My seniors have been working on a unit about fast food. I really enjoy teaching this unit, in part because it brings together two things that I really enjoy. I enjoy teaching, and I'm rather passionate about food. I like that this unit, while it's supposed to be mostly about comparing opinions and newspaper articles, editorials, etc, also serves as a bit of a soapbox for me to talk to the kids about their eating habits.
Our school switched to an organic, healthy lunch provider and we're heard nothing but complaints about the food every since. A big part of the problem is that there's no education going on about what they're actually eating. Today, as an example, they had chicken teriyaki with brown rice. Admittedly, it wasn't very good, but it was certainly edible. The problem is that the stir-fry part had bok choy in it. The kids in my school are 98% latino. They've never seen, bought, cooked, or eaten bok choy! They think it's spinach, and then when they taste it and it doesn't taste like spinach, they think it's "nasty." I'd probably have the same reaction. We had a whole conversation the other day about brown rice. These kids have grown up on rice, but it's always white rice. We give them brown rice without an explanation and they think it looks funny and isn't cooked right because it's crunchy. I took the time to explain the difference and that brown rice has a firmer texture because it still has the grain casing on it, and the whole room of kids suddenly was able to look at it in a different light. It's not like the conversation took that long, but thanks to the California state standards and other restrictions on us teachers, they've never been taught that.
I'm trying to teach my daughter better, but it's not easy. We took her to Disneyland yesterday for the first time, and I think we did okay feeding her, but it certainly wasn't perfect. I'm especially annoyed by kids' menus. Everything on it was a variation on the Starch-Cheese theme. Macaroni and Cheese. Quesadilla. Grilled Cheese sandwich. We went with the hotdog with a side of applesauce. At least there was bread, meat, and fruit. Milk to drink too. I suppose it could be worse. She loved the hotdog, but liked the applesauce better. So that's good. No Ketchup either. Lily loved Disneyland and had a wonderful time. We got a season pass, so we'll be going back. I just am going to have to be careful to make sure that we don't wind up eating too much junk food while we're there.
This fast food unit has had me pondering the role of a mother even more than I already have been. A big part of why I want to stay home is to have the time to cook healthy meals for my family. It's really hard to do after working all day. On the days that I'm not working, I use naptime to cook, or at least prepare, and clean the house. When I work, I don't have that option. I can keep the baby entertained in the kitchen while I cook for a while, but not for too long. As she gets older, I'm looking for ways for her to help, but for now she's still too little. She's interested in helping, which is a start, but for now she's better at stirring the food out of the bowl than keeping it in.
As I talk about food, fast food, and obesity with my students, the recurring theme we come back to over and over is that it's the responsibility of parents to teach healthy eating habits and provide healthy food. I couldn't agree more, but at the same time, we live in a society that doesn't seem to value this. Dinner and dinnertime used to be sacred. A time for individuals to stop and come together as families. Last week, Adam only got home from work before 9:30 once. I don't want Lily to grow up in a eat-on-the-run family, and it seems sometimes like the only way I'm going to accomplish that is to be home.
It's absolutely true, society has become less interest in eating healthy foods. Parents prioritize in working long hours than gathering and sharing a meal with their families; switching their home dining room for a fast food restaurant. It is really rare for a family to actually eat home-made food everyday and have healthy eating habits.
ReplyDeleteIts great that since now you are trying to teach Lily to eat as healthy as possible and once in a while it's not bad to eat fast food :). Although time runs short because you have a full schedule teaching and being a mommy, I am sure it will pay off, and will manage to have family dinners everyday.