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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Fairly sure I'm not. KFC in nursery school

77 replies

Nnnnnnnnnnnamechange · 12/09/2012 11:25

Namechanged as talking about my employer and is identifiable.

We live abroad, I work in a school. DD is 3 and goes to the nursery school in my school.

Every week or two there is some kind of celebration - most parents are loaded, and whenever it is a birthday or something, they bring in treats. Often cakes, and buffet-type stuff. Usually party bags filled with sweets. A few times they have had a pizza or KFC delivery.

We've been relaxed about it - not ideal but I know the teacher isn't overly impressed either, tricky for her to say anything.

Today was her birthday, and the TA organised KFC and sweets in party bags as a surprise 'treat'. I think it's one thing parents doing this, but the school ordering KFC for 3 and 4 year olds when their parents have prepared lunch is not quite right.

What does Mumsnet think?

OP posts:
LydiasMiletus · 12/09/2012 11:28

Why are the parents ordering in takeaway food?
Imo no one should be doing that.

Proudnscary · 12/09/2012 11:29

How bizarre

SooticaTheWitchesCat · 12/09/2012 11:31

I wouldn't be impressed either. I think cakes for a birthday is fine but junk food just for a treat is not!

MrsRajeshKoothrappali · 12/09/2012 11:31

Eating KFC is unreasonable at any time.

BellaOfTheBalls · 12/09/2012 11:37

That is bizarre. When you say "abroad" where are you? I only ask because in some countries I have visited certain westernised things (coca-cola, fast food etc) can be seen as a status symbol.

If it was me I'd be unimpressed but I guess in some ways that is because I doubt it would be deemed "acceptable" in the UK. I don't mind DS1 having takeaway type food at home but I wouldn't be happy knowing he had had these in a nursery/school setting.

waterlego6064 · 12/09/2012 11:38

Agree with Rajesh re KFC!

All very odd. At my DCs' school, parents can choose to send in sweets or cakes for everyone on their DC's birthday, but the staff wouldn't do it. And definitely not ordering something in to replace the packed lunches the children's parents have already provided.

Fakebook · 12/09/2012 11:42

My sister also lives abroad and this is the norm in most international schools where the rich send their children.

I don't have a problem with KFC per se...There's nothing wrong with junk food once in a while, but once a week is a bit extreme

WorkingMummyof1 · 12/09/2012 13:54

Mrs Rajesh and waterlego - why on earth is it unreasonable to eat KFC? Unlike other junk foods e.g. shop bought chicken nuggets, actual chicken pieces/fillets are served. Yes it is deep fried, but once in a while this is not terrible. They also serve beans and coleslaw - which again in moderation are fine. And the the big culprit: chips. However chips once in a while are not terrible either surely! They are just fried potatoes. People have been eating potatoes and indeed chips for many generations. I realise that in this day and age healthy eating should be promoted due to certain people who cannot control their eating of bad things, however many people do eat junk food without compromising their health. I am for "all in moderation".

Oh - unless you meant from a social/environmental standpoint e.g. chicken farming etc in which case I have not heard anything about this...only the McDonalds thing from years ago...

The school thing would be a bit annoying however as the child having KFC once a week in school might then affect how many times you would eat it together as a family.

Alurkatsoftplay · 12/09/2012 13:58

Wow, so the kids have school lunch then settle down in the afternoon for a KFC?
No wonder the teacher is annoyed. Seems v odd and time consuming too...

Madmum24 · 12/09/2012 14:02

Are you in the Emirates by any chance OP? YANBU btw.

OutragedAtThePriceOfFreddos · 12/09/2012 14:03

How wierd! I wouldn't be happy either. KFC is minging.

MrsRajeshKoothrappali · 12/09/2012 14:08

Because it's rank.

I've eaten there twice, got food poisoning both times.

I've since assumed that the reason you now get your dinner in a bucket is so you have somewhere to puke when you've finished.

WorkingMummyof1 · 12/09/2012 14:13

Mrs Rajesh - sounds like you had a bad experience - any of the local KFCs (London) I've tried have been fine - perhaps you have an allergy to an ingredient they use? Hope you complained however. Not sure why I'm wasting my time defending KFC as I don't work for them or anything! But was just a bit mystified at the whole "junk food is evil" direction of the thread - would say more "junk food is evil if eaten too often"! Also the KFCs I have eaten from have always served fresh food and have never heard of anyone else getting ill.

theodorakis · 12/09/2012 14:16

I don't know where you are but in the ME it is fairly normal. Our annual nursery trip is to pizza express. It's another culture and another country. You know full well that everyone here is going to gasp in horror at the thought of ever eating a grain of sugar.
We love the relaxed lifestyle, triple salary that we would get in the UK, tax free I may add, free housing and all the other things our life here gives us.
If I wanted to be a lunchbox police officer I would live in the UK, except of course, we wouldn't even be able to afford a KFC if we did.

