Ban on pork products in Kindergarten

[ethelmeaker]

We have been asked by the parents council at my son's Kindergarten not to bring pork products in as part of the breakfast buffet (where once a week parents bring in various types of food to be served as a buffet) The Kindergarten is in Frankfurt and is a state Kindergarten, so I don't think this is a legitimate request. The e-mail that we received stated that "as some children don't eat pork for various reasons we would like to ask parents not to bring pork products anymore."
The only reason I can think of is to do with religion and in a state Kindergarten religion has no place as far as I am concerned. Just wondered if anyone else has any thoughts on this.

[FreudiansSlipper]

it is not a big deal unless you want it to be a big deal

children do not always know what does and what does not contain pork products easier to just not have any

i eat pork but have gone off percy pigs when i read on the packet contains pork i tought they were just pretend piggies not real ones :(

[Frontpaw]

There are veggie Percy pigs but are so bloomin sweet they gave me the shakes (and that means over sweetened with cheap n nasty sugar).

[GrrrArghZzzzYaayforall8nights]

A nitrite sensitivity/allergy (which would exclude a lot of pork products) is not something a child has a choice in and is equally life threatening. As a child or even a carer cannot know the difference between an okay sausage and not okay sausage on sight it can be best to exclude the option all together. There are also other medical conditions which pork would aggravate and as, like nitrite sensitivity, many just don't listen/ignore it, trying to pick what can and cannot be given would be a minefield.

Seriously, it is one meal a week. Even my very-pork obsessed FIL can manage one meal.

[LynetteScavo]

Yes, exactly kids can die when they eat peanuts. I did point that out to the grumbling mum.

[MrsTerryPratchett]

What is the mortality rate from heart disease in Germany?

[Frontpaw]

I would have though bowel cancer would be more a risk.

[LynetteScavo]

When DS1 was at nursery, they never served meat (the owners were vegetarian) and one year he was there a child had an egg allergy, so when the children cooked, it was always a recipe with no egg, and served nothing with egg in it at parties, so all children could eat all the food.

No parents had an issue with it, but then it was a private nursery,and weren't under any pressure to serve up national favorites.

[goralka]

it seems a reasonable request, there could be Jews Muslims or Coptic Christians, none of whom eat pork, and little kids could eat something by accident.
the word 'ban' is a tad inflammatory though.

[SamSmalaidh]

Wow, I wouldn't have even considered this an issue My son's (state) nursery also doesn't serve pork, as it's easier that way - they just have a veggie and meat option, rather than having to have a 3+ options.

Does it make any difference not to eat pork while at kindergarten? It's hardly like cutting out a major food group.

[goralka]

besides pork gives you butt worms and diarrhoea...

[drjohnsonscat]

If you don't want to eat pork, don't eat it. But don't tell other people they can't bring it to a shared buffet. The dog analogy is similar - if I went to Vietnam I probably wouldn't eat dog but I wouldn't tell other people not to bring dog to the buffet because I might find it offensive. It wouldn't necessarily get much takeup from the non-Vietnamese but that's another story.

There is something offensive about being told what you consider to be normal food and are offering openly, other people call unclean. I can't stop other people thinking it's unclean but a) it's not - scientifically - and b) it actually is quite rude to suggest that about other people's food. You can think it, obviously, but keep your thoughts to yourself if at all possible (ie, as long as you are not being force fed it).

there's a lot of talk about acceptance but it really isn't very accepting to want to ban a certain foodstuff because you think it's unclean. On the other hand, at a kindergarten breakfast, it is a bit moot because surely everyone will bring bread and cereal?

[PoppyAmex]

"Why are people so obsessed with their irritation about religion that they can't even bring themselves gladly to accommodate cultural food preferences associated with religious faiths? What generosity, what hospitality or love is there in an act of shared food provision if you are so needled by the requirement to provide food that can be enjoyed by all? Far better for you to say, "No, I prefer not to bring in any food thanks." You can still attend the school: the ogre of religion in a state context won't have cheated you of anything at all except the dubious pleasure of giving gifts strictly on your own terms"

Pasting Oaty's post because it's so good it deserves to be read again!

[LynetteScavo]

A yummy German breakfast

The kinder will love this!

A traditional German breakfast buffet.

[goralka]

there are valid reasons why so many millions of people do not eat it......
here

[unrulysun]

Glad you did that PoppyAmex as I was about to

[LinzerChristkindlmarkt]

I don't understand why this is such an issue - or is it more about the principle?

Our Kindergarten has something similar (a "healthy breakfast" taken in by a different family every week) but, while meat isn't banned, it isn't on the list of suggested items and AFAIK most people don't take it in. Austrian "cuisine" is very meat-based but I don't think any parent has ever complained about the lack of meat at breakfast - and you're only talking about pork here, not meat as a whole.

[PessaryPam]

It could be Wurst, boom boom tish!

[natation]

It's hard finding a balance between accepting other cultural / religious traditions and expecting a bit of integration too.

I'd go for the colour plate options or ask for no meat at all.

[Frontpaw]

Or do a breakfast with a theme - so 'foods we like to eat' then all the kids get to see what others eat.

[merrymouse]

If quite a few children don't eat a particular food (for whatever reason), isn't it just more practical for the nursery to ask parents to bring something else?

If I were going on a picnic and I knew that quite a few of my friends hated Pringles, I probably woudn't bring them.

[goralka]

exactly merrymouse.....

[ethelmeaker]

22 children, 4 are non pork eaters (by choice) and the mum of one of the 4 has said that it is not an issue if other children eat pork. She also said that banning pork is not the way forward. No trolling going on here I'm afraid. Just wanted some opinions on this.
Oh and pork is not on the menu for the midday meal either. So 6 meals would be without pork.
All parents received the mail and of those who have replied all wanted to continue to have the choice of bringing pork in.
It really is a question of choice. I choose not to eat fish but I don't care if everyone around me eats it.

[HalloweenNameChange]

Is there any German food available that doesn't involve pork? I am pretty sure PIG is the most dangerous occupation in Germany. Anyway, OP bring some veg and make everyone happy.

[Blu]

Apparantly the average German consumes 67 pounds of sausages a year.

I do think that 'banning' foods on the basis that they are offfensive or unclean (DrJohnson's post) is not a way to go.

However, it is possible to approach a shared communal meal with an attitude of inclusiveness and 'let's make everything available to as many people as possible'.

Come on, people of Germany, flaunt your Meusli!