anyway.
Quite so. I mean, it is disgraceful, really; if the parents just got the children to make their own sandwiches, they'd be far better off. Even if they just took them on a bike ride every once in a while. Every Little helps, as they say.:p

Quite so. I mean, it is disgraceful, really; if the parents just got the children to make their own sandwiches, they'd be far better off. Even if they just took them on a bike ride every once in a while. Every Little helps, as they say.:p

So the best way to tackle the problem would be to educate the parents? But how would you go about doing that?

So why is it that these kids had never ever even tried a salad before, why would they object to Spaghetti Bolognese, Chicken stirfry or Chili?

Because those things are commie food and by eating them you would be supporting the terrorists. Stick with your patriotic MacDonalds hamburger[1] and don't forget to play with your Pure American[2] happy meal[tm] toy !

[1] Which is flavourless and stale, but thanks to the wonders of commercials people actually believe they are tasty. And more importantly : cool.
[2] Made in Korea.

So the best way to tackle the problem would be to educate the parents? But how would you go about doing that?
I was lucky enough to have a good cook as a mother. So I enjoyed healthy and tasty meals. My Aunty is also an amazing cook. So personally I haven't had too many major problems with bad food over the years.
McDonalds now makes me feel pretty sick.

Because those things are commie food and by eating them you would be supporting the terrorists. Stick with your patriotic MacDonalds hamburger[1] and don't forget to play with your Pure American[2] happy meal[tm] toy !

[1] Which is flavourless and stale, but thanks to the wonders of commercials people actually believe they are tasty. And more importantly : cool.
[2] Made in Korea.

We're talking about British kids here :p
MacDonalds would be unpatriotic for them, wouldn't it? They ought to go for fish&chips, and takeaway curry

We're talking about British kids here :p
MacDonalds would be unpatriotic for them, wouldn't it? They ought to go for fish&chips, and takeaway curry

Britain .. isn't that a US state ;) ?
Seriously - American culture influences kids a lot. And kids copy what they see the cool people do.

you eat it

Were you that fussy as a kid?I'm 25, and I'm still quite fussy.

Yeah true enough. I mean, food is a deeply personal thing. Ultimately, you're not going to convince people through TV. You've had enough TV personalities going "MMM, that's lovely." throughout the years to know it's a total sham. :pYeah.. I often watch cookery shows, and just once, I want to hear someone say "yugh, that's utterly disgusting". You could serve them deepfried shit, and they'd still say "ooh, that's lovely" (admittedly I've never tried it, so maybe it is)

Yes, parenting these days often blows badly :rolleyes:

Yeah.. I often watch cookery shows, and just once, I want to hear someone say "yugh, that's utterly disgusting". You could serve them deepfried shit, and they'd still say "ooh, that's lovely" (admittedly I've never tried it, so maybe it is)
True that... that's why you don't see them going out in the street and offering ti to random people, they might actually say "Yuck, how gross!" :D

True that... that's why you don't see them going out in the street and offering ti to random people, they might actually say "Yuck, how gross!" :D
Exactly... it would be funny if they did show people saying "Eww, this tastes awful" and gagging, though. Or maybe that's just me. ;) Anyway, on the topic of the thread, I think kids can be very fussy, but I know kids who eat really healthily; not all of them love stuff like McDonalds. I used to eat there quite a bit until we had to watch Super Size Me in English. After that, I couldn't look at Big Macs and things without vomiting. I suppose that's not a bad technique of turning kids away from McDonalds. </end ramble>

The problem is capitalism. Parents are leading more rushed, competitive and stressed lives these days. Fewer and fewer mothers are staying at home. This causes them to take the easy way out and feed their kids with convenient crap rather than real food. It is vitally important that children eat healthy right from the start of life, because that affects their tastes and thus their health for the rest of their lives.

Exactly... it would be funny if they did show people saying "Eww, this tastes awful" and gagging, though. Or maybe that's just me. ;) Anyway, on the topic of the thread, I think kids can be very fussy, but I know kids who eat really healthily; not all of them love stuff like McDonalds. I used to eat there quite a bit until we had to watch Super Size Me in English. After that, I couldn't look at Big Macs and things without vomiting. I suppose that's not a bad technique of turning kids away from McDonalds. </end ramble>

What Jamie Oliver did was even more gross... he showed them exactly what went into chicken nuggets.
He got some 3rd rate chicken... well, not really meat. Bascially bits of skin and bones and fat. He added the chemicals (he let the kids smell some of the chemicals before he put them in) and he mixed it all up in a blender, then showed the the mass. THAT really took them off fast food for a while....

The problem is capitalism. Parents are leading more rushed, competitive and stressed lives these days. Fewer and fewer mothers are staying at home. This causes them to take the easy way out and feed their kids with convenient crap rather than real food. It is vitally important that children eat healthy right from the start of life, because that affects their tastes and thus their health for the rest of their lives.

