Paarlberg Says Farm Subsidies Don't Give Us Cheap Junk Food. I Disagree.

by: Jill Richardson

Tue Apr 05, 2011 at 16:36:16 PM PDT

Any complaint that food prices are too low might seem bizarre today, since world grain prices hit their highest levels in 30 years in 2008 and are now back up again. Yet this did not stop columnist Mark Bittman from reminding his New York Times readers that the price we pay for corn, soy, chicken, pork, beef, and high-fructose corn syrup is "unjustifiably low" because of farm subsidies.

Nothing could be farther from the truth. Our federal farm programs are designed to supplement the income of farmers, not subsidize the production of food. Most federal farm support programs either give cash to farmers whether they grow more crops or not, or boost farm income by raising crop prices through import restrictions, market controls, or temporary land set-asides, all of which make food artificially expensive, not artificially cheap.

Much of what he says is true. This is typical of Paarlberg, to blend truth and BS seamlessly. Yes, commodity prices are at record highs, and they were in 2008 too. Prior to that, however, they were often quite low (years back, corn got down around $2/bushel... now it's up around $7/bushel). If Paarlberg had consulted researcher Timothy Wise of Tufts University, he would have received data proving that our subsidy system more or less provided savings of billions of dollars to the factory farm industry in the form of underpriced commodities over a recent period.

Head of Harvard Nutrition Unit Says Schools Should Just Say No to Chocolate Milk

by: euclidarms

Thu Jan 13, 2011 at 16:19:05 PM PST

Many children start their day with a government-sponsored breakfast consisting of strawberry-flavored milk containing nearly as much sugar ounce-for-ounce as Mountain Dew, poured over a bowl of Apple Jacks or other sugar-enhanced cereal. Until recently, kids as young as five in the District of Columbia routinely were being served the equivalent of 15 teaspoons of sugar before classes even started, and experts say that's not at all uncommon in school districts around the country. Some are even worse.

The dairy industry thinks that's no problem. But Dr. Walter Willett, chairman of the department of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health, disagrees.

New Report Challenges Dairy Industry Campaign Promoting Chocolate Milk in School

by: euclidarms

Mon Jan 10, 2011 at 13:26:54 PM PST

"Milk -- it does a body good," claimed a '90s dairy industry advertising campaign, and few have dared to question the industry's position that children need calcium and vitamin D however they can get it, even if it comes from sweetened flavored milk. (The National Dairy Council's latest campaign is even called "Raise Your Hand for Chocolate Milk.") But a landmark study on calcium and vitamin D nutrition recently published by the Institute of Medicine poses a serious challenge to that idea, finding that only girls aged 9 to 18 might need more calcium -- and only by an amount contained in a half-serving of calcium-fortified cereal .

In setting new dietary standards, the IOM found claims that Americans are deficient in calcium and vitamin D to be greatly exaggerated. The dairy industry, which has spent millions of dollars promoting sugary flavored milk in schools based on the idea that children are threatened with a "calcium crisis," is fighting efforts to remove flavored milk from school menus, saying kids will be in danger of not getting the calcium they need to build strong bones.

A Valuable Lesson from a Nine Year Old

by: Jill Richardson

Thu Jun 24, 2010 at 12:35:39 PM PDT

One of the stories about her son was so wonderful that I asked if I could share it here. She kindly obliged me, writing up the story in her own words, below. I realize in our food movement, there's a lot of talk about "obesity" as a code word for the sum total of the problems in our food system expressed in their most visible form. Linda's work goes against this conventional wisdom, instead encouraging everybody to work towards health instead of a pre-defined notion of an "acceptable" body size that some people are genetically never destined to achieve in a healthy way. And, as we work towards health for everyone, shaming those whose bodies leave them out of our society's idea of an acceptable body size is not the way to go. Obviously, her son has learned her lesson of acceptance, as you can see in the story below.

Michelle Obama, It's Time for an Eat Lunch with Your Kid Day

by: euclidarms

Sun Jun 06, 2010 at 23:53:55 PM PDT

Has anyone else noticed that the one thing they never talk about at all these White House events around childhood obesity is the food kids are actually eating at school every day?

Dear Ms. Obama: Promote healthy food options, but please don't promote discrimination

by: Beth Herz

Sun Jun 06, 2010 at 10:16:09 AM PDT

The letter is also posted on the blog Growing Access, here: http://growingaccess.blogspot....

