Pizza now a vegetable

Started by Zeitgeist, November 20, 2011, 10:04:11 AM

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Oniya

Just as a bit of useless trivia (I've been slacking recently), the reason that the tomato is defined as a vegetable was because of a tax on fruits back in the late 1800's.  The Supreme Court got involved and decided that since tomatoes are generally served as part of dinner, and rarely or never as dessert, they could be classified as vegetables and therefore avoided the tax. 

However, in 2009, Ohio passed a law declaring it our state fruit.  I wonder if that means that the tomato sauce on our school pizzas is considered a fruit instead? O:)
"Language was invented for one reason, boys - to woo women.~*~*~Don't think it's all been done before
And in that endeavor, laziness will not do." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think we're never gonna win this war
Robin Williams-Dead Poets Society ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think your world's gonna fall apart
I do have a cause, though.  It's obscenity.  I'm for it.  - Tom Lehrer~*~All you need is your beautiful heart
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Haloriel

Quote from: Lilias on November 20, 2011, 01:02:19 PM
In Greek schools there was no lunchtime. In my day, we had morning and afternoon shifts, so we were either out by 1.30 or went in at 2pm, so lunch was always at home. There was just a canteen with snacks (like crisps and doughnuts) for break time. Those have been upgraded since.

At my son's preschool, afternoon shifts are required to bring their own packed lunch (morning shifts are offered snacks and a drink), and we were warned at the beginning that sweets were not allowed and would be confiscated.

Ooh!  But that's so cool, going home for lunch!  :D  I'd totally let as many children fit come over that I could manage to cook for!  Not allowing sweets?  This has my FULL support.

I adore your trivia, Oniya. :)

Beguile's Mistress

Some schools here have the same prohibitions.  They don't allow cookies or cupcakes for birthday celebrations and surgary drinks are banned as well.  Fruit and cut up vegetables are encouraged for snacks and nuts are not allowed due to allergies.

Iniquitous

Quote from: Oniya on November 20, 2011, 01:04:01 PMHowever, in 2009, Ohio passed a law declaring it our state fruit.  I wonder if that means that the tomato sauce on our school pizzas is considered a fruit instead? O:)

The tomato is our state fruit?? *scratches her head* Didn't know that! I still have a hard time calling it a fruit though - I think of fruit as that yummy, sweet, good stuff - grapes, kiwi, strawberries, bananas, etc.
Bow to the Queen; I'm the Alpha, the Omega, everything in between.


Oniya

In the past couple hours, I've actually found a couple of recipes for tomato-based desserts - including a riff off of Lemon Curd bars (since lemon is similarly acidic) and a Campbell's Tomato Soup cake.
"Language was invented for one reason, boys - to woo women.~*~*~Don't think it's all been done before
And in that endeavor, laziness will not do." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think we're never gonna win this war
Robin Williams-Dead Poets Society ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think your world's gonna fall apart
I do have a cause, though.  It's obscenity.  I'm for it.  - Tom Lehrer~*~All you need is your beautiful heart
O/O's Updated 5/11/21 - A/A's - Current Status! - Writing a novel - all draws for Fool of Fire up!
Requests updated March 17

Lilias

In Greece we make tomato preserve. Through my English husband I've learned about an infamous recipe for tomato ice cream, but don't ask me to relay that.
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To know the dark, go dark. Go without sight,
and find that the dark, too, blooms and sings,
and is traveled by dark feet and dark wings.
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Beguile's Mistress

Quote from: Haloriel on November 20, 2011, 12:21:01 PM
I wasn't going to say, but after chatting with the husband, it made me laugh. 

