Teachers feeding hungry children

Deep-frying chips does not result in their absorbing lots of fat, if it's done properly at the right temperature. Only the outside of the chip fries, becoming golden and crisp; the inside steams because the heat of the oil causes the water in the potato flesh to boil. In turn, the steam prevents the oil from being absorbed by the "inside" of the chip. As soon as the chips are cooked, lift them out and drain well and you'll find there's very little fat. (Leaving them in the fryer for too long causes them to absorb lots of oil and become soggy.) Deep-frying is a much healthier cooking technique than pan-frying.

This has strayed miles from the original posting. I promise to shut up about deep-frying now. It was just that I really concerned about j04 poisoning herself.

Mmmmm!

Friday night is chips night.

Yes. Well! You've got me a bit worried now!!!

Now you have all made me feel hungry. I have been marinating a small pork chop (all fat cut off) in garlic and mustard, but I will cooking it in the oven in kitchen foil. I have some little new potatoes and carrots and peas - I wonder how long I can hold out without starting to cook.
I found the meals in Egypt a bit odd - I would never normally have rice, pasta and potatoes at one meal! The meat was a bit thin on the ground - they seem to have very scrawy chickens -just skin and bone. No puddings though - they were nearly all gooey cakes, which I don't like, so it was just a little cold rice pudding or any mousse- type thing for me, or melon, which for some reason was to be found on the salad bar. (No, I didn't risk the lettuce).
In spite of having three meals a day I did lose a little weight - it must have been the four hours a day snorkeling that did it.

greatnan Not all food in Eygpt is like that, we have had wonderful meals in Marsa Alam with lovely salads, as much meat as you like and good fresh fruit. The little coconut biscuits were great too but I agree some of the puds can be too sweet and gooey. I'm thinking of booking again this October as I'm pining for sun.

Who isn't?(apart fromgreatnan who's pinched it all)

Lots of vit D deficiency this year.

Yes, it was my sixth visit to Egypt (including Marsa Alam) and I have had some good food, but this was a budget hotel, so I had no complaints. The food was just a bit repetitive and some of the vegetables were cold. I don't like buffet style food, where it is kept warm in bain-maries, but we were there for the coral, not the cuisine!

Mamie your oven chips sound so healthy I'm sure you could safely eat them every day. I shall make some myself.

I'm going to try them as well!

Chips are great - and my children had them once a week, and roasties on Sundays. But only chips, and every day - is a form of food/health abuse, as it is so bad for youngsters growing up. As part of a balanced diet, they are great.

Oh yes! Roast potatos on a Sunday, again using rapeseed oil.

You can also do a spicy version with a bit of chilli or some cumin.

I can do them in my teal healthy fryer!

Should be tefal. It only needs about1/4-1/2 teaspoonful of oil for a portion!

If school children are being starved then Social Services should be called in, teachers are not doing the children any favours in the long run.

It is not poverty that is the cause. Money is not an issue, it is poor parenting and lack of care.

I think this story is somewhat sensationalised by the Guardian.

POGS that's a bit harsh! You sound very certain of your facts. Do you know many poor people?

I think 'starved' is a bit strong, as well, POGS. No one is saying that schoolchildren are starving. Just that it's difficult to ensure that they're getting the proper nourishment they need to thrive.

pogs does have a point. It's the age old question of when is it justifiable to interfere with people's parenting styles in order to prevent actual damage to a child. If a child is fed (gets enough calories from whatever 'suitable' or 'unsuitable' source), which is not the same thing as "is well nourished", at what point, if at all, does it behove teachers to interfere?

There have always been parental choices that some people – who make different choices for various reasons – don't 'approve' of. How, when and what one feeds one's children is one of these.

I also accept that certain feeding choices affect children's ability to concentrate and behave well in class, but I doubt if their food intake is the only issue there. I often "felt hungry" at school (this is perfectly healthy and normal in a growing child). Didn't make me disruptive – well.... not very

If school meals are really as bad as some people are saying, it sounds as if we, as a society, should start any improvements there. We all have MPs to write to.

I'm not sure 'starving' is too strong a term.

look at this article It's horrific.

POGS & j04 I agree, starving or malnourishment, whatever you call it deserves attention. If children are not being properly cared for in whatever area of their lives the state should intervene. The same goes for obesity. Simple insistance that they go to the right type of parenting class should be enough. If that doesn't work then it is a really bad case of neglect.

I don't think we are talking here about food choices in the way one of us might choose different nutrition from another, we are talking about abuse and that is not too strong a word if a child is being under nourished.

Thanks for that article, jingl - I take back what I said, as obviously some children are just not getting enough food to eat, healthy or otherwise.

But in some cases Alison, the abuse might not be the parents' fault.

Some kids were 'starved' all through winter in post war Yorkshire, where 'starved' means really shivering cold. "Ah'm starved" meant I'm freezing to death, "Ah'm starving" meant I'm hungry.

Some kids did not have adequate clothing back then, nor enough to eat. School dinners, free school milk and daily cod liver oil must have helped a great deal. As for the cold weather - at least the schools I went to had good heating, even though they hadn't much else. We learned to write on slate boards with chalk, and wrote with a pen dipped in ink. I was the ink monitor - had to mix the powder and water and take it round the classrooms.

Even back then, I was born 1945, some kids came to school hungry. while others like me were well fed. But at least the school dinner had meat or fish with spuds and veggies, followed by pudding: creamed rice or sponge pudding and custard usually. Oh, there was 'frogspawn' too - some type of spherical pasta I think.

Does anyone remember some time between 1956 and 1961 when the potato harvest failed and they had to give us bread and butter with our meat and veggies instead? It was great - we couldn't afford real butter at home, but the catering orders to schools specified butter so that's what we got-the real thing. And the dinner ladies baked the bread too - no bought sliced white for us - lovely fresh rolls. We stuffed ourselves!!