Dear Ms. Obama:

We would like to applaud you for your efforts to eliminate food deserts and create healthy environments in which children will thrive. We recognize the importance of access to the tools and means for healthy living - including affordable produce, information, and recreational space. Like you, we value improvements to the built environment, education, and food supply chains to address the problems associated with inadequate access to healthy living.

But we disagree that "the overall goal [is] solving childhood obesity in this generation."1

Rachael Ray Goes To Washington

by: Senator Kirsten Gillibrand

Wed May 19, 2010 at 14:15:44 PM PDT

Lessons from Berkeley: The Truth About Vegetables

by: euclidarms

Tue May 18, 2010 at 14:44:50 PM PDT

Might as well say it straight up: Kids don't like vegetables.

At least most kids don't like most vegetables most of the time. That's the ultimate lesson I draw after spending weeks in school kitchens from Washington, D.C., to Berkeley, CA. And that certainly challenges the idea of produce as a magic elixir for the childhood obesity epidemic. Is the clamor for additional government standards requiring more vegetables in school meals really justified? Or even a good idea?

Berkeley Schools Cook from Scratch: Epilogue

by: euclidarms

Sat May 15, 2010 at 02:59:39 AM PDT

Cooper this past year has been busy switching schools in Boulder, CO, to the fresh-cooked scheme. I suggested I spend a week there with her. But she demurred. Boulder was still in transition, she said. If I wanted to witness a "mature" program, I should book a flight to Berkeley. Cooper put me in touch with Marni Posey, the food services director for the Berkeley Unified School District, and eventually we settled on a date when I could spend a week in the central kitchen there.

All I needed was a place to stay.

Being an independent journalist, there was no budget for a hotel room. I took a flyer and contacted Bonnie Powell, fellow food blogger and founder of the Ethicurean blog, who lives in Oakland, just a few miles from my ultimate destination. Powell said she would put me up herself, but she was soon to give birth to her first child, a girl. Instead, she hooked me up with a sympatico couple in Berkeley--Fred Dodsworth, an itinerant journalist himself, and his wife Linda Franklin, a director in the local Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program.

Like me, they also are dedicated food gardeners, but with nine chickens in their back yard. I had fresh eggs almost every morning for breakfast. Like me, they live in a house that is undergoing endless renovation. "It will never be finished," said Fred. They gave me a wonderful bedroom in which I could have lodged my entire family. Turns out Fred and Linda are quite used to playing Samaritan for folks needing a place to bunk down.

I arrived at San Francisco International airport on a Saturday evening and after a brief moment of panic trying to decipher the local subway system I boarded a one-hour BART train to Berkeley. I had planned on a 15-minute walk to Fred and Linda's house from the downtown Berkeley subway station, but got out at Berkeley North by mistake. Completely disoriented, I called Fred for a rescue. Ten minutes later an ancient Toyota Land Cruiser, sans roof and with doors that seemed to be held closed by the slimmest of threads, came barreling up to the subway exit. "Get in," shouted and who looked like he'd been sent from Central Casting, sitting behind the wheel with his grey beard and baseball cap. That was Fred.

The next day I was up at the crack of dawn and eager to familiarize myself with the route I'd be taking early Monday morning to the central kitchen. Fred and Linda could not have been more conveniently located, just around the corner from Chez Panisse, Alice Waters' famous restaurant, and a mere 10-minute walk to Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School where I'd be spending the next week.

When I arrived at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School shortly after daybreak on Sunday, I had the Edible Schoolyard all to myself. I was suprised to find the gates open, inviting me inside. It struck me that the garden's reputation is much, much bigger than the garden itself. I took a leisurely walk around the grounds, admiring the swelling artichokes, the rows of leafy lettuce, the kiwi vining its way around a central arbor. The garden was preparing for a big plant sale. There were hundreds of tomato and herb seedlings covering tables near a small greenhouse. A flock of chickens clucked softly in their pen.

I then located the "dining commons" where the kitchen was located. Of course it was completely deserted. The only thing I could do was peer through the windows.

I had told Marni Posi that I had some experience working in a commercial kitchen, so she shouldn't be afraid to put me to work. I guess that's how I became the new "intern" in the central kitchen. And put me to work they did. They were glad to have me. I arrived for work at 5:30 sharp Monday morning. Seven of the district's food service workers had failed to show that day. Posey was in a mad scramble to get all hands on deck.

