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.

A healthy lunchbox! Shock horror! Whatever next?

If someone can fit all of that into a 5 year old, at lunchtime, ongratulations. Other than quantity, I dont see a problem.

This has actually broken my heart.

Maybe they want their child to have steady blood sugar levels throughout the day so they can focus and learn? Sounds good to me.

Yes, YABVU. Parents pack what their children will eat. Options are also limited by what nurseries/school allow in. I always made freshly cooked salmon for my child to have for lunch at nursery one or two days a week. He's never eaten sandwiches, never liked the options at nursery/school, always loved salmon and he needed something filling and healthy to give him energy. For the record, it takes 10min to steam a piece of salmon and I had 3 min wage jobs at the time. I still wanted to feed my child well. Why is it over the top to feed your child normal, home cooked food?

Exactement.

Quite a usual lunch. The type of food I send as I want my children to eat a nutritious lunch.

I think it is dreadful that you are judging young children's lunch boxes. Children, who have very little say in what goes into their packed lunch nutritious or otherwise.

Would you share judgement face to face with their parent, who provides their child with a nutritious healthy lunch?

you should be more concerned with the children who bring in junk food for their lunch, but you shouldn't not be judging either way, as it is not your place to do so.

If you feel that strongly about packed lunches why not do something constructive about it rather than criticising children and families for their lunch choices?

Lunch club? Cookery club or some such?

I don't think it's over the top in a judgy way. My thoughts would be around context though...

My DS has a bog standard cheese sandwich on bakery bread most days. I don't think this is any better or worse nutritionally than the examples you've stated. I make this option because it's OK cost and health-wise, DS likes it, and to spend time doing anything fancier than this isn't a good use of my time or stress levels. For me personally, there is no benefit of making a steak sandwich that would justify the effort of doing it.

If the parent in question thrives on putting effort into packed lunches and sees it as worth it then that's completely fine/good. If it's done for appearances or some sort of martyrdom at great stress to themselves then obviously not so good (for them).

I would much rather my child eat unprocessed steak and smoked salmon than ham! A packet of smoked salmon is not anymore expensive than a packet of ham these days.

So do I. They taste the same and are great in bagels.

Please don't sneer at a 5 year old's lunch box.

Those are perfectly normal family cooked-a-bit-extra-for-the-lunches meals.

Smoked salmon trimmings are like £2.50 and a little bit goes a long way in a child’s bagel, cream cheese is very reasonable unbranded. A quiche is easy to make and cheap and likely to be cut from the previous evening’s dinner. Sounds a nice lunch to me, and not at all ridiculous.

DGD is ten months and will eat most things from calamari to cottage cheese. New flavour yesterday was a just ripe plum from my tree. Stick it in front of them when they’re young and they’re more likely to develop a taste for it instead of junk.

I might be reading this wrong, but I’m seeing the OP as more jealous than judgemental. If I were the OP’s employer, as she’s a TA, I’d be upset by her misuse of language.

Well @Diadrie has certainly had their arse handed to them on a plate on this thread!

My daughter packs her own bento box and would include these things if the ingredients were available in the fridge or we had leftover quiche etc. It usually includes some form of hummus/dip with veg sticks, fruit salad, pasta salad or wrap. She’s really into brie and rye bread at present so you might think I was over the top too but she makes it all herself.

Haha! DH was a bit overzealous with the figs to make up for all the times there’s never any left in the shop! For balance, we also love a fig roll here. Best biscuit.

Guess what...some families might be greek and eat greek food (or insert culture here....). Go figure?

I used to do a 'fancy' bento box because DD wouldn't eat a 'standard' sandwich. Occasionally if I used cookie cutters to turn them into interesting shaped nibbles. Or maybe sliced into pinwheels.

So a variety of small portions of various foods, nicely presented.

Including things like marinated olives, because they would get calories into her. In reality the portion sizes of e.g. smoked salmon are quite small, so in themselves not expensive. Especially if bought reduced because expiring, and frozen in lunch sized portions.

Before DD I used to believe that children would eat anything reasonable if hungry enough. But DD doesn't, and the challenge has always been to get enough food into her.

And veg sticks plus a dip is hardly extravagant!

OTOH she eats cucumber as if it is going out of fashion 😂 never any problem with cucumber, and cucumber and naturak yoghurt dip never got wasted. And not expensive

I always tried to give my child the best lunches I could at nursery. I worked at the school office where the nursery was and actually had some of the teachers come into the office and say, can you make us some lunch as his looked delicious and he eats it too!

I worked really hard on introducing new flavours and healthy attitudes to food. It wasn’t trying to be snobby, it was just getting him used to proper food. Wasn’t quite at the level of steak or salmon, but still a healthy bento box that didn’t cost a fortune.

Our school when I've been in the hall on my volunteer days
95% of the children have Sandwich/ bagel/ crackers/ pitta , A packet of Crisps, fruit, yoghurt and a small bar of chocolate, kit kat or similar or the likes of mini maryland/ party rings.
The rest have things like a cold pasta in a bento box with a couple of snacks / fruit.

My daughter isn’t a fan of school dinners but also doesn’t like a cold packed lunch. She’s had salmon stir fry, steak and sweet potato chunks with veg and a rice dish of some sort for her lunch before. It’s what she likes to eat. If I do pack my kids a lunch I try to avoid lots of pre packed bits or processed foods. They eat a lot of fruit & veg at home so why wouldn’t I give them that at school. They have a treat but usually save it for after school time. Good for the parent in this case I say. Better than a cold McDonald’s that I’ve seen in one child’s lunch box before!

If I could afford it I would it to give my children too!

Nobody likes judgy school staff. Especially when they're judging the most ridiculous things ever. They're being fed, what's the issue?