Jamie's food and our food

Recently, I have been following the programme 'Jamie's school dinners'. I am impressed by Jamie's enthusiasm and what's more, by the dinner lady Nora's transformation. I believe many people have said many good things about them and we should be thankful for their efforts.

Yet, what really shocked me is 'why the children dislike proper food, fresh meat and veggies! Some of them even said that the veggies in the food put them off and they chose to starve. One child went as far as refusing to try Jamie's chicken wrap even when Jamie offered him a hundred pounds. Yes, I would understand if children or young people prefer meat more but these kids don't like proper meat. They only want those plastic like processed and frozen so called 'burgers' or 'sausages'. And they went bananas when the school canteen stopped offering chips for lunch.

The possible explanation for such a phenomenon could be that these children very rarely have 'real' meals made of fresh ingredients. They are accustomed to what their parents have been giving them since however long. Giving them proper food at school is like forcing them out of their comfort zone. I suppose if you go to see the parents of these children, and you understand. Sometimes, I wonder if these parents have ever experienced a proper dinner that is cooked with top quality fresh ingredients. If they had, why would they have such bad taste for food? Their bad taste and horrible eating habits have infected their children! What a shame! By the way, should we consider it as a form of child abuse to fail to provide a balanced diet and nutritious foods to your child?

Another possibiltiy is about cultiving the good taste for good food in children. One's taste for food is not inborn. We need to teach our children what to eat. We should expose them to different kinds of healthy foods. We should give more thoughts to and put in better efforts in making healthy dishes tasty. We need to use different strategies to make sure that they don't become picky on foods. We need to get them into eating what is good and important for their health. If parents have tried to push their kids to eat healthier and eat more vegetables but failed, then it must be that they too easily succumb to their children's ignorance and wrong demands. The problem lies in the fact that parents these days dare not say 'no' to their little emperors because that sounds politically incorrect and socially undemocratic.

The solution for parents is simple - use your common sense. Think long-term. Instead of being desperate to please your kids at every turn, imagine how they would thank you when they grow up and realise that you have laid down a good health foundation for them and passed on a precious and pleasurable tradition of enjoying good food.