Sous chef Joan Gallagher put me in the "meat room" where my introduction to cooking school food from scratch was sorting 1,400 pounds of chicken. That chicken, and the eight days it spent moving through the kitchen towards a lunch date with Berkeley's school population, became a metaphor for this series of stories, an example of how much work and attention goes into school meals cooked from fresh ingredients, as opposed to the chicken tenders that come from a factory pre-cooked and frozen, requiring only a few minutes to reheat. As Ann Cooper later pointed out, chicken doesn't have to take that long to prepare. But that's how the kitchen schedule works out. It's a process.

After my stint in the meat room, I would report to supervisor Cecilia Adams for my assignments. Like everyone else, she was extremely gracious and welcoming, and no doubt curious why I would travel 3,000 miles to be there. She showed me how to weigh pasta in stainless "hotel pans," wrap and label them for delivery; how to count bags of corn chips for chilaquiles, and bag them for the district's other 15 schools; how to pack the breakfast bins the kids pick up every morning to carry back to their classrooms.

I got to know most of the 15 workers in the central kitchen by name. I first saw Liz preparing mozzarella cheese for pizza. Liz also was in charge of roasting the chicken.  Besides the standard convection ovens, there's a  "combi" steam and heat roaster that helps keep chicken breasts moist. I stopped by at one point to watch Liz checking the temperature of some chicken thighs roasting. The convection ovens have fans to move the heat around and they make quite a noise. I couldn't help admiring the mahagony color the thighs had acquired. "It's hard to get that kind of color at home," Liz agreed.

At lunch, Liz was the one who scurried around behind the serving stations, making sure there was always backup pizza or beans or tacos in the warming cabinets.

Kelly seemed to spend a lot of her time chopping vegetables, especially onions. It's hard to make any kind of good food without onions. Kelly addressed the tearing-up issue with onions by wearing a pair of safety goggles.

Wednesday is pasta day at the "dining commons." That means somebody has to turn 200 pounds of dry, government commodity pasta into 1,000 pounds of cooked pasta. Roxanne was at it one day. For all its gleaming equipment, the central kitchen wasn't designed to make this much pasta. The improvised method consists of cooking some inside a big stainless basket suspended in boiling water in the kitchen's kettle cooker.

More pasta cooks in three colanders placed inside a "tilt skillet," a big griddle with tall sides that's used for just about every kind of cooking, such as the scrambled eggs for chilaquiles. Christensen said the kids never know that the noddles in their "mac & cheese" are actually whole-wheat rotini.

Our early start to the day gave us plenty of time to load breakfast bins. As I described in the series, breakfast in Berkeley schools is extremely simple consisting of bare essentials only, such as small packets of cereal, a carton of plain milk, a piece of fruit. But because of California's "Meals for Needy" program, breakfast plays a crucial role in funding lunch. I also got a kick out of the kid-size apples the school district uses. Breakfast is taken only in the classroom, except at the high school. The bins are customized according to the number of students in each class.

When I got back to D.C. and told people about the Berkeley breakfast, the reaction was much like mine: What, no hot breakfast? Ann Cooper had an answer for that: "How many kids have hot breakfasts every day at home? Do you get up at five in the morning to make your kid hot breakfast? America eats cereal for breakfast at home."

Dana Woldow, a longtime chair of the San Francisco Unified School District's Student Nutrition and Physical Activity Committee, wanted to make sure I pointed out that not all school districts in California receive the "Meals for Needy" money that does so much to help breakfast participation in Berkeley schools fund the made-from-scratch lunch.

"Meals for Needy" eligibility is based on certain types of property tax laws that simply are not in place in every jurisdiction.  And even if other jurisdictions wanted to copy Berkeley, Woldow said, they would be prevented from doing so by California's famous Proposition 13, which put a clamp on new taxes. I still don't understand completely how it works, but it was interesting enough for a friend of Woldow's to write her doctoral thesis around the subject, so I'm passing that along for readers to ponder.

One of my favorite jobs was working with Mei, a Chinese immigrant woman, packing small meals for the kids in the school district's day care centers. These packaged meals are the kind of thing D.C. students used to get routinely, made in a factory in the Maryland suburbs, before the schools instituted the infamous "fresh-cooked" system of re-heating frozen convenience foods on site.

In Berkeley, the food for the day care centers is mostly the same as for the bigger kids, but in smaller portions. Working on the AmeriPak machine, which seals the meal packages with plastic, reminded me of the chocolate factory skit from I Love Lucy. I did have a panic button, though, to stop the machine if needed.

One picture I did not get was of me interviewing Eric Weaver, one of the activist parents who helped instigate the change to fresh school food in Berkeley, from my cell phone in the parking lot outside the kitchen. As magnificently designed as the "dining commons" is, I couldn't get any cell phone reception inside. I used some plastic milk crates to make myself a desk and chair al fresco where I could get a signal. It wasn't easy taking notes while holding the cell phone to my ear.

