There Should Be New Ways For School Cafeteria Food

[VicMan]

I think that HISD and other Houston city limit and Houston area school districts should allow more "restaurants" (dedicated lines to purchase different kinds of food) to open up in the secondary schools to relieve the lunch lines and to provide a larger selection.

While many kids like Papa John's and Chik-Fil-A, I think an even wider (international) selection should be introduced in school cafeterias.

Tex-Mex and Hispanic (such as El Salvadoran Pupusas) is an obvious contender, but another one I am thinking about is Asian food. Perhaps a combined Japanese/Chinese/Vietnamese/Korean restaurant should open in the largest schools, and it would serve food like Pho, Banh Mi (Vietnamese sandwiches), and Chinese buns. Maybe a Mediterranean and Indian restaurant should come in too.

[Casual Observer]

Has HISD been proactive in getting soda machines out of its schools?

[YakuzaIce]

Has HISD been proactive in getting soda machines out of its schools?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I don't think so. Were they trying to?

[tomv]

Just when it seemed the "architecture" forum had covered all topics. I forgot about school cafeteria food!

[Talbot]

My school has removed most soda machines throughout the school, but they still have some that they lock behind a gate during the school day and then they open it after school. But we have snack machines and drink machines that have juices and milk in it.

Also at my school sometimes for lunch we get Papa Johns, Chik-Fil-A, and we usually always have quesadillas and burritos from Taco Bell.

[sevfiv]

My school has removed most soda machines throughout the school, but they still have some that they lock behind a gate during the school day and then they open it after school. But we have snack machines and drink machines that have juices and milk in it.

Also at my school sometimes for lunch we get Papa Johns, Chik-Fil-A, and we usually always have quesadillas and burritos from Taco Bell.

are you talking high school?

[YakuzaIce]

are you talking high school?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I think he is if I remember his age right.

[Talbot]

Yes, it's high school.

[sevfiv]

ah okay - just checking - i don't know anyone's age around here

[Casual Observer]

Off Topic - Talbot, where do you go to school, when do you graduate, and what do you want to do after that?

[Talbot]

I go to Mayde Creek High in far far west Houston, its right on the line of Katy and Houston.

I will be a senior this year so i graduate in 2006.

I will go to HCC closer to my home to get my basic classes out of the way and then hope to go to U of H to study urban planning because I want to be an Urban Planner. (prefer to work for the city, but if not then thats cool.) But I need to check to see if U of H has those types of classes.

[VicMan]

Off-topic, but isn't Mayde Creek actually in Unincorporated Harris County?

[Talbot]

No, it's in Houston. It's just very close to unincorporated Harris County. The city limits sign is actually right next to the main parking lot between the school and Collin(sp?) Park.

[Casual Observer]

Your posts are too smart to come from a high school junior.

[sevfiv]

But I need to check to see if U of H has those types of classes.

UH offers degrees in civil and environmental engineering, as well as environmental and industrial design (through the gerald d. hines college of architecture).

yay for cougar high! heh

[Talbot]

Your posts are too smart to come from a high school junior.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

lol yeah right, i don't sound nearly as smart as most of the forumers on here. But thank you.

And thanks for the information sevfiv. I guess I can start focusing more on getting into U of H then.

[Toggle3]

I think that HISD and other Houston city limit and Houston area school districts should allow more "restaurants" (dedicated lines to purchase different kinds of food) to open up in the secondary schools to relieve the lunch lines and to provide a larger selection.

While many kids like Papa John's and Chik-Fil-A, I think an even wider (international) selection should be introduced in school cafeterias.

Tex-Mex and Hispanic (such as El Salvadoran Pupusas) is an obvious contender, but another one I am thinking about is Asian food. Perhaps a combined Japanese/Chinese/Vietnamese/Korean restaurant should open in the largest schools, and it would serve food like Pho, Banh Mi (Vietnamese sandwiches), and Chinese buns. Maybe a Mediterranean and Indian restaurant should come in too.

1. It's really important that kids in HISD schools embrace English. The majority of kids in HISD are Hispanic with English as their second language. That, coupled with the fact that HISD hires more ACP teachers than any other district in the country has our students struggling to acheive academically.

Tasty dishes with foreign names doesn't help the assimilation process.

2. All the food you've mentioned is highly fattening and unhealthy. Our tax dollars are being wasted at a big enough rate by HISD already---we cannot ethically support fast food being introduced into the schools.

