Oh man, Matilda! She looks shockingly big all of a sudden.

SERIOUSLY

That's a whole thing -- stuff in a box comes with it on the side. The lunch lady is going to calculate that?

This was the reasoning behind NYC public schools banning homemade things at bake sales but allowing Doritos and Pop-Tarts. They can't regulate the calories in the homemade stuff.

Within the NYC rules, they weren't allowed to use raw chicken

OK, that's wack.

Those are the rules that seem particularly onerous.

nutritional analysis

That's a whole thing -- stuff in a box comes with it on the side. The lunch lady is going to calculate that?

sighhhh

And yet, that is the problem with the school lunch program. Why not draw attention to that, instead of feeding kids crap merrily along?

The WalMart issue is fresh on my brain, cause there is talk of one going in not far from me and there's a lot of hating on it. I'm more prone to the anti-case, if only for the traffic and the suspicion it'll take out what few city groceries in the area (kinda a big deal.) Yes, potential submarket prices for the local community (essentially subsidized by suburban stores) but at what cost?

This was the reasoning behind NYC public schools banning homemade things at bake sales but allowing Doritos and Pop-Tarts. They can't regulate the calories in the homemade stuff.

Which makes some sense to me, for a big institution. Obviously, I would pick a small homemade cookie over a 100 Calorie Pack (TM), but Mike Bloomberg is going to come over and tell me if I'm making the cookies small enough?

I love Matilda's doggie plate!

Is that still vegan then?

Not super-strictly so, but vegan enough for me. I still haven't settled on a firm stance on honey

Vegans eliminating honey makes the least amount of sense to me, since the bees aren't hurt or killed in the obtaining of honey. Although I should note I'm most familiar with people who eat vegan because of animal cruelty/animal rights issues, so that's the lens I'm viewing it though. Bee exploitation doesn't seem to be a big problem.

If it's a strictly letter-of-the-law thing, then I get avoiding honey. I assume that the same people are also scrupulous about avoiding certain wines.

And I don't get that he's shaming anyone. Not intentionally. He seems to genuinely care about health.

I can't see telling a parent "You are killing your child!" as anything other than shaming. Same for looking at a family's meal and telling them, "This is disgusting."

This.

He seems to genuinely care about health.

Hee- Jamie Oliver's a Concern Troll!

I love Nora.

I don't have as much problem with Biggest Loser, because that show actually is talking to individual people about individual choices.

Wow, is that show horrible and dangerous. Any time you've got people exercising for literally hours, and contestants weeping when they don't lose 10 pounds in a week (not that they gained, mind you; they still lost 4 pounds, which is a lot for one week), you've got a recipe for injuries and eating disorders.

One of the "healthy" suggestions from Bloomberg's office as an alternative to a bake sale was an exercise sale. Have a few kids as designated runners, and get other kids to give a dollar for each lap they run or each 10 situps they do or something. I'm thinking of the social dynamics in my high school and just thinking of so many ways this could so easily go wrong.

And yet, that is the problem with the school lunch program. Why not draw attention to that, instead of feeding kids crap merrily along?

Yes, exactly. I would love to see a show that actually looked at the regulations and the funding and how these dictate what kids are getting for breakfast and lunch. This is not that show. This show is telling the parents and administrators that they are horrible people for allowing their kids to eat this stuff, without acknowledging that they don't have much choice.

Bee exploitation doesn't seem to be a big problem.

You think bees only exist to serve you?!? Bee hater.

I don't see that. Sorry.