Comments on: School Board Blocks Food Revolution

By: Lisa Johnson

Lisa Johnson — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 12:45:37 +0000

I have thought about it … it’s really tough to track down the information via internet. I’ve noticed they’re a bit more clever about what they post. Sigh. Because having our kids eat well is apparently a dirty secret, pizza and chicken nuggets for all! ;-)

By: one good guy

one good guy — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 19:22:54 +0000

Really great article with very interesting information. You might want to follow up to this topic!?! 2011

By: Lisa Johnson

Lisa Johnson — Mon, 02 May 2011 23:52:11 +0000

Garth, it did seem like such a small budget change that could have easily been funded and in fact WAS funded by private sources. L–

By: garth

garth — Sun, 01 May 2011 06:12:16 +0000

first off THE CITIZEN of West Virginia are paying for the school lunches with TAXES. you can not tell me they could not make adjustment to fund this food revolution. I live in jefferson County. i see all the money that flows to charleston. To hide behind the Beauracy that these twits have created and then attempt to enlarge it just shows how hard we must push back and take your schools back to the PUBLIC domain. Lets slash the school board down to one person and let the people of the state vote by referumend as to how we want are schools administered.

By: Lisa Johnson

Lisa Johnson — Tue, 11 May 2010 19:36:58 +0000

Angela,

Thanks so much for your comments. I hope you’re wrong about Michelle Obama’s efforts. I’d like to think that if an important enough person gets behind an issue with a good deal of money behind her that she’ll have some impact and we can turn the boat around so to speak.

I also agree with you that the Food Revolution begins in the home and pretty much as soon as your baby is on solids … got get those veggies in there and it would be great if they were organic ones to boot. Who needs to put chemicals in a baby unnecessarily?

Thanks again for your input, it’s greatly appreciated :-)

Lisa

By: Angela@spinachtiger

Angela@spinachtiger — Tue, 11 May 2010 13:48:32 +0000

This is America’s problem and would be better served with an American icon, although I totally love Jamie Oliver and I agree 100% with his food viewpoint. But, look at our food network channel. Overweight cooks making big big food and always looking like they are salivating over their last meal is what makes general entertainment here. When Julia Child taught cooking, she taught REAL cooking and it was meant to be eaten with a certain amount of restraint and appreciation. You cannot appreciate good food if your stomach doesn’t have a chance to get empty. The tons of sugary, fatty desserts we see on FCN ruin the appetite and palate. Our problem in America is way way bigger than school lunches. School lunch is just a mere reflection of our food culture in general, and that’s where the revolution needs to happen.

It never made sense to me to start in the schools and force school cooks to accept the change when they don’t believe in it and the parents of the children don’t either.

Michelle Obama is making it her business to target childhood obesity. She will probably fail, because child obesity is a mere result of an obese culture and this culture is affected by money and greed from the food industry and the government obliging the lobbyists. Children are 99% influenced by their parents, not by Jamie Oliver type chefs, or school cafeterias. Also, people with overeating issues do not like someone else controlling their children. Teach the parent and watch it trickle down.

The appetite for green beans begin in toddler hood, not school age.

I am a giant proponent of real, whole, healthy food and exercise and I live this way and I feed two twin boys this way. But, they would not learn this value system from a school or the government.

The food revolution begins in the home with revisiting the joy of sitting at a real table and the reintroduction of the joy of the process of cooking, not the end result. Until our culture sees the value of shelling fresh beans together, as part of the fun of eating, there is little hope. But, our culture values spending its time outside the kitchen.

By: Lisa Johnson

Lisa Johnson — Fri, 07 May 2010 13:56:49 +0000

thank you :-)

By: study abroad scholarship

study abroad scholarship — Fri, 07 May 2010 09:39:04 +0000

This is such a great resource that you are providing and you give it away for free. I enjoy seeing websites that understand the value of providing a prime resource for free. I truly loved reading your post. Thanks!

By: Lisa Johnson

Lisa Johnson — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 23:26:20 +0000

Excellent points Mark, I’m afraid you might be right … I hope not. L–

By: Mark B.

Mark B. — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 22:54:58 +0000

I wonder how heavily supported this really was by the community.
Reality TV is all about editing.
You have already pointed out that Jamie’s bet with DJ Rod was not 1,000 people in a week as portrayed on the show but 1,000 people in a month in reality.
Think about the final Boot Camp how many parents were really there? Look in the background when Jamie is talking off to the side. They are in a church parking lot and it is not anywhere near being full. The real proof is if there were thousands of people there there would’ve been a shot from a helicopter showing lots and lots of people. Not once during the show did you ever see a crowd shot like that.
The truth is that this wasn’t the same groundswell they saw in England when he did it.
This time it really was a modest success and if the change in the schools can be made to stick it can lead to real change because it will happen generationally. This is the lasting good that can come of this.
The school board is being stubborn because they don’t believe that now the cameras are gone anyone will really be paying attention. The proof will be what the school menu looks like on the first day of school next fall. I hope it succeeeds but just like “The Biggest Loser” I fear Huntington will return to its roots oh so easily once the circus has left town.