Extravagant Pack Lunches

[Diadrie]

I am a TA in a primary school in the middle of a town, real mixed background from families who are mortgage free making well into 6 figures and families living in council homes, earning minimum wage.

As part of my job I supervise the infants half at lunchtime and I have seen the more absurd pack lunches recently from one child. It’s a bento box format, very normal fruit and veg, then greek yogurt and compote, a dip (guacamole/tzatziki/hummus). The main is really star of the show though with: salmon and cream cheese bagel, steak and onion focaccia sandwich, quiche Lorraine etc.

I’m now sat thinking what a totally over the top pack lunches recently for a 5 year old, admittedly the child does finish it, but salmon and steak in children’s pack lunches??

AIBU thinking this is totally over the top, extravagant and slightly absurd.

YABU, I'd love to be this mum, I did send in pasta shapes in homemade pasta sauce for about a week before he decided he didn't really like it and it was far more hassle than it was worth! He went back to ham sandwiches with a frube etc then the free school meals for KS1+2 came into place, now he only has school dinner and it's great. I'm not bento box mum material!

Is this a joke, was expecting you to say Caviar based on the description. This is totally normal food 😆

You are being unreasonable unprofessional and youre a reverse snob

When it's nothing you can't find in the sandwich section in Tesco, it's hardly extravagant 😂

Don't Infants get free school lunches? Though they would probably be less nutritious and tasty than this child's packed lunches.

That is exactly the type of lunch my dc get. Usually featuring leftovers. Should I be giving them Quavers, Fruit Shoots and Bear YoYo rolls instead?

I pack lunches like that for DD...who is (in the nicest possible way) a little bit "extra"

Crudites and hummus is standard
Smoked salmon bagels have been known
Pickles have occasionally been sliced and placed in little sandwich bags

I do feel its extravagant and I do take the piss out of myself for it.

@Diadrie YABVVVU about the lunch and even more unreasonable with your reverse snobby attitude.

@Diadrie you sound like an asshole.

Why are you judging people who have made nice lunches for their kids? People have done their best and you’re sitting there sneering!

Why don’t you know that it’s “packed lunch” not “pack lunch”?

I think you’re in the wrong job.

Exactly….sounds like an excellent lunch,
I think the OP is a begrudger, the child is probably from a well off family with loving parents and the OP is somehow irked by this
OP, I think you are in the wrong job, this sort of think should please you not annoy you if you had the children’s best interest at heart?!?’

Do you also judge the fruit shoot, frube, quavers, jam sandwich and cheese string lunch box so harshly? 😂

I work in a school and I think that’s a lovely packed lunch. A lot better than the food I’ve seen being sent in. Cold chicken nuggets and chips is a regular. I’ve even seen McDonald’s happy meals being sent in with some children.

@Diadrie That 5 year old eats better than me, and yet, I bet the parents of that 5 year old expect me to sacrifice my income and pay even more in tax just so they can have "childcare."

@Diadrie Do any of the children bring in a gooseberry and cinnamon yoghurt?

YABU. If the kid is eating it it's obviously their regular diet. I'd much rather see steak and salmon than processed crap like lunchables.

What's acceptable, in your opinion @Diadrie?

I wouldn't call that extravagant. Nice healthy lunch. A quiche isn't remotely fancy. Are you jealous that it's nicer than your lunch?

Would you be happier with a plain cheese sandwich?
DS had a time when he took sushi to school, and then mini hot dogs in buns...he's currently in a cereal bar phase (he has a substantial breakfast at home and eats an, at 2pm albeit late, school lunch).

I mean. I've sent my kids in with smoked salmon, lasagna in a pot, I don't think I've ever done steak as I don't like cold steak sandwiches myself, but they've definitely had olives, and all sorts of 'adult' bits and bobs because they like them and I'm not mucking about with stuff they don't like for lunch..

Politics of envy? Worry about the kids getting a cheese sandwich and a yoghurt, the ones with extravagant lunches are doing fine.

I’ll raise you a lobster cocktail sandwich!
My then 10 year old’s lunch using up left overs from a family celebration buffet, and it was the only day ever the head teacher asked them what was in their packed lunch that day！

My DD had smoked salmon sandwiches for the last school term as she refused to eat cheese or ham sandwiches and I wasn't going to let her have Jam ones.

An unlovely thought. The politics of envy is never nice. And they probably can afford to pay for childcare? I am not that keen on my taxes going to subsidise nursery places, either, but that's because I think babies and toddlers are better off at home with their mother (or possibly father).

Like most people they are probably using leftovers to save waste. Very sensible.

Sounds fabulous, lucky kids.

My three kids had sushi (with chopsticks) in their lunchboxes today. I hope they weren’t on the receiving end of any reverse snobbery from their school staff.