Thursday, September 07, 2006

Healthy Eating

I called into my local Fish and Chip shop last night and found the proprietor in a very upbeat mood. When I remarked on this, he explained that he was celebrating the Government's new initiative on healthy eating in schools.

Somewhat puzzled, I listened to him explain that the Comprehensive a few hundred metres from his door has got rid of their vending machine and has taken chips off the canteen menu.

He spotted an opportunity straight away and installed a gigantic new fridge bursting with cans and bottles and has invested in a new double sized deep fat fryer!

He has had to take on an assistant to cope with the extra lunchtime demand and even admitted that to his shame, a few months ago he had gone on a march organised by local parents to protest at the quality of school dinners.

I laughed all the way home.

11 comments:

Meg said...

What a great laugh!

Anonymous said...

Ah, yet another manifestation of what politicians like to call "the law of unintended consequences". Or, as I like to call it for short, "stupidity".

Anonymous said...

everything this government does reeks of the law of unintended consequences.

by the way, is it just me, or is everyone else unable to get an annoying little ditty out of their heads...

thi-ings... can only get bedder... can only ge-et bedd-er-er

Anonymous said...

Mr Chalk, after the first day at school (Year 9) my son has come home with 10 sheets of A4, all letters informing me about different rules and regulations we have to adhere to. Where is the sense in that? There is nothing new. Every year I have to sign a form saying he is white and British, for example, it is a government requirement, also that he will be staying for school lunch, he will be participating in sex educaiton etc....

Anonymous said...

ha ha. very sad and very true. every year the kids at our school just get fatter and fatter. it can't be long before one of them bursts.

like the notes about the book on the sidebar, too. are you going to get brodie's to print them?

Anonymous said...

In my day we weren't allowed out of the school grounds unless we were going to a games lesson. But then again we weren't allowed trainers or ear-rings either (all boys school) but it seems de rigeur round my way now for the little scroats to be all blinged up..

Anonymous said...

How's Jamie going to combat that then?

Anonymous said...

that is exactly what happens at my school only they also call at the newsagents to get sweets and chocolate to give them a sugar rush just in time for afternoon lessons

Anonymous said...

Nice one, Mr Chalk!
New term for me also, and we have introduced totally new dinner arrangements - lots of healthy choices and chips only once a week. Chaos of course. By the second day (today) the children have twigged which stalls provide the least healthy options and are scrambling around them. As well as the childrens' solution to their junk food deficit that you outline I anticipate an increase in brought in junk food. Much hand-wringing will result; leading to the conclusion that suppliers of 'unhealthy foods' should be further demonised. The teaching profession, or at least our political masters, will never acknowledge that what kids eat is a result of what they choose and what their parents allow. Schools play a very minor part.

AC

Anonymous said...

I love our new "healthy" menu... not. same rubbish, but at least we have plates this year, instead of burger boxes...

I was in a meeting with sodexho bods and when I suggested a salad bar, maybe with things like couscous, you would have thought I was from Mars.

I particularly hate the frozen mixed veg, with everything the
same size as the sweetcorn... esp when is is so well cooked that it is all entirely drained of colour.

(sorry about ranting)

Anonymous said...

Yeah, but can you really blame the guy? Maybe now the chippie near my old school will actually open when the Sixth Form and locals are turned loose, rather than just as we're meant to be getting back...