TubbyDuffs · 12/09/2012 14:18

I'm in the ME and have heard of this kind of thing happening here, but fortunately not at any of the nurseries my 3 have gone to!

I have to admit, I wouldn't be happy with KFC, I really think the chances of food poisoning are higher with chicken!

I don't think at 2 or 3 though a child would notice being left out, so I would just ask that your child continue to be given the snack food you have been provided on that day.

MrsRajeshKoothrappali · 12/09/2012 14:18

Ooooooo, no!!

I love a bit of junk food! Grin

Kebab meat and chips, anyone?

Just not KFC. Food poisoning aside, eating dinner out of a bucket is madness. May as well go the whole hog ha and get a trough! Wink

Stick not sure I'd bring to a nursery though...!

theodorakis · 12/09/2012 14:20

And chicken is the only meat that all religions can have, if there was beef or pork it would obviously be an issue.

I think asking for MN opinion is pointless, you just want to be agreed with. try an expat mum site for a balanced opinion but I am guessing you don't want that.

WorkingMummyof1 · 12/09/2012 14:39

Love kebab and chips - more likely to get food poisoning from a kebab ironically! :-) haha at the bucket comments - love the bucket however. Yes the nursery thing is odd... Another interesting thread at the moment is on school dinners vs packed lunches - apparantly some schools serve ice cream and jelly for lunch but disallow home made cakes Confused

However back to the original post again - might be a cultural thing again, but why would it be tricky for the teacher to say anything I wonder - might be something the school could write to the parents about as a whole e.g. set some ground rules.

BoerWarKids · 12/09/2012 14:48

Workingmummyof1

Is KFC really "actual chicken"? Hmm

Fakebook · 12/09/2012 14:56

Food poisoning aside, eating dinner out of a bucket is madness. May as well go the whole hog ha and get a trough!

Wow, that must be the most stupid and stuck up thing I've ever read on here.

What do you eat out of when you get your kebab and chip MrsRajesh? Out of a gold and silver platter? I don't fucking think so.

Instead of claiming you're too good for KFC, as it gives you food poisoning, how about lodging a complaint with them or phoning environmental health and telling them about it?

Original poster
Nnnnnnnnnnnamechange · 12/09/2012 15:35

Not middle east. Nor triple salary tax free, sadly. Not posting on an expat mum's forum because... I'm not a member of one (didn't actually know they existed). I have little enough time for MN, let alone another forum! In fact theo, your posts have a bit of a nasty edge to them. Did you mean to be rude?

I think the situation snowballed, with parents starting to compete a little over these parties.

My objections aren't cultural - the food here is amazing (in Asia) and celebrations are great, but KFC is one step too far IMO. It's not something I'd ever eat or feed my kids, seems a really weird choice for a nursery school, no matter which country you live in. The kids all have lunch with them, which they don't eat as the KFC is given instead. Not at all fussed if a cake were eaten, or even a few sweets, but KFC is just silly.

"Wow, that must be the most stupid and stuck up thing I've ever read on here." - Not been around long then? Grin

OP posts:
Mum2Luke · 12/09/2012 15:43

I'm not sure I would want my 3 or 4 year old eating KFC at nursery Shock. In my house KFC /McDonalds etc is a once a month thing as it is quite pricey. My youngest is 10 years old now and loves Chinese food - give him duck with pancakes and he is over the moon Grin. We recently went to Wagamamas which is Japanese food and he loved it, I prefer him to have a slightly smaller adult meal as kids meals tend to be chicken nuggets/fish fingers and chips which is really boring when everyone else has a choice.

I would have a talk with nursery and voice your concerns, am sure the teacher would be on your side on this. Good luck!

BadgersRetreat · 12/09/2012 15:45

it's an odd thing to choose to feed such young children - and it sort of teaches them that celebration = junk food which is a bit sad IMO

i'm not adverse to the odd trip to Wendy's for a baconator but i would feel that fast food once a week for a young child is too often.

and KFC is revolting these days. Loved it as a kid - lord knows what they did to it...

NatashaBee · 12/09/2012 15:47

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

whyme2 · 12/09/2012 15:56

Actually I would be quite peed off if I had made my child a pack up which was then not eaten because another meal was provided. A total waste of food and unneccesary imo.

I'll leave the KFC debate though as I am quite partial to it now and again