Lunch Police Back On The Beat

Meme is far too militant in her approach. Kids are more obese than ever, but Meme is going to draw more attention to junk food by trying to ban it altogether. Teach kids to make good choices.
Her kids could end up fat as a result of sneaking the evil foods she keeps at bay.

Banning junk at school is only the tip of iceberg. What are these kids eating at home? At their friends' houses?

I agree with Robin. Why not educate both parents and kids about nutrition instead of demonizing particular food items.

I'm actually suprised to see multiple people clicking the "Only MeMe Roth approved food products" option.

Agreed that there is a problem with kids eating too much crap these days (or more likely eating the same amount of crap and just getting less exercise), but Roth is going about it in the completely wrong way.

Then again, there are a lot of sheep out there who will follow whomever will give them the answers without having to think for themselves.

An occasional jolt of junk food might be more acceptable if it could be walked off by a kid getting to school via shank's mare instead of being driven there or driving there himself. This does reference the great parking spaces debate here, then.

I might also add that even Baristanet only fuels MeMe Roth's inflated sense of self-importance with its frequent coverage of her sputterings. She's kind of the lasermikey of the junk food debate. Better packaged, probably, but nasty and futile and determined to be self-alienating.

We never got much junk food as kids. Mom couldn't afford it. We feasted, instead, on the variety of fruit trees growing in northern East Orange. Apple, Crab-Apple, Pear, Cherry, Mullberry were all abundantly festooned with innumerable treats for all of us quick, little boys.

I didn't walk anywhere as a kid, I ran. I remember showing up at my first track practice (outdoor) as a sophmore @ EOHS ALREADY running sub 5 minute miles. Coaches Wharton and Moss were delighted to see me!

"Northern East Orange," now there is a phrase you just don't hear anymore. Makes the place sound interesting, geographically complex.

But what, MellonBrush, do mulberries taste like? I don't think I've ever heard anyone else talk of eating them. In my old home town, by contrast, the old Italian guys carefully wrapped their fig trees in tar paper for the winter.

I am jealous that you could run a sub-5 min. mile!

Cathar,

Mullberrys taste a little like blackberrys. They eventually turn dark purple and stain sidewalks and automobiles. The tastiest are the ones that a rasberry color - tart and slightly crunchy.

We never got much junk food as kids. Mom couldn't afford it.

Those days are over. Now the junk food is 99 cents and the natural, organic items are five to ten times the price. Who's going to go up against Wal-Mart and suggest otherwise?

Sylvester Shack was running sub 4:20 miles that year. He was the state champ in the Mile in 1968. Tom Hash our quater miler was going under 48 seconds and he too was the state champ that year. We were so deep in milers with Sylvester's younger brother Fred, and Sidney Snelling both under 4:40, that they switched me to the 2 mile where I finished the season running sub 10:30s.

EOHS was state champs in football and track in 1968.

And now we have Alan Webb who set a new American world record this past July with a 3:46:91, shattering Steve Scott's 25 yo mark of 3:47:69. Unreal.

It's humbling to realize that when I go for my 25 mile bike ride these days that there are marathoners out there who could stay with me for the entire ride..

Bacon cheeseburgers. The perfect food. You got your red meat, your fat, your carcinogens, your sugar, your lactose, your cholesterol, your carbs... serve them with lettuce and tomato and you have a platform for your mayonnaise. What's not to like? C'mon, Meme: bite into one. Go ahead.

Conan, your description of the inimitable Bacon Cheeseburger has me drooling on my keyboard AND mouse pad.

It's even more humbling to us folk who are proud of our 4.5 miles in 40 minutes a day on an elliptical. :-P

Well not to get off topic on this thread, but I thought that the non-me-me portion of the article was interesting, especially the fact that NJ has done a pretty good job recently of improving food options in public schools.

What I still find concerning is that the decision to remove or change the contents of vending machines in schools is often purely economic. Vending machine revenue, along with the kickbacks that beverage and snack companies give to the schools, have become an acceptable form of funding for most districts. We should not be i the position of trading off kids health for a few extra dollars of soda and candy sales.

I'm offended that my completely-from-scratch, made with organic ingredients only cupcakes & brownies would be labeled "junk". My son was very disappointed last year when his teacher told him that he would have to celebrate his in-school birthday with "some fruit" instead of his mom's traditional home-baked treats. Woe to the foodies!

You will find the most unhealthy looking people in the organic food stores

Why are Americans obese? Because our culture does not subscribe to moderation and taking the time to enjoy food ... all-you-can-eat bars, fast food value meals, drive-up windows, cupholders and eating in the car on the go were invented here ... meanwhile, other countries are content with small portions, wine, leisurely sit-down meals, and, well, cigarettes. Pick your poison.

You're right, Jim. I could never understand the concept of all-you-can-eat buffets. How is stuffing yourself sick fun? Maybe this orginated during the Great Depression? I don't know.

Plus the restaurant portions are so large, I usually end up taking half home.

Conan,
I had a 'healthy salad' for lunch and now I find out the bacon cheeseburger is the perfect meal. Damn.

And here I thought it was a virus, FIF(friend is fat), causing all this obesity.

http://www.thespoof.com/news/spoof.cfm?headline=s5i23623

Why is there a pop up add?!! I have Firefox set to block pop ups, still one came up after I took the pole!.....PAZ in MCO