http://www.startribune.com/1592/story/413303.html

Could you, would you try the beets?

Would you eat veggies at your school? Would you say jicama is cool? Yes
we will eat them in our school! Jicama is very cool!

James Walsh, Star Tribune
Last update: May 04, 2006 * 9:39 PM

"Beets are nasty!" said Holton Phung, 7. And, of course, there were
those who agreed.

Such is the risk when you let elementary kids taste-test a new lunch
menu item. Asking 18,000-plus St. Paul elementary students to choose a
"Coolest New Veggie" is a bit like asking Bret Favre to pick his
favorite Viking.

But you know what? Judging by the lunchroom reaction Thursday at Nokomis
Montessori Magnet School on St. Paul's East Side, the kids were giving
it a shot.

The official veggie ballot consisted of jicama sticks, pickled beets,
portobello mushrooms and sliced red and green bell peppers. Elementary
students across the city were to put a ticket into a box representing
their favorite new vegetable offering. The winner will be added to the
district's à la carte menu next fall. It's part of a continuing effort
to offer healthful, interesting and culturally diverse foods, nutrition
service officials said.

A side note: Thursday's main entree of pizza was served on a whole-wheat
crust and topped with skim-milk mozzarella. And kids were served hummus
as a dip for their veggies or bread. Most used a finger.

Early exit polls indicated that jicama (hick-a-ma), a starchy, crunchy
white veggie with a slightly sweet flavor, has a leg up.

Just ask second-grader Evan Hoefflin, 9.
"Jicama? Yeah, I liked that one best. I thought it was like white
carrots."

As young Evan said this, he nibbled on a raw mushroom. Like many of his
cafeteria-mates at Nokomis, Evan wasn't going to let a little fungus
scare him. He tried everything.

So did Victoria Yang, 8, who shared Evan's newfound love of jicama --
and Holton's dislike of beets.

"It tastes like ketchup," she said, wrinkling her nose.
Oh, so you don't like ketchup?
"I like ketchup."
But you don't like the beets because they taste like ketchup?
"Right."

Makes perfect sense.

Jamila Pickett, 9, said she likes all the vegetables she tried Thursday.
So she had to go by something deeper to choose a favorite.
"I like the mushrooms the best," Jamila said. "It feels in my stomach
that I like it. It makes my stomach comfortable."

Eric Ciliske, 9, didn't especially care for the presentation of the
mushrooms, which were sliced and served without adornment. Eric likes to
stuff portobello mushrooms with bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese when he
serves them at home.

Eric cooks? "Yep. I make green beans, too. And soup."
From a can or homemade? "From a bag," he said, rolling his eyes. "You
boil water and put the noodles in and then you open a season packet."
So, Eric, in your expert culinary opinion, which is the coolest?
"Jicama," he said, rolling his eyes again. "Sheesh!"

--
-Barb
http://jamlady.eboard.com Updated 5/8/06, Festival of Nations.
"If it's not worth doing to excess, it's not worth doing at all."

On Tue 09 May 2006 11:18:21a, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Melba's
Jammin'?

Maybe it's just you Minnesotans.

--

Wayne Boatwright
__________________________________________________ ___________

"How can a nation be great if it's bread taste like Kleenex?"

Julia Child

Pickled beets ? Yech! I like my beets un-pickled. I'll get pickled if
pickling is needed.

As for the choices, the Jicama is the closest thing to french fries,
the plain shooms are boring, and I'll bet the peppers came in second.
The red peppers in particular are on the sweet side.

Why not have a few more interesting choices ? Edamame, sauted shrooms,
daikon, and asparagus ?

Dean G.

"Melba's Jammin'" wrote

"Beets are nasty!" said Holton Phung, 7. And, of course, there were
those who agreed.

Kid makes a lot of sense.

Early exit polls indicated that jicama (hick-a-ma), a starchy, crunchy
white veggie with a slightly sweet flavor, has a leg up.

Think raw potato.

