McDonalds and a school trip...

[azteccamera]

Truly wondering about this situation.

Long, hot day. School trip. Reception class so 4 & 5 year olds. Left at 8.30 this morning. Due back at 4pm. Finally arrived back at 6.45pm after the bus broke down on the way home. The school were communicating by text all the way through the afternoon keeping us updated.

We've just picked up the children to be told they have been fed... McDonalds. Personally, I don't mind, better that she is fed, watered and it was next to where they had broken down. Bear in mind they were waiting in a hot bus with no aircon for a replacement coach.

However other parents were shouting at the head teacher,for everyone to hear. Apparently no one ever feeds her children mcdonalds. They've never had it. Thinks it's a disgrace. Some of the dads were also agreeing.

Would you mind? Allergies and food intolerances and preferences accounted for, would you be angry enough to shout at the teachers about it?

This thread is hilarious and scary. I really am glad some people have nothing more to stress about in their lives. You'd think their kids were offered crack cocaine. And as for some of the 'in agreement' posters, honestly where do you get the headspace or wherewithal to give this much of a shit? Why are you're kids so special that the teachers should trek around with 'emergency rations' for them because of eating habits which they have CHOSEN ie. Not allergy related etc.

I have taken my vegetarian child to McDonald's a handful if times, once because I was hungover and wanted one myself.

I have even been known to feed her fruit shoots. She has not died of obesity related childhood diabetes yet.

Can I have my MN parent of the year badge now please?

Also love the way wiggly lines objects to mcd's but is happy to let their kids use their well maintained loos without even buying anything!

Hercship you are a total idiot who had no idea what the reality of looking after 30 hungry quite young children is.You think they are going to lead them all across a forecourt into a little petrol station shop and find enough fresh sandwiches there at night to feed 30 of them.And then where are they going to eat them, and whree are they going to find a toilet.
You think you are doing good by your kids with this hardline approach.You are not! you are making them different.How are they going to be able to relax at meat eating friends' homes if they are always fretting about cross contamination

Gingee wrote 'Why are you're kids so special that the teachers should trek around with 'emergency rations' for them because of eating habits which they have CHOSEN

Hear hear!! But in fact it isn't even what they have chosen it is what their cranky precious competitive parents have dictated for them.

FFS, there are children in this world - millions of them - who don't even have a cup of clean water to drink, who don't eat regular meals, whose parents go without any food for days to try and feed them. So the notion of these ridiculous, aspirational MC wannabes screeching at hard working teachers about totally unimportant shit like this makes me absolutely furious! Jesus, people need to remove their heads from their arses and get some fucking perspective.
Ps. Sorry, have PMT :-)

Here here here suninthe city I totally agree

I would rather dc had macdonalds, cooked fresh then some rubbish stale petrol station sandwich, have access to clean area to eat and clean toilet. Petrol station toilets .

My children never eat McDonalds because I think it is crap food. However under the circumstances I would have been happy enough that they had been given something to eat. Even if I didn't like the thought that they had eaten there I would never have shamed myself enough to complain and I would never shout at the head teacher in any circumstances!

StoneTheFlamingCrows I admit it's cheeky. But I'm quite happy to be cheeky as far as McDs are concerned.

I think McDonald's role in the destruction of the rainforests and related contribution to global warming, ozone destruction, depletion of mineral resources and the destruction of natural habitats, not to mention supporting cruel farming practices and being against unions, mean, IMO, they are adversely affecting the world that our children will inherit.

I'm therefore completely comfortable with using their loos occasionally when my DCs are caught short, without feeling any need to contribute to their profits, thank you very much.

I still wouldn't berate a teacher for taking DCs there in an emergency though.

What's the likelihood of cross contamination in a garage forecourt sandwich, do you think? More or less than McDonalds? I can imagine the howls of laughter you'd be greeted with if you asked them could they guarantee it couldn't possibly happen.
Yet Herc would have been happy for her child to eat there...

Personally I would have been delighted. We don't do McDonald's ourselves but I don't really have a problem with them. But I would be massively grateful to the teachers, impressed with their resource, and filled with admiration that they could be bothered with getting all the kids off the bus, sorting out all the meals/toilets/assorted stuff, supervising, getting them all back on the bus in one piece at that time of day - they'd probably already had enough by home journey time.

Hats off to teacher, I say.

Btw, I was veggie for years. The amount of meat product present on a knife that had been used to cut a ham sandwich would categorically not cause a serious stomach upset.
Not possible. Not if you have any immune system whatsoever.

Theresadogonyoutballs Am I allowed to agree even though I obviously do not share your excuse?

Teachers were saints, shouty parents foul, but tell me, do McDs really do veggie burgers these days? Is it a new thing ? in the past they did not. (Now craving a veggie cheeseburger and fries, contamination notwithstanding.)

I wonder if the veggies apply the same cross contamination standards to all other restaurants and food outlets? Must cut down on your choices vastly.

I have multiple allergic kids, chain places like McDonalds are far less risky in terms of cross contamination than anywhere else as the food comes pre packed!!

I recently went to mcd's for the first time in about 8 yrs and was.......

Impressed!

Had something vegetarian, don't know what it was, but it was very nice.

Kids all ate well, did colouring, got free balloons.

Looking forward to going back in another 8 years.

@herc

Of course they can't guarantee cross contamination - they have meat/fish on the premises. However their operating procedures say that veggie food should be cooked in separate oil/griddle.

Its probably as veggie as anything that you buy out of the supermarket that is manufactured in the same place as meat containing products.

If meat was an allergen I bet you'd find an awful lot of vegetarian food with a "may contain meat" warning.

Poor teachers. They must have been shattered, and so pleased to be delivering the children back safely eventually. What a reception to come back to Teachers must wonder why they bother sometimes.

I would have been grateful that they managed to feed them and make a point of thanking them profusely and paying them back for the meal.

Fucking hell. All these people who would never take their child to McDonalds. It's a wonder they manage to stay in business isn't it?

Andrewofgg- you may. I have enough PMT for everyone .

Herc do you go to friends who are meat eaters for dinner! Same thing. Do you check their kitchen beforehand!

where do you get the headspace or wherewithal to give this much of a shit?

This. Surely a reasonable thought process would be:

"Great. They've been fed so I can just get them home to bed"

instead of all this angst over a bit of white bread and some slightly low rent but harmless beef.

Still waiting for suggestions of

Somewhere quick

Cheap

With A/C

Clean toilets

Safe for kids

That could have 30+ meals ready in a reasonable time with it having booked

That caters for allergies

Has tables

Go on, list places where teachers can go.

So far garages are out because of lack of AC/clean toilets and enough sandwiches for everyone.

Ditto tesco