I think the bean dishes could evolve into a very interesting protest item. Say a can of Pork & Beans before school and 3rd or 4th period would resemble the campfire scene from Blazing Saddles. The kids could just say "Hey, we are just eating what you suggested".
OK, I will admit I have a double espresso driven evil streak going this morning.
On Wednesday, first lady Michelle Obama is scheduled to unveil healthier new national lunch standards, which Chicago Public Schools pre-emptively adopted during the 2010-11 school year. That year, CPS incorporated more whole grains into lunchroom menus, removed daily nachos, started offering a different vegetable every day and introduced more healthful new foods.
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Last year the Tribune reported that only about 70 percent of CPS students were taking lunch after the meals were overhauled — even though 86 percent of students qualified for free or reduced-price meals. The lunchroom survey suggests the percentage of students who actually eat the food could be even lower — only 42 percent of the workers “felt the students were eating the new food.”
“A lot of students say they won’t eat it because it’s just not appetizing,” said Linda Green, who has worked in CPS food service for 22 years. “For instance, we can’t even put salt or any flavoring on the vegetables.”
Workers attribute increased school food waste to flavor issues as well as a largely one-menu-fits-all approach to a diverse district of 409,000 students. They also say more education is key when introducing new foods.
Asked for an example, one self-described lunch lady said, “Hummus!”
“It was waste because the children were unfamiliar with it, and as a staff member I couldn’t even inform the children about what nutritional value it holds because, again, I wasn’t educated on the values of the different foods,” said the worker, who asked to remain anonymous because she feared backlash from administrators.
School health advocates and the lunch workers agree that students need more freshly cooked and unprocessed foods. But CPS prohibits the building of working kitchens in elementary schools, opting instead to build reheating kitchens.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-lunchlady-survey-20120125,0,7989805.story