Tomato = fruit.  ~grins~


Okay!  I'm writing my Congressperson!  I want 2 tablespoons of jelly, that overly sweetened, sugar and corn syrup laden condiment, labeled as a serving of fruit.  That makes a jelly doughnut healthy!

consortium11

Quote from: Oniya on November 20, 2011, 01:04:01 PM
Just as a bit of useless trivia (I've been slacking recently), the reason that the tomato is defined as a vegetable was because of a tax on fruits back in the late 1800's.  The Supreme Court got involved and decided that since tomatoes are generally served as part of dinner, and rarely or never as dessert, they could be classified as vegetables and therefore avoided the tax. 

Hence the all-important question; is a Jaffa Cake a cake or a biscuit?

(The answers a cake by the way... at least partially due to the way it changes when stale).

Or more recently whether Lucozade was a food or a drink...

SinXAzgard21



-Shakes head-

So... How many children need to die of heart attacks before the government actually understands that frozen pizza, deep deep fried french fries and a highly carbonated high fructose corn syrup beverage is not something that children need?
If you know me personally, you know how to contact me.

RubySlippers

Its funny Target at the Cafe has an uberfast cooker they make BAKED Crinkle Fries in around two-three minutes. Maybe the reason schools have fried foods is the cooking times are to long for the number of mouths to feed. Maybe its the equipment in some cases not up to the demand.

And I also have to add where are the parents in this, even if they say pizza is a vegetable and french fries are okay its the implemented at the state and local level a state could enforce a low that you can't serve any fried food, and meals must certain nutritional limits. They might have to opt out of Federal funding then parents and the community will need to raise property taxes or something that is all and then no more Federal demands. Simple. But no one will do that since they don't care to.

Beguile's Mistress

I think the problem is that parents are lazy and will feed their kids anything just because they'll eat it.

There are many good parents who are overworked and/or under funded and are pretty much stuck in a bad situation and there are parents who have the time and resources to provide a more balanced diet for their children.  Any parent can try to substitute one school lunch with a healthier meal but some are just plain lazy or thoughtless and feel the kid whatever they'll eat rather than teach them to eat properly.

Oniya

You also have to consider that the free/reduced lunch program is sometimes the only source of something approaching nutrition for children in poverty-stricken areas.   And before you start saying that 'all' the parents need to do is start paying more in property taxes, you should look at how much you - personally - are currently paying in property taxes.  Then ask if you'd be willing to pay more so that school lunches could be improved.
"Language was invented for one reason, boys - to woo women.~*~*~Don't think it's all been done before
And in that endeavor, laziness will not do." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think we're never gonna win this war
Robin Williams-Dead Poets Society ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think your world's gonna fall apart
I do have a cause, though.  It's obscenity.  I'm for it.  - Tom Lehrer~*~All you need is your beautiful heart
O/O's Updated 5/11/21 - A/A's - Current Status! - Writing a novel - all draws for Fool of Fire up!
Requests updated March 17

Valerian

Also consider that in some areas, raising property taxes to offer more funding to schools isn't even an option anymore.  Wisconsin Emperor in his own mind Governor Scott Walker has pushed through a law that freezes property tax rates at the current level for two years.  It literally isn't possible to raise taxes by more than the percentage of net increase in new construction -- which, in these tough times, is likely to be almost nothing.  Estimates are currently running at a maximum increase of 0.4% to 0.8% (compared to the previous cap of 3% per year), which won't get school kitchens better equipment or better food, I would venture to say.
"To live honorably, to harm no one, to give to each his due."
~ Ulpian, c. 530 CE

Beguile's Mistress

I would gladly pay higher taxes to properly feed our children if I knew the additional revenue collected would be put to that use.  Funding to our schools has been cut by Federal, State and Local governments and subsidies to food producers have either stayed the same or risen. 

We're all caught in a round robin of misappropriation and deceipt on the part of the food companies and legislators who are brought together by lobbyists.  I would rather go to the school and organize fundraisers and find local companies and/or restaurants to donate time and goods to provide at least one decent meal a week for these kids.  That kind of thing is discouraged, though.  One of our volunteer groups tried to do that and our local school district threatened legal action against us.

