At St. Philips Academy in Newark, NJ, they're making some really outstanding strides in children's education with regards to urban farming, cooking classes, physical education and family activities. But the one particular thing they're doing that most impresses me doesn't cost a cent, involves no roof space, and no new technology.
In their lunchroom nestled on the ground floor, they have about a dozen round tables, each surrounded by 8 chairs, each chair with a responsibility painted on the back of it. As the kids tumble in, they fall into place at their assigned tables, mixed in age, shape and size, from 5th graders to 8th graders -- and then an amazing thing happens: one child sets the table, one child gathers their lunch, one child even serves the others their food. And when the meal is over, one clears the plates -- you get the point. But the sense of family and community that comes together around that table, for their 45-minute lunch break, impresses me more than their 6-foot-long salad bar full of vegetables from their rooftop garden.
My new book, Molto Batali, derives from a similar spirit. Mix and match, cut and multiply, the entire family can be fed with one or more of these recipes and you all come to the table to enjoy them. And let's remember, cooking family dinner should start long before brown bags full of groceries and reusable sacks of farmers' market goodies are on the counter. Start from scratch: create menus together, write the corresponding shopping lists, and hit the pavement to procure the necessities. Conversation and democracy are two essential tenets to dining as a family. We want to create consensus around the table.
In this latest book, one might notice some other healthy shifts in my work: smaller portion sizes, and getting away from the idea of the protein being at the center of each plate. Main course proteins vary from 5 to 7 ounces to make lots of room for a cornucopia of vegetables, raw and cooked, salads and side dishes. It's no secret that I am a fan of Meatless Monday, the pinnacle of moderation, and I think Molto Batali walks the walk I talk.
The spirit of community and family embodied in Molto Batali also informs another one of my projects: The Mario Batali Foundation. The mission of my foundation is to feed, protect, educate, and empower children -- encouraging them to dream big while providing them with the necessary tools to become an active force for change in today's world. In conjunction with the launch of Molto Batali, I will match the first $100,000 in paid donations made to the Foundation after November 1, 2011 and Aperol Spritz will match up to $50,000 between October 25, 2011 and February 1, 2012.
Matching your generous support is an additional way I am able to feed the stomachs and souls of our children, but we can all do our part. Remember, it costs nothing to all come to the table at the same time, whether you paint responsibilities on the backs of each of your chairs or not!
Her: "Have fun at school today?"
Me: "I hated school today, like every day. Would you stop asking me about it?"
www.inspiredhomecooking.com
is the cornerstone of life in my kitchen..
then other recipes and dishes flow from there
Oh yeah, and that I hate hotdogs and beans!
4 out of 32 teeth (15%) are canines, to tear flesh
8 out of 32 (25%) are incisors, to cut veggies
16 our 32 (50%) are molars, our human flour mills, to grind grain
This was the focal point of a book written by a sociology professor, whose name escapes me. She chronicled how, in the days before cable TV, the entire family would gather around the television, bonding, waiting for their preferred act to perform. Today, that's a virtual impossibility.
When I read this post, it reminded me of a business associate, who recalls his growing up in Tuscany, and how shopping, cooking and eating together bonded them.
Lastly, I was pleased to read about animal protein being shifted from the nucleus of the meal to a side dish. Those macrobiotic forefathers were correct in their argument that only four of our teeth (canines) were designed to tear flesh. The remainder, molars, are to grind grain, and the incisors are ideal for cutting diet. Our anatomy gives clues to point us towards the ideal diet.
www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com
It's fun, and it binds us together as a family.
I also sit down with my daughter most mornings for breakfast and chat before she starts her school day...no rushing...go to sleep early enough and get up early to have more time...prepare meals a bit in advance so no rushing...it's not as hard as you think...plus we do not have a tv...so we have a lot more free time...kids need to grow "bored" then they wander over to the piano and start playing ...or grab a book, or come help cook...
Because families are not doing what you posted we have an ' epidemic ' of childhood obesity. We also have children that do not have social manners or any ideas / thoughts about society, politics, science, nature, etc, etc, etc
Our always connected wired world has ruined this. Our tech is not a bad thing. However, it does need to be used as a additive to our lives and not the main ingredient. Especially with kids.
But, to spend a little extra for good food...............fugeddaboutit...... Mickey D's here I come.
It hurts me because the thing which is absent nowadays is the family, not the money.