My kid just started preschool in what most people confidently refer to as a "hippie town." We live in Davis, California, the heart of the garden of frickin' organic Eden. And what do I see the littles eating for communal snack? Goldfish. Graham Crackers. Block orange cheese from Target. All provided by parents. I've been bracing myself against the wind and the storm, but man, I am pissed. Yes, everyone is busy and has a dying family member and a break-neck job. Yes, most people have 17 children and just lost their job. But seriously, would it kill them to bring vegetables? To choose life? In this town, all you have to do is take a quarter mile walk outside your door to find overflowing fig trees. It's pomegranate season. There are still Asian pears to be found. Good, actual, real food is available for free in this town, and still the preschoolers get cardboard. One of my friends had to put her foot down at her son's cooperative nursery school, because she didn't want him snacking on bagged Ore-ida french fries every Monday. "But the kids really look forward to Monday fries," the director whined. The kids are two and three years old. They don't know Monday from Doomsday, and they will live without potatoes and grease before naptime.
Am I crazy? Gaaaaagggghghhhh!!!! (Amy, this is why you are glad you have DOGS.)
I am not going to take this lying down. So far, my reaction has been relatively private. I've defensively signed up to bring cupcakes to the Halloween party... but I'm not always the first person to the sign-up sheet. Who knows what Costco-concoction the other parents are going to bring, and how will my pumpkin and cream-cheese mini cuppies compete with neon-green frosting?
The Anti-Costco.
xox
Yeah, you would think the dogs would exempt one from this sort of thing--until one's dog is offered a Snausage or some equally nasty non-food snack at the dog park (true story). Of course, the difference is that we're talking *dogs* here--critters that'll snarf up kitty poop at the first opportunity--so there's only so grossed out you can reasonably get about a Snausage. ;-)
ReplyDeleteAnd you *would* think some, say, baby carrots or fresh fruit would be pretty easy to accomplish. I like the looks of those cookies though!
Speaking as someone whose kids are at the same preschool -- I wholeheartedly agree! I wish I could request my kids get your pumpkin and cream cheese cuppies.
ReplyDeleteI find it laughable that there is a Lunchable-adjacent snack for a dog. Who knew!?
Uh oh, and p.s. for anyone paying attention: I successfully got myself scheduled to teach a class on total snack makeovers in February. To be continued...
ReplyDelete(also p.s.: I did take photos of the other foodstuffs brought to the Halloween party, and will eventually post them. They did not disappoint.)
xox