by Fran Brennan
Managing Editor, Food News Journal
I hate school lunches.
I know everyone’s on the school-lunch bandwagon right now. But I just want to jump ship.
School lunches strike terror in my heart, wake me up in the night in a cold sweat. Once, before I had kids, I was engulfed by a group of school children leaving the subway just as I was heading down. I think I suffered the one and only panic attack of my life when I realized then and there that I’d have to pack lunches one day. Every day. And make them interesting. And healthy. And probably in multiples.
It could be I’m haunted by the youthful memory of more than 30 brown lunch bags stacked on our kitchen counter every Sunday, ready for the week. I come from a big, big family and a very, very organized mother.
So I’ve tried. Today, my oldest son has homemade pizza with a super-thin crust and fresh tomato sauce. My middle daughter has a whole-wheat quesadilla stuffed with black-bean chili and cheddar cheese. Yay them. Yay me.
But my youngest? Well, he’s another story entirely. His elementary school just instituted a nut ban for the entire school. Peanut butter and jelly – that iconic staple of every childhood lunchbox – is officially verboten. And that’s really all he ever wants for lunch. Ever.
Now what? There are a few other options for him, I know. But if it pains me that peanut butter is the backbone of his daily diet, imagine how his dinner obsession with hot dogs hurts. Oh, and he does like salami quite a bit. But do I really want to make my seven-year-old son a poster child for the American Heart Association? Perhaps not.
I’m not proud of what a picky eater I’ve produced. I’m not even very sure how it happened. We’ve exposed him to the same array of foods we’ve given his siblings. They love sandwiches like ham, brie and apples with Dijon mustard in their lunches. Or pasta with pesto. Or sushi or tamales.
He likes peanut butter and jelly.
The most painful part? He, not the other two adventurous eaters, is the child I deserve. I eat (almost) everything now. But I tormented my mom when I was a kid, surviving on nothing but (sugary) breakfast cereal and Velveeta (yes, the skeleton in my closet is an inorganic shade of orange). I hid anything resembling a vegetable in my napkin and truly believed she wouldn’t notice. There was even a time when peanut butter and jelly made me gag, and I would knock on every door in our elementary school looking for the sibling who mistakenly got my processed cheese product.
So now I’m paying for the culinary wasteland that was my childhood. Paying for the hell I put my own mother through. I’m on pins and needles every time I try to sneak a peanut-butter-and-banana sandwich past the seven-year-old censor, breathing a sigh of relief only when he doesn’t come home starving and pointing an accusatory finger. I considered it a major accomplishment last spring when he agreed to try almond butter – and liked it.
But now almond butter’s on the outs too. In fact, all nuts (and, according to school rumors, even most seeds) are on the hit list. No nuts. At all. Ever. I didn’t see it coming. Turns out my mom’s revenge is a dish best served from a plastic Ziploc bag.
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19 comments:
Smae thing happened to us. Our daughter is a terribly picky eater. Not only that, she loves junk food. But she is getting better as she gets older. A lot of it is a power struggle. She just finished reading a book about steak.
Do they still make Cheez Whiz? That was always the yin to my PB&J's yang. And with a first name like Cheez, it's gotta be healthy, right?
My four year old is the same way. For awhile we had to cook a batch of pancakes and keep them in the fridge because it was one of maybe four things we could get him to eat. Breaks my heart that his food groups are corn/hot dogs, ramen noodle, pancakes, and cereal. The WWF could sell tickets to our dinners when we cook something not on the Child Approved list!
My brother, now a wonderful eater, ate nothing but hotdogs and peanut butter and honey (yuck!) in his early years. He was an aspiring hockey player at 7 (making it to the minor leagues for three years)and he and my mom wrote to our local professional hockey team and sent them all a survey asking which foods they liked to eat, needed to eat, etc. Amazingly a lot of them returned the surveys in the envelopes my mom provided and their answers really had an impact on my brother (who still has them all in a scrapbook). Too often our kids listen to others before mom ... I have a 7-year old boy stuck on chicken nuggets and am thinking of taking a page out of my mom's book.
Oh I feel your pain, I truly do. I am a very adventurous eater and my sone is...not. Peanut butter and jelly is what he takes to school every day that thye don't serve pizza or ravioli for hot lunch. I struggle daily with the guilt over his diet. The bonus for me is that he has such a sensitive gag reflex that if you make him put something in his mouth that he doesn't like the taste of, he WILL throw up. Wherever he is.
So, yes, I feel your pain, and I wish both of us luck.
Even seeds? See, I don't get that. An allergy to one nut does not always mean an allergy to another nut. And an allergy to nuts does not mean an allergy to seeds. Schools need to educate themselves about allergens and stop making these blanket restrictions.
Our daughter's school does not ban nuts or other potetial food allergens. Instead, kids with allergies sit away from kids eating trouble foods (and no food sharing is allowed), and that's that.
