Happy 1st Birthday, MyPlate.gov!

Teachers are never alone in their struggles of fighting the currents of mandates, while hanging on to that which we feel is good and right.  I found an unlikely connection in our cafeteria worker, the beloved Miss E.  She uses her own recipes and brings in her own equipment from home that the school doesn't provide.  She was sorely missed this year when her husband died and, later on, during a bout of surgery.  She's a dear, but I don't agree with her values on nutrition v. taste.  Her food ain't gourmet, but it is cooked with care.

The cafeteria at my school, though run by many hard working employees, is contributing to the obesity epidemic.  Really, this is a district-state-national issue.  On the occasion I do go to the student line, I am always disappointed.  You walk up, and all you can see is a glowing pizza on display.  You have to be tall and interested in looking behind the pizza to see any other choices.  Chips and cookies are staples for my students.  I implore them to choose vegetables and fruits. 

Here I am, hyped up on Jamie Oliver's "Food Revolution".  So I cornered our cafeteria manger.

Me: What sort of response is our district taking to some of the new USDA pushes this year?
Manager: The new laws mean more whole wheat. So we're using whole wheat pastas, whole wheat flours for baked goods, whole wheat buns with our sandwiches.
Me: Nice.
Manager:  More fruits and vegetables. 
Me: Are we were always going to use plastic and paper disposable trays?  Will we ever go back to the days of real dishes and silverware?  Think of the environmental impact!  Can I ever send students to dishes detention? 
Manager: No.

Miss E is being told to use all of these whole wheat pastas and flours.  She is told to "follow the recipe!"  She doesn't feel appreciated by her manager.  She wants to add buckets of cheese to the broccoli.  She fears that we otherwise "won't like it.  It taste too bland."  I try and assure her that we like bland.  She jokes that when she doesn't come back next year, all the teachers are going to lose a lot of weight.  I'm pretty sure she's right.