The fact that the children get quite a few choices for school dinners now seems to be something that a number of friends who are talking about this have mentioned, as well as on here. I find it utterly bizarre how many people seem to be of the "why do children get so many choices, we didn't" school of thought.
Surely it's a good thing that we're well by the days of "here's your meal, now eat it" regardless of what that meal was and the child's opinion of it? That kind of attitudes towards children and food just gives people life long issues. There's nothing to be proud of when little johnny had to sit at school dinners and eat the macaroni cheese because that was the days dinner when he simply threw it up afterwards.
Yes, some parents give their children too many choices. However surely if we want children to grow up with a healthy attitude to food then the best way to go about that is to give a little respect to the fact that there are some things that some people just won't like (and some days where you just want a snacky lunch and others you want a big lunch). Also there are some things that some cooks just can't make - I love macaroni cheese, alway have done, but to this day I have no idea what our school cook used to do with it. It was the most vile thing I've ever eater in my life. No good would have come of making that the only meal of the day.
The biggest problem with school dinners, imo, is the finance issue. Our local primary school has a huge certificate on the wall in the dining hall stating that their "catering manager" won the award for being the most efficient with her budget. She won a stonking prize for it as well. Personally I think the fact that she managed to save a couple of grand a year in food should see her hauled over the coals because she did it by serving crap food, smaller portions and, most ridiculously, running out of hot food before the end of the serving leaving children with no choice but sandwiches in the midst of winter.