RubySlippers

Quote from: Valerian on November 21, 2011, 09:43:26 AM
Also consider that in some areas, raising property taxes to offer more funding to schools isn't even an option anymore.  Wisconsin Emperor in his own mind Governor Scott Walker has pushed through a law that freezes property tax rates at the current level for two years.  It literally isn't possible to raise taxes by more than the percentage of net increase in new construction -- which, in these tough times, is likely to be almost nothing.  Estimates are currently running at a maximum increase of 0.4% to 0.8% (compared to the previous cap of 3% per year), which won't get school kitchens better equipment or better food, I would venture to say.

Our county added a Penny Sales Tax for public projects, you could do that in  county say a Penny for School Fitness (for food programs and phy ed and maybe a few more school nurses). Its not a property tax and therefore the governors and state legislatures would have little to do with it. I would pay that if its earmarked for these things only very carefully.

Its not easy to come up with money but it seems an issue that has to be addressed. The reason Pizza Hut can be in some schools is the school gets money for the access for other things and another even had a McDonalds. Now I have nothing against them and if you go with the idea to eat healthier you can but for lack of money they cowed to them I'm sure.

Oniya

By the way - here's the ingredient list of the standard school lunch pizza, brought to you by the lobbyists at ConAgra:

http://www.conagrafoodservice.com/ProductDetail.do?productUpc=7738712075 ('Cheese')

http://www.conagrafoodservice.com/ProductDetail.do?productUpc=7738712076  (Pepperoni, reduced fat)
"Language was invented for one reason, boys - to woo women.~*~*~Don't think it's all been done before
And in that endeavor, laziness will not do." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think we're never gonna win this war
Robin Williams-Dead Poets Society ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think your world's gonna fall apart
I do have a cause, though.  It's obscenity.  I'm for it.  - Tom Lehrer~*~All you need is your beautiful heart
O/O's Updated 5/11/21 - A/A's - Current Status! - Writing a novel - all draws for Fool of Fire up!
Requests updated March 17

Beguile's Mistress

Interesting how they expect you to measure the internal temperature of pizza.

Also, if a serving size of fruits and vegetables is approximately 1/2 cup then 1/8 cup of sauce is 1/4 of a serving.  You need to eat 4 slices of pizza to get a full serving.  The sodium in one slice is 39% of RDA. 

Ye gods!  These people are idiots.  ???  >:(  ???  >:(

The Dark Raven

The only thing that frightens me for when I have kids is something I've heard happening around here.

They've been banning peanut butter.

So, they're telling me that, because of a kid's allergy, my child is not allowed to eat a peanut butter sandwich?  What if my child only eats peanut butter, three meals a day (I could see this happening due to my family's love of peanut butter)?  So my kid is supposed to skip lunch so some kid doesn't break out in hives?  *facepalm*

I don't understand what this world is coming to....lol

Check my A/A | O/O | Patience is begged. Momma to Rainbow Babies and teetering toward the goal of published author. Tentatively taking new stories.

Avis habilis

Quote from: Daylily on November 21, 2011, 12:22:43 PM
So my kid is supposed to skip lunch so some kid doesn't break out in hives?  *facepalm*

No. So some kid doesn't die.

Reactions to peanut allergies can be incredibly violent & fast. We're talking anaphylaxis & death within minutes. The allergic kid doesn't even need to have consumed the peanuts. There have been recorded cases of people with shellfish allergies being killed by inhaling compounds volatilizing off a plate of seared calamari being carried past their seat in a restaurant. Which isn't peanut butter, true, but just goes to show how dangerous food allergies can be.

Oniya

#44
The problem with peanut allergies is that it's frequently not just hives.  It can be throat-closing, full-on, 'grab the Epi-pen or die' anaphylaxis.  Nut allergies in general can be quite severe, even to the point of having peanut oil in the air (like from opening a jar of peanut butter or having the kid down the table talking with their mouth full) can cause some reaction. 

