The Stinky Lunch

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Elementary, middle and high school lunches can dictate a lot about who you are, where you come from, and your family preferences. They can also influence who you hang out with and who you sit at the lunch table with. Who thought so much went into something that seems relatively meaningless.
Lucky for me I grew up with the standard peanut butter sandwich. My mom would occasionally surprise me with chicken cutlet sandwiches, or fresh sushi, and always gave me her homemade Rice Krispie treats (usually cut into creative shapes). But I was never labeled the girl with the stinky lunch, or shunned from a table because of my lunch, majority of the time people were jealous of my lunches, so thank you mom!
Eatocracy posted their latest article about the kid with the stinky lunch. I didn’t realize how influential a packed lunch from home could really be. The standard lunch usually consists of PB&J or bologna sandwiches, always carried in a brown bag, and anything other than that is regarded as plain old freaky! It amazes me that this is still the current trend in today’s modern world.
It saddens me that today’s youth don’t appreciate food the way they could. So, who is to blame?  Parents, time management, effort, interest?  The non prevalence of culinary awareness within the school systems?  Many fingers can be pointed, and many factors influence the correct answers. We should be taking strides to teach children from a young age about health, wellness, and nutrition. Children who get the opportunity to explore the culinary world are exposed to multiple advantages. It’s a time where they can be creative, unique, and imaginative. It’s also abundantly clear that health education and culinary direction would help alter and reduce the obesity epidemic that is consuming our nation.
Culinary development and education will allow for further cognitive development, creative spirits, and cultural awareness. It doesn’t always have to be healthy, or nutritious. One of my favorite things to do with kids (other than watch Disney movies) is make sushi out of candy. We use fruit roll ups as sea weed, Rice Krispie treats as the rice, and various candies to mimic different fish ingredients. It’s wonderful to see kids excited about food and watch their imaginations flourish.
Food says so much about where we come from and what we value, let’s start believing that conformity is not key and food is the true gateway to other countries and cultures.