Also, it wasn't easy taking notes while working, or trying to interview other workers while they were busy with their kitchen chores. When I felt the need to talk, I would retire to the administrative office where executive chef Bonnie Christensen often hung out. We had some long conversations there.

On my last day, a Friday, I entered the office to sounds of loud gasps, and cries of "Oh, no!" I thought maybe someone had died. It turned out Christensen was merely exclaiming over some of the latest labor union news. I didn't include this in the series because I didn't think it was germaine. But at this time, certain employees were getting termination notices. Or at least their jobs were being terminated. Under  union rules, those employees can "bump" others who have less seniority, meaning they take someone else's job.

Christensen had just received news that a particular employee with whom she was not on good terms at all was planning to "bump" one of the favorite workers in the food services department. Other notices had gone out, creating a cascade of bumping events and lots of drama.

"The only way to do the kind of work we do is to build a team," Christensen said. "And the way the unions are structured, you can't build a team."

Joan Gallagher, who was sitting at her desk listening to all this, was doing a slow burn. Finally she blurted out: "This is not worth it! This is so not worth it! I don't even make as much as a janitor!"

Later, when the air had cleared a little, I asked her if that were true--that she didn't make as much as a janitor. She said, "Let's put it this way: I don't make half as much as I did 11 years ago."

Oh, well. Just another day at the office.

But rather than end on that note, I've got student comments from some of the "What's on Your Plate" tasting sessions that the chefs conduct at the middle school. These are sessions where the chefs go to the classrooms to explain what the cafeteria is serving and perhaps persuade the kids to try new things.

About the Cuban chicken:

"I thought it was perfect.  The balance between citrus and spicy was divine and played on my taste buds.  I would appreciate if you sent the recipe to : (e-mail address)  I will deffinetly eat this when I can.  Best of Luck."

"OMG, that was so GOOD!!!!! Or the rice was.  I didn't eat the chicken, but I'm sure it was scrumptious.  We really appreciate it.  PS seriously though, on the last week of school can we have chocolate."  (and there is a picture of a chocolate bar)

"Since I'm a vegetarian I only had the rice.  That was real good and everybody who wasn't vegetarian said it was wonderful.  PS could you try making cheese puffs."

"Just like the last dish it was delicious.  It was spicy, sweet, and tangy.  The sauce was really good with the rice and it made an excellent
combination.  I really lkied this dish and I hope there are going to be more."

"I actually didn't like the chicken, but the rice was pretty good.  I didn't like the chikcen because I don't like spices and also my family
used as spice only black pepper because I am and my family is from Russia and spices don't grow in Russia, so it's not an origin part of food.  I heard that many people liked it.  Thank you."

"I loved the rice it was mushy.  I will eat it next time I see rice.  The chicken was tangy and citrusy.  It wasn't too bad the only thing is that I don't like food with a lot of spices!  Hope yu keep on making healthy food!!!  But I heard really good other great commants.  Thank you!"

"I thought the Cuban Chicken and brown rice was ok.  It was not my favorite.  I reallty don't like chicken with lots of fat on it.  I'd like
it better if it was spicyer and the chicken was less chewy.  I don't think I will eat it on Friday.  I think I'll have pesto pizza!!!"

About curried chicken:

"The curry was a bit too sweet. ( we make it with coconut milk).  I don't think I like it, but when I eat it I just keep eating.  That was really
wierd!"

"I loved your kindness for offering us it.  :)  Although I didn't care much for the taste.  I'm sorry.  Needs to be spicey"

About tandoori chicken:

"I really liked it! :)  At first I was kinda on the fence about it, but it turned out really great.  It tased very flavorful and I could taste all
the spices.  It had kinda tangy taste to it and it was savory too."

"I liked this.  At first, I thought this was gonna be bad.  But then, I LOVED IT.  :)  As a weirdo with brown hair that always says "pie" and wears a hood once said, "AWESOME".

70 ways to "end childhood obesity in a generation" (w/poll)

by: desmoinesdem

Fri May 14, 2010 at 16:23:15 PM PDT

The action plan defines the goal of ending childhood obesity in a generation as returning to a childhood obesity rate of just 5 percent by 2030, which was the rate before childhood obesity first began to rise in the late 1970s. In total, the report presents a series of 70 specific recommendations, many of which can be implemented right away.