Finally, get a grip. Chinese buns and banh mi shouldn't be your priority for HISD. Millions in misappropriated grant monies, both stat and federal, religious discrimination agasint teachers, assaults and drugs on campuses city-wide, corruption at the highest levels....fraud, cheating ---just to name a few problems....but you think restaurants need to come on board?

Oy vey.

[musicman]

1. It's really important that kids in HISD schools embrace English. The majority of kids in HISD are Hispanic with English as their second language. That, coupled with the fact that HISD hires more ACP teachers than any other district in the country has our students struggling to acheive academically.

Tasty dishes with foreign names doesn't help the assimilation process.

2. All the food you've mentioned is highly fattening and unhealthy. Our tax dollars are being wasted at a big enough rate by HISD already---we cannot ethically support fast food being introduced into the schools.

Finally, get a grip. Chinese buns and banh mi shouldn't be your priority for HISD. Millions in misappropriated grant monies, both stat and federal, religious discrimination agasint teachers, assaults and drugs on campuses city-wide, corruption at the highest levels....fraud, cheating ---just to name a few problems....but you think restaurants need to come on board?

Oy vey.

[ricco67]

1. It's really important that kids in HISD schools embrace English. The majority of kids in HISD are Hispanic with English as their second language. That, coupled with the fact that HISD hires more ACP teachers than any other district in the country has our students struggling to acheive academically.

Tasty dishes with foreign names doesn't help the assimilation process.

2. All the food you've mentioned is highly fattening and unhealthy. Our tax dollars are being wasted at a big enough rate by HISD already---we cannot ethically support fast food being introduced into the schools.

Finally, get a grip. Chinese buns and banh mi shouldn't be your priority for HISD. Millions in misappropriated grant monies, both stat and federal, religious discrimination agasint teachers, assaults and drugs on campuses city-wide, corruption at the highest levels....fraud, cheating ---just to name a few problems....but you think restaurants need to come on board?

Oy vey.

How much of a workout did you do to your legs to make THAT jump?

Before I take on this one, I suggest you give yourself a little culinary and linguistic history lesson.

First off here's your first assignment: Name ALL foods that originated in the United States.

Second: Look up the origin of the foods you eat today and see the origins of those.

Thirdly: Find a meal that is healthy to eat AND is American in origin, AND is able to meet HISD's target of feeding EVERY child for approximately $1 a child.

Bonus points: If you can do so without raising taxes or you're WILLING to raise taxes to meet the healthy criteria.

Good luck with that.

[Toggle3]

How much of a workout did you do to your legs to make THAT jump?

Find a meal that is healthy to eat AND is American in origin, AND is able to meet HISD's target of feeding EVERY child for approximately $1 a child.

I'm in great shape. Jumping is fairly easy for me.

As to the healthy, non-tax-raising lunch for kids: Salad. Very American, healthy and easy to pronounce! Or how about tofu? American farmers grow it,high in protein, low if fat. Yummy. Maybe some fish that isn't deep-fried. Perhaps a few veggies and Texas grown rice?!

We don't need Gordon Ramsey to make improvements in the HISD cafeterias--just some common sense and a lot less oil. It'd alos be great if our kids could be allowed to speak English during lunch too.

[sevfiv]

oh my.

The Encyclopedia of Food and Culture claims the ancient Greeks and Romans introduced "salad" (Hippocrates was especially fond of the idea that raw greens went through the body so easily and "cleared the way" for other foods, and therefore should be served first).

As for etymology and pronunciation, salad comes from French salade, and tofu is a romanization (romaji spelling) of the Japanese.

It is really strange and alienating to try to practice ethnocentrism/supremacism in the US of all places

[ricco67]

oh my.

The Encyclopedia of Food and Culture claims the ancient Greeks and Romans introduced "salad" (Hippocrates was especially fond of the idea that raw greens went through the body so easily and "cleared the way" for other foods, and therefore should be served first).

As for etymology and pronunciation, salad comes from French salade, and tofu is a romanization (romaji spelling) of the Japanese.

It is really strange to try to practice ethnocentrism/supremacism in the US of all places

I was thinking the same thing, Sev.

Keep trying toggle.

BTW: Fish is expensive and difficult to transport in large quantities and it would definitely cost more than a dollar a kid in that alone!

So far you picked a japanese meal (you want to american kids to eat AMERICAN food, you know.)

Sev got it pegged with Salads (forgot about that, actually!)

