To think a leftover happy meal isn’t the worst packed lunch you could have?

[Tulipdreams]

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/teachers-share-students-worst-packed-36878989.amp

Hear me out first. Of course the article is pretty terrible, children being sent into school with only packets of biscuits for lunch, stories of children having no milk for their cereal and bringing in energy drinks.

But one example was a child took a leftover happy meal to school. Aibu to think that this isn’t the worst thing you could have?

No I have never sent my child into school with a cold takeaway for their lunch, and it would be concerning if it was happening all the time. But I would eat leftover McDonald’s if I hadn’t eaten it the night before. It’s probably no worse than taking a ham sandwich and a packet of crisps (which would be deemed as acceptable).

When I was a child most kids took meat paste sandwiches and a wagon wheel and that was a completely normal lunch.

Also agree

a cold leftover takeaway is just lazy

and tbh prob rank

For show, yes. But actually better than meat and potatoes to get through a school day? The thought of it makes me shiver though.

Plain just meat and cheese or with sauce and onions?

It better still, pasta, pesto, cubes of cheese, chopped cucumber and tomatoes. Still cheap more nutritious. The problem is a lot of these children are weaned to eat beige tasteless crap.

You are thought to be posh and pretentious if your child eats decent quality food or likes the taste of an olive.

There's a lot of food snobbery on here!!

I was pretty anal about my DC's food ensuring it was all organic and well balanced. I probably took it too far and I'm sure they would have been thrilled to have a leftover happy meal as a packed lunch just for the novelty of it.

A 2oz beef patty in a bun is probably just as nutritious as a homemade ham sandwich or a slice of cold pizza.

The thing I don't understand is having a leftover happy meal. If I order fast food I don't order more than we are going to eat. It's not like batch cooking.

In what world do we class adding some cold protein into a child's lunch box along the same lines as neglect...? I cooked the dippers that morning, let them cool and packed them up. Is it any different from her taking some cold leftover roast children? Maccies nuggets are actually quite a safe protein food, my competitive athlete teens are encouraged to eat them pre race by their coach. I think some of the posters on here need to actually look into the world of neglect and maybe engage their brains before posting. Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than speak and remove all doubt.

In what world do we class adding some cold protein into a child's lunch box along the same lines as neglect...? I cooked the dippers that morning, let them cool and packed them up. Is it any different from her taking some cold leftover roast children? Maccies nuggets are actually quite a safe protein food, my competitive athlete teens are encouraged to eat them pre race by their coach. I think some of the posters on here need to actually look into the world of neglect and maybe engage their brains before posting. Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than speak and remove all doubt.

Sorry, are you trying to claim that McDonald's isn't ultra processed!?

I love that this is just pure ragebait lol. The faux disingenuous 'but why isn't it okay for lunch if it's okay for dinner?' deliberately pretending not to understand the difference between a hot fresh takeaway and cold rubbery leftovers the next day.

I'm sorry I just don't buy it.

I know it's infuriating that people are pretending not to understand this.

It's OK (occasionally) when hot and fresh. Really not OK when half eaten, cold and slimy.

I've said this before but the nutrition isn't the worst aspect of this. The worst thing is that giving your kid a half-eaten cold hamburger tells them you don't give a shit about them.

i think it’s infuriating that grown ups pretend they think it’s neglect- and indeed tell posters who have done so with all the pride of someone who loves to devastate people- and throw around words like “neglect” and “safeguarding” oblivious to what they mean and their impacts. Ie

”safeguarding!”
”what do you mean?”
”I mean safeguarding!”

That’s disingenuous

i think it’s infuriating that grown ups pretend they think it’s neglect- and indeed tell posters who have done so with all the pride of someone who loves to devastate people- and throw around words like “neglect” and “safeguarding” oblivious to what they mean and their impacts. Ie

I'm not really sure what your point is: I didn't say its neglect or a safeguarding issue.

I'm not a teacher and I don't know what the safeguarding protocols are. As a one off or occasional thing it's possibly excusable and no doubt no one has time to look into a one off shit lunch at a busy school. I would imagine if a child is taking cold leftover McDonalds food into school every day it points at the very least to some dysfunctional parenting which merits investigating a bit.