Pdf files containing the full report, or individual sections, can be downloaded here. After the jump I highlighted a few proposals that caught my attention in each of the five large sections: Early Childhood, Empowering Parents and Caregivers, Healthy Food in Schools, Access to Healthy, Affordable Food, and Increasing Physical Activity.

Berkeley Schools Cook from Scratch: Hold the beans, please

by: euclidarms

Fri May 14, 2010 at 03:38:07 AM PDT

After spending hours sorting chicken pieces my first day on the job in the Berkeley school system's central kitchen, I got a break. "How would you like to serve the kids at lunch?" asked Joan Gallagher, the sous chef in charge of kitchen production. "It's the most exciting part of the day. You'll get to interact with the kids."

I would soon learn that interactions with middle-schoolers over lunch food can test your nerves.

Berkeley Schools Cook from Scratch: How Breakfast Pays for Lunch

by: euclidarms

Thu May 13, 2010 at 03:51:05 AM PDT

Around 8:30 each morning, students at the Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School in Berkeley, CA, cross an asphalt playground behind the main school building and begin drifting into a cafeteria and kitchen complex known as the "dining commons" to pick up breakfast. They head for a set of rolling metal shelves where the food is already waiting for them, stashed in gray, plastic bins. The students locate their assigned bin, then proceed to carry it back to their classroom where they dole out the food and fill out a roster indicating which of the students took the meal.

One morning I had a chance to see what was inside those bins when I was assigned to load them. That day for each bin there was, besides the list of students in each particular class, a sliced loaf of homemade banana bread, kid-size Fuji and Golden Delicious apples that I sealed in plastic bags, and cartons of plain, organic milk.

I couldn't believe how simple it was. Here in the District of Columbia, where my daughter attends fourth grade at a public elementary school, kids eat in cafeterias and get to choose hot items like breakfast pizza, or scrambled eggs, or egg and cheese patties with bagels, in addition to brand-name cereals and a choice of four different milk varieties, including chocolate and strawberry.

The Berkeley breakfast seemed downright Spartan by comparison. Yet those gray bins hold the key to the success of Berkeley's cook-from-scratch program.

On Being a School Chef

by: euclidarms

Wed May 12, 2010 at 03:21:36 AM PDT

Chefs learn how to work with a variety of foods in a variety of stages using a broad range of approaches and techniques. By learning how to cook and handle different foods under many different circumstances chefs develop the critical thinking skills they need to apply to whatever situation comes up.  They also learn how to create recipes that people will like based on ingredients, budget, availability and customer taste.

Foods are perishable and cooking has to happen as close to consumption as possible to get the best results.  Ever try to cook for 20 for
Thanksgiving--all those side dishes, everyone's likes and dislikes to consider, dessert, coffee, wine, milk for the kids, setting the table ,
making the shopping list, buying the groceries and preparing the food ON TIME, and serving everything HOT at the same time?  Now imagine doing that for 8,000 people every day.  What if the chicken does not come in?  What if fresh asparagus is suddenly available. Can we use it? You would hate to pass up fresh asparagus.

What if the fresh broccoli is not available because of an early frost?  What if the meat company sends turkey meat ground to a puree instead of a course grind like hamburger meat for the meat loaf? You figure out how to use it but you don't have enough bread crumbs. What do you do instead?

Chefs have the background and exposure and experience to expect that things will not go according to plan, as well as the critical thinking skills and knowledge to solve those problems whenever they come up.  Chefs know how to handle foods and pair foods so that they can get the best and most out of them in a way that is pleasing to the consumer.  We are trained to think about how to make it better, how to get the most out of it and how to please, please, please, the customer.  For chefs it is about making the yummiest food ever!

Also, chefs learn how to choose ingredients, where to purchase them, how to get the best price, how to use every part of the ingredient so that nothing is thrown away and you don't have to purchase items unnecessarily--like stock for soups and sauces.  I never buy chicken stock at home.  I roast a chicken once a week.  I make stock out of the bones and carcass.  It takes 10 minutes of prep and finishing time, 45 minutes to cook.  If I have leftover chicken, I make chicken salad for my husband's lunch or I freeze the meat
and pull it out after I have accumulated enough to make enchiladas. Or I cut it up and put it in fresh pasta pesto.

How do you know when various fruits and vegetables are ripe?  How far in advance can this stuff be brought into the kitchen? What do you do when there isn't enough or there is too much?  How do you handle that without costing yourself more money?