So now we're doing heavy rice meals. sounds strangely asian to me.

Where are those black helicopters when you need them?

[VicMan]

HISD contracts with Aramark to prepare cafeteria food. Now, my university is using a new food service company (I believe it is replacing Aramark), but I'm not sure if that food service company caters to public school districts.

I never took vegetables in the school cafeteria (I started going to school cafeterias for lunch shortly after I entered River Oaks Elementary) except when I had the vegetable soup at River Oaks. Gosh, I loved it! I also loved the chicken drumsticks at my high school.

Anyway, do you believe that HISD should find a new food service provider?

I'm in great shape. Jumping is fairly easy for me.

As to the healthy, non-tax-raising lunch for kids: Salad. Very American, healthy and easy to pronounce! Or how about tofu? American farmers grow it,high in protein, low if fat. Yummy. Maybe some fish that isn't deep-fried. Perhaps a few veggies and Texas grown rice?!

We don't need Gordon Ramsey to make improvements in the HISD cafeterias--just some common sense and a lot less oil. It'd alos be great if our kids could be allowed to speak English during lunch too.

[musicman]

Anyway, do you believe that HISD should find a new food service provider?

sounds like he wants healthier food. when i was in school our only options were milk and water for lunch. HISD did the coke thing to make money, however as children are getting fatter, they've realized that cokes are contributing to the problem. it would be itneresting to see if the children getting free lunch are buying cokes as well. its one of those things that would piss you off if you knew the whole story.

[VicMan]

sounds like he wants healthier food. when i was in school our only options were milk and water for lunch. HISD did the coke thing to make money, however as children are getting fatter, they've realized that cokes are contributing to the problem. it would be itneresting to see if the children getting free lunch are buying cokes as well. its one of those things that would piss you off if you knew the whole story.

HISD has soda machines in secondary schools for students - In high school, I remembered the cheapest cola can costing 60 cents at first. The price rose to 75 cents by my junior or senior year.

Anyway, fast food tie-ins are there to make money for the schools as well (I believe this is up to the individual school). My high school had Chik-Fil-A sandwiches on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Each sandwich as three dollars, and each salad wrap was four dollars. I paid for sandwiches every Tuesday and Thursday despite the price.

[musicman]

HISD has soda machines in secondary schools for students - In high school, I remembered the cheapest cola can costing 60 cents at first. The price rose to 75 cents by my junior or senior year.

which would pay nicely for lunch or at least reduced price lunch

[Vertigo58]

1. It's really important that kids in HISD schools embrace English. The majority of kids in HISD are Hispanic with English as their second language. That, coupled with the fact that HISD hires more ACP teachers than any other district in the country has our students struggling to acheive academically.

Tasty dishes with foreign names doesn't help the assimilation process.

Oy vey.

Oy vey is right!

This is the same topic that keeps resurfacing month after month and end result is mass Haif carnage. No one will ever agree to any one answer.

I am going to sit this one out this time and watch from the side lines like the others. Left boxing gloves at home.

santo cielo! goodness gracious!

[flyingman]

LOL how does eating foreign foods and opening your mind to the world you live in have anything to do with embracing the English Language? No one said anything about teaching classes in Japanese, Mandarin, Vietnamese, Spanish, Russian, French, etc. Seeing Chicken Pad Thai on the sign is not going to erase the English language from anyone's brain.

Anyway I think the schools should be introducing better healthy food choices, and one way you'll find better variety of healthy food is by looking at all types of cuisines from around the world. There are some delicious choices out there be it from Japan, China, Greece, France, anywhere!

[hbcu]

I'm fairly young but this generation now has more already and doesn't need to be spoiled....keep the Aramark food

With your fancy new schools, internet all over the place and foodcourts, why are test scores and morale at an all-time low? My mother and father went to a segregated school with hardly any lunches and had more desire to get out and attend college to better themselves.

[Toggle3]

LOL how does eating foreign foods and opening your mind to the world you live in have anything to do with embracing the English Language?

Pad thai is yummy but let kids embrace the American culture whilst they're in school; especially when they're in a public school funded by American tax payer money.

Besides teaching academics, one purpose of the American public education is to assimilate (some would say endoctrinate) children into the American culture. And yes, American has one culture. There are many sub-cultures to be sure, but the American culture is quite distinct and doesn't offer roasted dog on the menu.

Eating foreign food is a delicious practice. Let's make sure it remains "foreign" and doesn't supplant (or bash) our American heritage.