Our kids need to make their way in the world eventually, so I don't get why more schools don't adopt that sort of policy. With daycares and preschools, I'm more understanding, since the kids are so small and hands are always in mouths. But once kids get to kindergarten, they can be taught to be aware of these things.
Sigh. In the meantime, if your school indeed allows seeds, you might try sunflower butter.
I feel your pain, Fran! Our school has a no-nuts ban as well. When that happened, my son went from PB&J on an almost daily basis to Turkey & Cheese sandwiches (very, very plain: let's not imagine it's anything else). At least he eats it on sliced multigrain instead of Wonder. Good luck with your school year!
Our school also has a no-nuts policy, my younger son is also a picky eater, and I too pack lunches every day. Here are some of the things that work for him: cubes of cheese with a toothpick; cold cut-up chicken with a toothpick or fork; yogurt; rolled-up slices of ham or turkey; cold leftover pasta (no sauce); cold cut-up steak with a toothpick. Note the no-sandwiches theme - occasionally I can give him a sandwich in a rolled-up tortilla, and for some reason he loves Brie sandwiches, but those only sometimes. Hope this helps!
Hmm - what to do. Maybe a PB & J for breakfast and then Momma Fran is waiting outside when the bell rings with the afternoon PB &J. To tide him over at lunch, fill his Lunch box with his other favorites ala Cher in Mermaids. He will be the envy of all as he does not have the standard lunch fare. I know you will conquer this too as you are the best foodie I know. Don't let the nuts get you down!
This sounds like my sister growning up. PB & J was her favorite meal.
Well perhaps soynut butter can come to the rescue??
ahhhh, yes....well, i'm being punished as well, but in a slightly different way; my 14yr old son used to eat EVERYTHING.....linguini and clam sauce at 3, in his high chair; broccoli, always the first thing to disappear from his dinner plate; whole wheat bread, not a problem. and I bragged....A LOT.....now, if it's not beige, white or in a fast food bag he wants nothing to do with it....
I am so laughing at your lovely story because i have one adventurous foodie and one strictly picky eater. It gets better. She is 14 now and I can finally get broccoli into her! The over zealousness with nut bans is really more about law suits than anything else, and that the majority of children are having their rights curtailed goes undiscussed. I do feel sorry for the many children who suffer life threatening food allergies, and peanuts is definitely one of them. I was on a flight a few months back and the flight attendant came on to say that no peanuts would be served (this was SWest airlines) because a child was on board with a severe allergy. I can understand THAT because of the recirculated air, but in a school why not have a dedicated area for allergy sufferers or even have a peanut ONLY table...
I say good pasture raised uncured salami is in your future! Best of luck! Alex
p.s. I LOVE your site!
Why not just have peanut butter for dinner and her usual dinner food for lunch? Or breakfast food at lunch? Pack a lock-n-lock style tupperware of a nut free cereal and a spoon. Pour in milk and you have a yummy, nut free lunch.
I enjoyed reading your blog, but don't share the horror at a nut/seed ban. Having those foods out of the lunchroom may save some other child's life. Seems worth it.
Wow... I thought schools were places where learning took place! It seems as if they could post signage or group foods to educate students about food allergies and how to be mindful and careful. These children will grow up one day and be forced to make food decisions. I seems like it would be best to learn it as they grow up in school too. What will be next -- a ban on milk or fish? How about perfumes, dust or even sunscreens. However, until the school smartens up, I guess your sweet little guy will just have to rely on his very creative mom.
Peanut buttery hands down
the best blog in town!
This article reminds me so much of myself. From 2nd grade until 9th grade I refused to eat anything except a mozzarella cheese sandwich. The most variation I would allow would be the option of a hard roll or whole wheat bread. For other meals I was just as picky- the only protein I consumed was white meat chicken, off the bone, and vegetables were out of the question. During my later years in High School I refused to eat anything except cucumbers and iceberg lettuce. My mother was so excited when I allowed grilled chicken back in my diet. As for now... I have been at The Culinary Institute of America for 2 years and eat steak, pork, fish, shellfish, most vegetables, and all sorts of ethnic cuisines, not to mention my unhealthy obsession with fois gras (fatty duck liver). So for all of you with picky children, don't worry... There's still hope!
Very funny! Thanks for the laugh.
you have struck a chord. the intersection of no nuts and vegan is a strikingly empty set!
Ugh that is so terrible. As a teacher I can see why the school would do this as it's incredibly stressful for all when a child goes into anaphylaxis, but I agree with the above comments stating that children should learn that what they do and what others do can be different.
At my school even teachers aren't supposed to eat nuts in case a fragment *somehow* gets ingested by a child. If we do we have to soap our whole arms (think what a surgeon does before operation) before returning to class. Ridiculous.
As for the fussy eating, my sister was the same. I think you know yourself that he won't turn out worse for wear because of this, so smile and take a big breathe while you make some more hotdogs :) It'll be okay!
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