«Glass in rice»: why children refuse school meals
E1.RU readers debated why some students reject hot lunches in school canteens.
Yekaterinburg residents described whether they are satisfied with their children’s school canteen meals. Opinions split: some have refused lunches altogether because the food is bland, others, on the contrary, praise the cooks.
Here is what E1.RU readers said about their school canteens.
«Once they gave yogurt with mold»
Many Yekaterinburg parents say their children refuse to eat in the canteen: the food is cold, tasteless and sometimes even spoiled. After a bad experience, they don’t want to try breakfasts and lunches again.
«There can be unsalted, dried-out and clumped pasta», — an E1.RU reader shared.
«My daughter asks me not to pay for meals because everything is served cold. In fact, in a week she eats in the canteen only a couple of times. That’s what paid meals look like», — a schoolgirl’s mother complained.
«My child eats everything, but at school refused to eat at all. Only a bun and tea, nothing else. No matter how I asked to try again — by no means. It’s not tasty, and in general, after getting food poisoning there», — another Yekaterinburg mother shared.
«At our school, my son says, it varies, and everything is cold. Only the pasta is edible. The rest, he says, is yuck», — wrote Anastasia.
«Our children were once given yogurt with mold; sadly, they threw it away and showed it to no one. They complain the fruit on the table is rotten. Well, of course it’s not always like that; sometimes it may be tasty, but overall they do eat», — said Yuliya.
«Mine ate everything in kindergarten. At school they serve some revolting slop, — another E1.RU reader believes. — Cold, doused in sour sauces, the meat is impossible to chew, the omelet is bluish, the pasta is clumped, the porridge is lumpy.»
«They feed pigs better», — Vladislav is sure.
«My son didn’t want to eat even for free. He only drank tea. We declined the meals this year», — said Yekaterinburg resident Elena.
«At school they say we can’t opt out of meals, although my twin daughters don’t eat there at all. They say it’s total garbage, yet we have to pay 6,000 rubles ($60 at current rates) a month. Or they’ll kick them out of the last periods — it’s absurd», — wrote Alexander.
«And this is not soup — supposedly stewed potatoes or a ragout, — another E1.RU reader shared a photo. — My child always says the food is cold, the buckwheat is oversalted, the cutlets seem undercooked. Overall the food is tasteless; even visually — bleh. School No. 10.»
«Every year we go with parents to the canteen for an “inspection”, but nothing changes, — another Yekaterinburg resident complains. — Everything is cold, and the soups are just water. I wish the children of those who feed kids with paste had to eat like that behind bars their whole lives.»
«A holiday once every one to two weeks — that’s soup with croutons. They practically fight over a bowl of croutons; it’s the only edible thing», — said Olga, a schoolboy’s mother.
«My older son studied at Gymnasium No. 37 and finished school with lunch boxes; now it’s the same story with the younger one, — said Svetlana. — Most students try to buy something at the buffet, but unfortunately not everyone manages to wait their turn because the line is so long it spills out of the canteen.»
«Posters hang in our canteen about balanced nutrition and proper proportions of fiber, protein and carbs, but on the plates there’s just a little meat, one slice of cucumber or pepper on the side, and a full plate of pasta», — said Daria.
«My son ate there from 1st through 7th grade. In 8th grade, in early September, glass turned up in the rice… He no longer wants to eat there, — shared Svetlana. — He said they also find hair and bits of metal. Each year the food became less tasty.»
I’d happily eat like that at work!
Other Yekaterinburg residents are quite satisfied with the school canteen food. There’s a choice of menu, and the food is wholesome. If only someone cooked like that at home…
«Everything is great! They even cook fish so that the child eats it! School No. 208», — wrote a reader with the nickname Marilka.
«The food is good, but the organization… My 5th-grader has six lessons and only one breakfast is provided after the first period. I think that’s wrong», — an E1.RU reader shared.
Some schools serve hamburgers as an alternative to recurring meat patties and soup.
«Darn, my school cooked very tasty food — I’d gladly eat something now», — says another Yekaterinburg resident.
«At our school they serve blinchiki (thin pancakes) with sweetened condensed milk, and syrniki (cheese fritters) with jam. My child really likes it», — said Liza.
«I picked up a side job at School No. 52 — they feed very well there», — wrote Anna.
«My grandsons go to School No. 7. One attends after-school care and eats three times. Every day I ask whether they ate and if they liked it. Both say it’s tasty, the soup is always hot, they serve pilaf. I like that they give cupcakes for afternoon snack. It used to be bad, but the canteen manager changed, and now everything is fine», — said Alevtina.
«As a parent, I’m completely satisfied with the quality and composition of the school meals, but I’m not happy that my daughter eats on a subsidy and her meals differ from the paid menu; they even set separate tables in the canteen», — shared Nina.
«School No. 17 — the food is ordinary, but the children like it», — wrote Sofia from Yekaterinburg.
So what’s the problem?
E1.RU readers argued that children don’t eat at school because parents haven’t instilled eating habits for certain foods. For example, if a child wasn’t taught to eat fish at home, they won’t eat it at school. But should a child be forced to eat foods they dislike?
«Parents should instill eating habits. That’s what I think, — Olga is convinced. — The school has nothing to do with it. My son eats breakfast at Gymnasium No. 5; he says it’s almost always tasty.»
«It’s bad to teach a child that if you don’t finish, it means you don’t want to eat. If they serve something with beef or pork, or rice, I won’t eat it — not because I don’t want to eat, but because I don’t like it», — another E1.RU reader maintained.
«It’s not about what dishes they serve. It’s that the products schools cook with are low quality: the bread is stale, and the buns they give children are the cheapest», — said Anastasia Zakirova.
«They feed normally; my daughter went without complaints. With the start of the year, another problem arose. The principal decreed that hot meals are only available via the “Aksioma” card (Aksioma payment card), and for cash only buns are available, — an E1.RU reader said. — Meeting targets has trumped common sense.»
«The fact that children don’t eat fish — that’s their problem. At school no one asks what you will eat, — wrote Anastasia. — If your child doesn’t eat fish in the school canteen, I advise giving pocket money for the canteen buffet. Our rule at home: if you don’t want what they serve, then you don’t want to eat. They eat everything.»
«Try cooking the food tastier, remove the smell, make it look appealing. Talk to your child. Maybe they dislike the skin, or bones created a negative association», — another Yekaterinburg resident advised parents.
«Do you know why they’re unhappy? Because canteens serve natural, healthy food, and kids today aren’t used to porridges and oatmeal soups. It tastes bad to them. Parents didn’t accustom them at home», — Elena is convinced.
Starting 1 September, families will have to pay more for school meals. Mayor of Yekaterinburg Alexey Orlov signed a decree on new canteen prices. However, there is a way to save by using the school cashback program (instructions here).
Some teachers are outraged that canteens throw away food students don’t eat. Read a teacher’s reflections on this. We also wrote about Yekaterinburg’s most scandalous school catering combine — «Zolushka» (Yekaterinburg Municipal Unitary Enterprise “Cinderella”, EMUP): this organization ultimately turned into a pumpkin.
