# NYC School, All Vegetarian Cafeteria



## SeaSparkle (May 1, 2013)

This is pretty darn cool!
The vegetarian meals were substituted in gradually & now they're completely meat-free! 


http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/201...becomes-first-all-vegetarian-cafeteria?lite%3


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## SeaBreeze (May 1, 2013)

That's good, kids nowadays seem to get enough cheeseburgers and tacos when they're with their parents.


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## R. Zimm (May 1, 2013)

To me the problem is not the meat but what is fed to the animals in the first place. We eat less meat than we used to but now it's only organic, grain fed, no GMO's, line caught, etc.

We also eat a lot of quinoa which has a good amount of protein for a plant. This morning I made myself gluten free "oatmeal" with 2 tablespoons of quinoa and it was yummy!


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## SifuPhil (May 1, 2013)

Meeting a growing child's protein requirements is not, I believe, as easy as all that. Finding the proper amount of protein equivalency is almost a full-time job for a nutritionist.  I wonder if that school has one of those?

Plus, now you're loading them up with carbs and cholesterol. 

I understand that the move toward a healthier diet is essential, especially in the schools, since many poorer families cannot afford to provide three meals a day for their children. I applaud the thinking _behind_ it - I would just like to be assured that they're _doing_ it the right way.


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## Ozarkgal (May 1, 2013)

Some of the items on the menu sound good, but that picture has me going yuck
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





 I agree with the idea that junk food and soda vending machines need to be taken out of schools, and calorie laden items such as fried foods need to be taken off the menu, but it seems like everything the government gets involved in is overboard.  I don't think this menu will  satisfy an active kid's appetite for an extended period of time, which may cause them to eat more in the long run. Especially those participating in sports.  How about just a healthy, well rounded meal?

I have a friend that worked for a short time in a school cafeteria last year.  This was a new school, in an upscale area.  She said the cafeteria was a calorie laden smorgasbord, with chicken fried steak, lots of fried foods, mashed potatoes, gravies, pastas dishes and desserts.  She was frustrated because the cafeteria staff had a short time to serve the kids and get them through the line.  There was so much variety to choose from the kids could not make up their mind what they wanted  Nor do most kids have a clue on how to balance a meal, they eat what tastes good to them.

Much of the food got thrown away after the lunch periods, and workers were not allowed to take it home.  So much waste and  an overboard menu in the opposite direction.

  When I was in school there was a set menu, no choices and they published a schedule of the menu a month in advance.  If you didn't like what they offered on a certain day, you took your Roy Roger and Dale Evans lunch box from home.


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## R. Zimm (May 3, 2013)

Ozarkgal said:
			
		

> When I was in school there was a set menu, no choices and they published a schedule of the menu a month in advance.



I seem to recall something like that. In high school they had a (pre-made) sandwich shack at the concession place by the gymnatorium and I usually ate there since it was next to the Band Room. The regular cafeteria was way at the front of the school and I did not have the time to walk there, eat, and get back.


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