Reminds me a little of last night's Honey We're Killing the Kids,
first time I managed to catch it. Where'd they find these people,
it was ridiculous. Every member of the family had *piles* of
candy. The mother made everything worse by making icky faces
at every fresh thing they tried.

But what do they try to tempt the children with, get them to eat
more fresh vegetables, etc? First night, brussels sprouts. Now,
give me a break. Yeah, you're going to try changing some kid's
idea of what is food, start with brussels sprouts. Ridiculous.

Unless I'm mistaken, they also introduced the idea of drinking a
glass of milk in the same meal. Too stupid, I must be wrong.
Milk and brussels sprouts.

Next night, sushi. That'll get them to turn over a new leaf! You
kidding me??

At any rate, beets, that'll get the kids going. Right along
with the plain mushrooms. Probably rubbing their hands in
glee over that duo.

(laugh) nancy

In article . com,
"Dean G." wrote:
..

Why not have a few more interesting choices ? Edamame, sauted shrooms,
daikon, and asparagus ?

Dean G.


I'd bet the rent that cost comes into play in the menu selections.
--
-Barb
http://jamlady.eboard.com Updated 5/8/06, Festival of Nations.
"If it's not worth doing to excess, it's not worth doing at all."

"Nancy Young" wrote

At any rate, beets, that'll get the kids going. Right along
with the plain mushrooms. Probably rubbing their hands in
glee over that duo.

(laugh) nancy

You have to have very discriminating tastes to enjoy pickled beets. So
there, Barb! And you too, Nancy!
Just no hope for you two. (sigh)

Dora

On Tue 09 May 2006 02:14:53p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it limey?


"Nancy Young" wrote

At any rate, beets, that'll get the kids going. Right along
with the plain mushrooms. Probably rubbing their hands in
glee over that duo.

(laugh) nancy

You have to have very discriminating tastes to enjoy pickled beets. So
there, Barb! And you too, Nancy!
Just no hope for you two. (sigh)

Dora

I absolutely *love* pickled beets! I don't much care for plain canned
beets, but fresh beets have a terrific flavor. Harvard beets are a nice
change, too.

--

Wayne Boatwright
__________________________________________________ ___________

"How can a nation be great if it's bread taste like Kleenex?"

Julia Child

"limey" wrote

"Nancy Young" wrote

At any rate, beets, that'll get the kids going. Right along
with the plain mushrooms. Probably rubbing their hands in
glee over that duo.

You have to have very discriminating tastes to enjoy pickled beets. So
there, Barb! And you too, Nancy!
Just no hope for you two. (sigh)

Yeah, well, they're icky icky icky!

nancy

Nancy Young wrote:

"Melba's Jammin'" wrote


"Beets are nasty!" said Holton Phung, 7. And, of course, there were
those who agreed.


Kid makes a lot of sense.


Early exit polls indicated that jicama (hick-a-ma), a starchy, crunchy
white veggie with a slightly sweet flavor, has a leg up.


Think raw potato.


Some people like raw potato, as well as raw onion, eat them like an apple.

But i wonder how much of kid's bad eating habits are due to the
overabundance of processed junk food?

I used to wonder why a particular I HOP's onion rings were so much
better than others until one day i saw the cook pouring a bunch of sugar
into the batter for the onion rings.

Kids get hooked on an unhealthy diet at a very early age and its very
hard to change them.

At least here in California there is some progress being made in
removing junk food vending machines from schools.

Growing up on a rural farm far away from the temptations of junk foods
(or such as existed at the time) i never gave much thought to the eating
of veggies, me mum is such a good cook that it was never an issue.

But i can remember the time many years later, when i was visiting home
from the military and staying with a married sister and her family in a
large urban area i was asked to do some shopping, to pick up some bread
and veggies.

Which i did, got some fresh whole wheat bread from a local bakery and
went to the local supermarket for some whole fresh veggies.

While i and my sister had a nice time preparing a nice lunch for her
kids the kids themselves found the bread and fresh steamed veggies
bewildering, distasteful and ultimately unpleasant to them.