When someone says they don't like the food, what questions do you ask to figure out what they didn't like to determine how to prepare it next time so that they will like it?  Was it texture, flavor, too spicy, not spicy, not sweet, too sour, too crunchy? Did it hurt the top of their mouth to eat it? Did they need juice to wash it down?  They have never seen it before, they don't like the color.  They thought the yogurt was sour milk so they were afraid to taste it.

Or problems like, how do you make enough pasta sauce if the pot you have is not big enough and you don't have time to do it twice?  What are your options?  Chefs have to be creative, they have to adapt to whatever set of circumstances arise.  The very nature of cooking with perishable ingredients requires urgency.  Decisions have to be made quickly, problems have to be resolved immediately.  The stakes are high because food and labor are so expensive; you have to work disciplined, creatively, and within specific boundaries.  You are constantly being forced to think outside the box under lots of pressure.

Dieticians don't work that way. You are constantly adjusting for the variables: These canned tomatoes are not sweet and very acidic. Those  tomatoes are sweet, but not balanced enough with acid. What do you do?  These peaches are mealy. What do you do?  I need to add grains to the menu because I need at least two grains per meal period. How can I do that?  What do I do with the leftover hamburger buns? How can I minimize the production kitchen's work load and better utilize the staff at the sites?  What else can I make in the rice cooker besides rice?

Sometimes you have to come up with your own recipe. For instance, I wanted hoisin sauce on the menu but couldn't find any that did not have have high fructose corn syrup in it.  I bought some hoisin sauce, tasted it and read the ingredients on the back, and used that information to make my own.  These are the sorts of things a chef can figure out because of the exposure and long-time practical, hands-on experience they have.  What makes one chef better than another is their ability to adapt and respond quickly and effectively (assuming of course they have talent).

Chefs know how to season and pair foods, they know how to put together menus because they are taking into account all these things based on their living knowledge of food and the many, many ways to handle it.

A good coach knows how to identify talent in new players, to put together the right combination of talent, to train and coach raw talent into hard-earned skill, discipline and drive.  And a great coach provides inspiration that moves the team to heights that were unimagined.  This is what chefs do in their kitchens.

And if you think it is more fun in the kitchen than it is on the training field, you are mistaken.  The work is hard and dangerous.  You better love it if you want to do it.  And unlike out on the field, there is no glory, especially in a school lunch program.  No one wants to pay for it. No one wants to take time for it. Big companies want to unload their unusable products on us....It
goes on and on.

Bonnie Christensen is executive chef for the Berkeley Unified School District, Berkeley, CA.

Berkeley Schools Cook from Scratch: Chefs Rule

by: euclidarms

Wed May 12, 2010 at 03:20:13 AM PDT

Executive chef Bonnie Christensen was at her desk, holding forth on her troubles with labor unions, when her second-in-command, sous chef Joan Gallagher, walked into the kitchen office cradling a bunch of asparagus freshly picked and just arrived in a 350-pound delivery from Full Belly Farms some 90 miles away in Sonoma County.

Asparagus was entering peak season in California. Christensen and Gallagher planned to serve it in the Berkeley Unified Schools District school lunches the following week--a rare treat, since asparagus otherwise is cost-prohibitive.

Gallagher regarded the bundle of green spears with a smile and a kind of dreamy, beatific look, as if she were holding a newborn child. During my week working in Berkley's central school kitchen, I often saw this expression on Gallagher's face when some aspect of the cooking process particularly aroused her senses.

Berkeley Schools Cook from Scratch: Parents Revolt

by: euclidarms

Tue May 11, 2010 at 02:16:25 AM PDT

Eric Weaver's son is a freshman in college now. But back when he was in kindergarten, Weaver, an appeals attorney in Berkeley, CA, was a parent volunteer who couldn't help noticing that the kids were sneaking into the teacher's snacks.

Not only were kids hungry because they hadn't eaten breakfast, Weaver discovered, but what the schools were serving them for lunch was hardly appetizing. "It was atrocious," Weaver said. "They had this grilled cheese heated in a plastic wrapper that was all mush. Corn dogs. The peanut butter and jelly was just crackers smeared with this stuff."

Weaver started talking to other parents and they got busy. One mother conducted her own survey and found that half the food served at lunch wound up in the garbage. "The kids would eat just enough to beat back the hunger, then throw the rest in the trash."

Just to show that kids would eat healthier food if given a chance, another parent started serving fresh, homemade soup and bread at one of Berkeley's elementary schools. Parents at another elementary school started a breakfast program, serving bagels once a week.

"We said, 'If you make good, healthy food, they will eat it,' " Weaver said.