Ninja.  :P ;)
There was a woman I heard of on the news who had to move because her neighbor wouldn't stop putting peanuts out for the squirrels.

This is why they don't give out peanuts on airplanes any more.
"Language was invented for one reason, boys - to woo women.~*~*~Don't think it's all been done before
And in that endeavor, laziness will not do." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think we're never gonna win this war
Robin Williams-Dead Poets Society ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think your world's gonna fall apart
I do have a cause, though.  It's obscenity.  I'm for it.  - Tom Lehrer~*~All you need is your beautiful heart
O/O's Updated 5/11/21 - A/A's - Current Status! - Writing a novel - all draws for Fool of Fire up!
Requests updated March 17

Beguile's Mistress

*nods*

I went to school with a kid who nearly died because a mother sent cupcakes for a birthday party and swore there was not peanut product in them.  She said she checked with the bakery.  She lied.  She thought the whole thing was stupid.

Oniya

I hope she felt bad afterwards.  Mr. Oniya and I have various friends with food allergies - and various friends who simply have aversions.  The former, we are very cautious about food prep when we eat with them.  The latter - it depends on how ridiculous the aversion is.  One guy we lived with before we were married was a fungi-phobe.  He'd be fine eating something until he saw any hint of a mushroom, at which point he'd put the dish at arm's length and have nothing further to do with it.  (No hives, no meds, no nothing.)  We used to joke about 'planting' words in the front yard, fairy-ring style.
"Language was invented for one reason, boys - to woo women.~*~*~Don't think it's all been done before
And in that endeavor, laziness will not do." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think we're never gonna win this war
Robin Williams-Dead Poets Society ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think your world's gonna fall apart
I do have a cause, though.  It's obscenity.  I'm for it.  - Tom Lehrer~*~All you need is your beautiful heart
O/O's Updated 5/11/21 - A/A's - Current Status! - Writing a novel - all draws for Fool of Fire up!
Requests updated March 17

Beguile's Mistress

She's one of those yahoos that doesn't take responsibility for anything.  She blamed the kid that got sick.  In the end the schoold banned  her from bring food in for anything and if her son brought his lunch he had to hand it to the homeroom teacher who had to supervise him so he didn't give food to other kids. 

Some people just don't care.

The Dark Raven

#48
Quote from: Avis habilis on November 21, 2011, 12:26:18 PM
No. So some kid doesn't die.

Reactions to peanut allergies can be incredibly violent & fast. We're talking anaphylaxis & death within minutes. The allergic kid doesn't even need to have consumed the peanuts. There have been recorded cases of people with shellfish allergies being killed by inhaling compounds volatilizing off a plate of seared calamari being carried past their seat in a restaurant. Which isn't peanut butter, true, but just goes to show how dangerous food allergies can be.

Ah I see.

I will just have to make the decision to let my child go 8 hours without food if they only eat peanut butter.

I hardly see how that's fair, but again, I know that the possibility that a child will only eat peanut butter is a rarity.  I'm just befuddled, as I usually am, by the change in the world.  I tihnk I would much rather live in a simpler time and place, where things like allergies aren't a big deal (in other words, in a world where I could breathe freely every day...but I can't tell the pollen to stop).

But again, I think folks also missed my attempt to lighten my original post with a laugh, since everyone seems to take my words to heart so quickly and I turn out a villian in everything.  This is getting to be so normal, its creepy.  >.>

Check my A/A | O/O | Patience is begged. Momma to Rainbow Babies and teetering toward the goal of published author. Tentatively taking new stories.

Avis habilis

Quote from: Daylily on November 21, 2011, 01:18:39 PM
I hardly see how that's fair, but again, I know that the possibility that a child will only eat peanut butter is a rarity.

Yeah, where do these self-centered little snots get off demanding that their school environment not be life-threatening. Of all the nerve.