My mother raised us on her own after she seperated from my father, and she had 3 kids.
She cooked herself, because it was cheaper. She couldn't afford eating out a lot or ready-made dinners all the time on her salary. And, in fairness, how long does it take to make a salad and some pasta???

My mother raised us on her own after she seperated from my father, and she had 3 kids.
She cooked herself, because it was cheaper. She couldn't afford eating out a lot or ready-made dinners all the time on her salary. And, in fairness, how long does it take to make a salad and some pasta???
It's not how long it takes, it's the effort involved.
For a parent to shove a burger and chips in the oven, it takes a minute to put it in, wait however long, then a minute to take it out and serve it.
To make a pasta and salad, it requires cooking the pasta, making a sauce, and preparing the salad. If both parents work full time, then they're going to prefer the first option because it takes up less of their free time to do, plus the kids won't complain. Unless *god forbid* there's no ketchup!!! :eek:

It's not how long it takes, it's the effort involved.
For a parent to shove a burger and chips in the oven, it takes a minute to put it in, wait however long, then a minute to take it out and serve it.
To make a pasta and salad, it requires cooking the pasta, making a sauce, and preparing the salad. If both parents work full time, then they're going to prefer the first option because it takes up less of their free time to do, plus the kids won't complain. Unless *god forbid* there's no ketchup!!! :eek:

Hm. In that case, the difference must have been that both my parents enjoyed good food themselves. They don't care much for frozen food, and as they would eat whatever they gave us, too, they made sure they themselves liked it.

What Jamie Oliver did was even more gross... he showed them exactly what went into chicken nuggets.
He got some 3rd rate chicken... well, not really meat. Bascially bits of skin and bones and fat.Skin? Bones? Yeah right.. Not even chemical processing can make that into anything resembling meat. It's probably 'seperator meat', the last bits of flesh pressed from the carcasses of chickens. It doesn't look pretty, but it's perfectly decent meat.
Actually, probably 40% of the meat in a chicken nugget would be turkey, since it's cheaper than chicken. (There has to be some chicken to call it a chicken nugget though)
We have a TV programma that examines these things, quite surprising some of the things they find out.

Hm. In that case, the difference must have been that both my parents enjoyed good food themselves. They don't care much for frozen food, and as they would eat whatever they gave us, too, they made sure they themselves liked it.

It's totally to do with the parents. Many parents/adults eat like children themselves in the UK (just candy, fries and whatnot). You can't really expect their children to be any different.

I think it also cuts across class lines. Middle and upper middle class parents tend to have more educated palletes themselves, and tend to expose their kids to a more varied diet also. So the kids eat more than just burgers and fries.

I would imagine england isn't the only country with this problem however. It doesn't even have the worst food in europe.

I would imagine england isn't the only country with this problem however. It doesn't even have the worst food in europe.It doesn't?
I must've had bad luck when I visited there then..

Skin? Bones? Yeah right.. Not even chemical processing can make that into anything resembling meat. It's probably 'seperator meat', the last bits of flesh pressed from the carcasses of chickens. It doesn't look pretty, but it's perfectly decent meat.
Actually, probably 40% of the meat in a chicken nugget would be turkey, since it's cheaper than chicken. (There has to be some chicken to call it a chicken nugget though)
We have a TV programma that examines these things, quite surprising some of the things they find out.
The main ingredient in 'chicken' nuggets is almost always water.
A friend of mine had a can of meatballs a few weeks ago, that were 60% water and only 15% meat. Unspecified meat at that.

Monday Hotdog
Tuesday Taco
Wednesday Hamburgers and Chocolate Milk
Thursday Sloppy Joes, and Burritos in a Bag
Friday was Pizza Day, the Best Day of the Week
All the kids would line up super early just to eat.
-The Aquabats, "Pizza Day".

That about sums up my stance. Kids want cool food and I'm inclined to agree.

The main ingredient in 'chicken' nuggets is almost always water.
A friend of mine had a can of meatballs a few weeks ago, that were 60% water and only 15% meat. Unspecified meat at that.
Ah...

Instant unspecified meat :fluffle:

It doesn't?
I must've had bad luck when I visited there then..

Nah, Scandanavia. (At least according to the people at michelin).

You have to be picky where you eat in the UK though. But if you choose carefully there are some pretty good places these days.

It's not NYC, France, Spain or Italy. But it's okay.

Nah, Scandanavia. (At least according to the people at michelin).

You have to be picky where you eat in the UK though. But if you choose carefully there are some pretty good places these days.

It's not NYC, France, Spain or Italy. But it's okay.
You don't generally have to choose carefully. Just avoid roadside 'caffs' and you're ok. That may be a slight generalisation, but in practice it works 9 times in 10.

You don't generally have to choose carefully. Just avoid roadside 'caffs' and you're ok. That may be a slight generalisation, but in practice it works 9 times in 10.

I lived there during the 70s-80s. So naturally I am more cautious. Though you are probably right.

There are still a few pubs with dire food, but that is less and less common. And nearly all proper restaurants have decent standards these days. (And you have to expect the odd bad meal out, it's even happened to me in france).