Not sure why you're so keen to justify such lame parenting though, just because it doesn't technically trigger a safeguarding issue? Shit parenting is still shit parenting even if it doesn't necessitate involving social services.

I’m telling you it’s infuriating, just as you think it’s infuriating people pretend not to understand

I can’t believe I’m saying this, as it’s so obvious, but justifying something is very different to pointing out the hyperbole and mistruths of the response to the situation, and identifying when posters are eager to kick parents they think are “lame” because it brings them personal satisfaction.

The issue here is the word McDonalds.

If a ‘concerned’ MNer said “I cook minced steak patties and chicken goujons from scratch. They’re yummy hot or cold and sooo filling”, other ‘concerned’ MNers would applaud.

But even though its ingredients are excellent, McDonalds is beyond the pale. This is a thread for showing off snobby values, not a sensible discussion.

It’s also incredibly outdated. McDonald’s was nearly finished off in the noughties for the quality of their food. They successfully turned it around decades ago by openly demonstrating the quality and consistency of their ingredients.

Many people don’t like McDonald’s as many don’t like pizza express or Nando’s. But the criticism of quality of ingredients is misguided

I love a McDonald's that is not the issue its the fact its a left over McDonald's ftim yesterday
Like the parents just cant be arsed
The amount of people tying themselves in knots trying to say its a healthy nourishing lunch ,its not.

@Itsmetheflamingo

It’s also incredibly outdated. McDonald’s was nearly finished off in the noughties for the quality of their food. They successfully turned it around decades ago by openly demonstrating the quality and consistency of their ingredients.
Many people don’t like McDonald’s as many don’t like pizza express or Nando’s. But the criticism of quality of ingredients is misguided

This is all probably true but its not the point.

It's not a nutritional tit for tat between a Happy Meal and a ham sandwich.

It's the fact that a parent has considered a half-eaten, cold takeaway to be a decent lunch for their child. It's a shit lunch and if I were that child and my parent were routinely giving me their sloppy seconds because they couldn't bring themself to take another five minutes to buy and prepare a sandwich I would feel that I was at the bottom of their list of priorities. For the record I don't think its particularly about McDonalds (although there is a snob thing about it) it would be an equally shit lunch if it were a leftover Leon rice box.

It that makes me a snob, so be it.

It doesn’t make you a snob but interesting you have articulated the underlying class stereotype on this thread and I think it’s the main motivator for posters to distance themselves from McDonald’s gate.

and yes, routinely is the key word here isn’t it? Which means a McDonald’s once or twice in 6 years of schooling is ok, but not everyday?

And how about cold chips? Are they good for athletic performance as well??
You are making excuses - it’s an abject lunch, there is no way round it.

Hmm my DGS likes to take leftover pesto pasta.

I can't see the problem with many leftovers. Think pakoras, sausages, meatballs, pasta cold chicken left from a roast etc

Home cooked left over,s are very different to.a bit of last night's kebab or a half eaten cheese burger.

I think it’s really not great, not because it’s maccies/a takeaway/unhealthy, but because a cold burger and chips is just awful and can’t be nice at all for the kid. Not like cold pizza can be nice. I can’t put my finger on why exactly, but imagining a kid struggling through cold maccies that’s all claggy and tasteless and sticks in your throat makes me feel sad.

However if the child asked for it specifically for whatever reason I wouldn’t be bothered. It just feels like a lack of thinking about what would be at least a decent experience for them

we occasionally used to send the kids in with Japanese packet noodles in a thermos... that was pretty unhealthy! but fruit and water to go with it.

but no. I would not feed my kids a happy meal and certainly wouldn't save any for their packed lunch.... grim..

It's not a nutritional tit for tat between a Happy Meal and a ham sandwich.

It may very well be, which I think is the point.

And if you don't want to make nutritional comparisons, leftovers from a Happy Meal is unlikely to be the parent's sloppy seconds. Much more likely to be leftovers from a meal the child chose themselves. You do also need to factor in, if you're putting yourself in the child's place and deciding how you'd feel, that the child may very well prefer this to something prepared by the parent instead.

My original message said I wouldn't include the chips. Don't forget there is an option of carrot sticks or fruit bags instead of the fries. The op didn't divulge what the actual happy meal consisted of. As a teacher trust me, I've seen much worse lunches than a leftover burger or nuggets.