I have even seen adults find distasteful very good, fresh food just
cause it was different than what they were used to.

Now that my Sis's kids are adults with kids of their own they have
completely changed, and serve there children good food and wont allow
them all the junk food there friends seem to live on. But the whining
still goes on, "if timmy can have potato chips and pepsi for lunch why
cant i!!!"
---
JL


Reminds me a little of last night's Honey We're Killing the Kids,
first time I managed to catch it. Where'd they find these people,
it was ridiculous. Every member of the family had *piles* of
candy. The mother made everything worse by making icky faces
at every fresh thing they tried.

But what do they try to tempt the children with, get them to eat
more fresh vegetables, etc? First night, brussels sprouts. Now,
give me a break. Yeah, you're going to try changing some kid's
idea of what is food, start with brussels sprouts. Ridiculous.

Unless I'm mistaken, they also introduced the idea of drinking a
glass of milk in the same meal. Too stupid, I must be wrong.
Milk and brussels sprouts.

Next night, sushi. That'll get them to turn over a new leaf! You
kidding me??

At any rate, beets, that'll get the kids going. Right along
with the plain mushrooms. Probably rubbing their hands in
glee over that duo.

(laugh) nancy

Melba's Jammin' wrote:
http://www.startribune.com/1592/story/413303.html


A side note: Thursday's main entree of pizza was served on a whole-wheat
crust and topped with skim-milk mozzarella.

What piece of crap kind of idiot had the idea to use skim-milk cheese?
How appetizing. Fat free cheese being served by fat assed lunch
ladies.

--Bryan

"Joseph Littleshoes" wrote in message
om...

Growing up on a rural farm far away from the temptations of junk foods (or
such as existed at the time) i never gave much thought to the eating of
veggies, me mum is such a good cook that it was never an issue.

But i can remember the time many years later, when i was visiting home
from the military and staying with a married sister and her family in a
large urban area i was asked to do some shopping, to pick up some bread
and veggies.

Which i did, got some fresh whole wheat bread from a local bakery and went
to the local supermarket for some whole fresh veggies.

While i and my sister had a nice time preparing a nice lunch for her kids
the kids themselves found the bread and fresh steamed veggies bewildering,
distasteful and ultimately unpleasant to them.

---
JL


I've noticed shopping at Costco and BJ's (where the aisles are wide) there
are many kids tagging along side the carts that are filled with junk food.
(Yes, I notice!) But what breaks my heart is when the moms of these carts
give a snarl to the kids who ask for apples, pears or other fruits and good
foods that they see. I see it more often than I would like, little begging
eyes for these good foods. They must be getting lessons in school, but the
adults won't comply, is the only thing I can attribute it to.
Dee Dee

I can see why beets aren't popuar if people are ed to belive beets are
something you eat pickled. They make a bad childhood memory.

But I love gresh beets in salads, cooked or uncooked.

I can see why beets aren't popuar if people are ed to belive beets are
something you eat pickled. They make a bad childhood memory. Juice bleeding
across teh plate, into the boiled potatoes. Ugh.

But I love gresh beets in salads, cooked or uncooked.

"Nancy Young" wrote
"limey" wrote


You have to have very discriminating tastes to enjoy pickled beets. So
there, Barb! And you too, Nancy!
Just no hope for you two. (sigh)

Yeah, well, they're icky icky icky!

nancy

Hmmm. Now what was that recipe with grape jelly??

Dora

limey wrote:
:: "Nancy Young" wrote
::: "limey" wrote
:::
:::
:::: You have to have very discriminating tastes to enjoy pickled
beets. So
:::: there, Barb! And you too, Nancy!
:::: Just no hope for you two. (sigh)
:::
::: Yeah, well, they're icky icky icky!
:::
::: nancy
::
:: Hmmm. Now what was that recipe with grape jelly??
::
:: Dora

Meatballs?
;-)

BOB


--
Raw Meat Should NOT Have An Ingredients List