What children eat in France

I just found this article on school-kids eat in France. It is very interested and sounds to me as though all the food they eat is "real"....no frozen pizzas, no overly processed "chicken sandwiches" , no canned, soggy vegetables.  The French have their problems.....but I think the area of "food/eating" is one area why they get it right.  How great would it be if American children were served organic fruits and edam cheese for lunch....and even better if they actually had longer than 20 minutes to eat it?

On Mondays, the menus are also posted on the wall outside every school in the country. The variety on the menus is astonishing: no single meal is repeated over the 32 school days in the period, and every meal includes an hors d'oeuvre, salad, main course, cheese plate and dessert.




Americans struggling with obesity epidemics have for years wondered how the so-called French paradox works: How does a nation that ingests huge quantities of butter, beef and cakes keep trim and have such long lives? It could be the red wine, as some believe. But another reason has to be this: in a country where con artists and adulterers are tolerated, the laws governing meals are sacrosanct and are drummed into children before they can even hold a knife. The French don't need their First Lady to plant a vegetable garden at the Élysée Palace to encourage good eating habits. They already know the rules: sit down and take your time, because food is serious business

But I do know that on Feb. 4, he ate hake in Basque sauce, mashed pumpkin, cracked rice, Edam cheese and organic fruits for lunch








Read more: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1967060,00.html#ixzz0llMQ2cwx

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1967060,00.html#ixzz0llLzD28c