With the start of a new school year comes new knowledge. Take, for instance, what I learned yesterday at the Semi-Weekly Meeting of the Backroads Faculty Lunchtime Think Tank.
One of my lunchtime companions sat down with a shaker of salt. No. She was not wasting away again in Margaritaville, but she may or may not have been wearing flip-flops. The salt and pepper and mustard and a large clear plastic bowl of dill pickle chips and a can of industrial-strength ketchup with a pump on top sit on a cart in the cafeteria, near the exit door from the kitchen lunch line. Depending on the meal, and what flavors need to be drowned out, there may also be a squirt bottle of mayonnaise, or an opaque plastic jar of ranch dressing with a lid pump.
"Shh...don't let the kids know I have this. They are not allowed to use the salt."
"Since when?"
"Since this year."
"Is that because they are irresponsible? Like...did they loosen the lid so it all came pouring out?"
"No. I wish. They are not allowed to use the salt because they can't have salt. It's not allowed. It's banned. Like sugar soda. And everything else they might like."
"Why don't we just give them a paper plate to eat? No salt. No sugar. Plenty of fiber. They'd like it about as well as these lunches."
"I know!"
This morning I asked The Pony if he knew that kids are not allowed to have salt in the cafeteria.
"Uh huh. It doesn't bother me. I bring my lunch. But some of them are going crazy. We can't have salt because we can't handle it. Put air quotes around that. I'm being sarcastic. But that's what the cooks told one of the kids when he asked for salt."
Maybe, if the cooks were allowed to actually start cooking food again, and could slop it on the trays in amounts the students can enjoy, and stop warming up this over-processed pre-packaged garbage they are forced to buy from the cheapest vendor...sodium would not be an issue.
Just sayin'.
Our school lunches are a little better than that...but not much.
ReplyDeletePerhaps the school children of Missouri need to hire Tom Cruise and Demi Moore to defend their rights...the right to shake salt!
That is just dumb!!
ReplyDeleteI like salt and I use excessive amounts of it. So does SWMBO. We're both in our 70's.
ReplyDeleteI know too much salt can cause health problems but denying someone something just makes them want it more. Can't other spices be used to add flavor?
ReplyDeleteSioux,
ReplyDeletePerhaps the school children of Missouri should have their parents ask for extra salt at the drive-thru when they pick up their Happy Meals. Then they can carry their own salt to school, and sock away that Tom Cruise/Demi Moore money for more important things, like a case of Twinkies before they're gone again.
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joeh,
Yes. You are preaching to the salt-loving choir.
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Catalyst,
Maybe you can replace that little girl on the Morton Salt box.
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Stephen,
I don't think we will be offered a bottle of Tabasco Sauce. It's full of salt, you know.