To expect my nanny NOT to feed my two year old a McDonalds Happy Meal?

[coolbeans]

I know it's not the end of the world and he is nearly three but I don't think it's unreasonable to expect her to ASK me, at least, before takes him out and stuffs him full of chicken nuggets and chips for lunch.

I'm not against McD's as such, but he's still really little and there's no need to take him there yet - it's not a bloody treat - as she seems to think.

I think that's what has annoyed me most. It's just food, I don't want him associating it with being a "treat" outing.

Hi, chocolatedot, this is probably too late, but in a way all gastropubs and even restaurants compete with McDs. If you spend 20 quid on dinner for four at McDs you could choose instead to save the money for a more infrequent meal at a gastropub. If you ate at McDs say once a month, this might take, say, three months of saving up...

In that sense, a family of five are still choosing to eat at McDs, whatever their income. I understand why, but it is a choice. So what you say is true - they may nto be able to choose to eat out elsewhere for less than 20 pounds - but they could choose to eat out less often and differently.

Once upon a time I was on benefits for a year, and my then DP and I used to go to the local Chinese once a fortnight and have one side dish of fried rice between us because that was all we could afford. Then we decided to skip it and save up for a steak, which we craved. (Dunno - maybe we were iron-deficient) Took us three missed meals, but we did it! We cooked it ourselves. This was ages ago but I really remember it. We were completely broke, too.

Thing is that you would still have to eat something on those 3 nights normally McDs, but there are lots of cheaper ways to eat than there so you could manage to save if you chose to. This is absolutely not a must - just an idea of seeing things differently.

Hi JL, I take your point (as it happens I am very much of the school whereby I would rather not eat out at all if the food on offer is sub-standard and I have the option of eating at home). However I'm not sure how realistic it is to expect say a single mother living in a tower block with a number of kids, no support and a lot of stress to spend £100 on supper at a Gastropub instead of 5 meals quick,easy meals out which her children would enjoy.

Don't get me wrong, I didn't mean to accuse you of anything. I just don't like the moral superiority that some seem to adopt when it comes to cheap/ bad food. It really bugs me to hear middle class types announce that "We never allow our children to eat at McDonalds" or wherever as if it's poison and then feed their children M&S ready meals or cheap protein at a more upmarket chain which are of course no better in a nutritional sense.

As I said, I didn't mean to imply you were guilty of this. My views are coloured by the endless food smuggery I come across in RL and also, I found some of Anna888's posts prety hard to take in this regard.

I also think it's worth remembering just how much better the diet is now of the least well off in society compared to times past. With obesity and diabetes it might not seem it but the fact is that fruit, vegetables and meat are now more available and accessible than in any time in history.

I hear you, chocolatedot. I totally agree about the issue of whether people are getting enough to eat being paramount. I'm a historian and I know it's not so long since people here in England weren't getting enough fat or protein for health. Even nowadays those on benefits struggle, according to the Food Commission, though it's partly lack of knowhow. When I was on benefits myself I used to buy almost all our food from the end-of-the-day city centre market, when they had boxes of unsold veggies for 10p. But I'm not sure why I knew to do this, or how to cook the purchases!

I also think if a mum in a tower block chooses McDs or similar that she has every right to - just as you and I (and she) have every right not to. What I said about gastropubs versus McDs was really aimed at people not on benefits who as you say can sometimes be both snooty and inconsistent. But I DO try not to be either.

Good talking to you...

And you - have a Happy Christmas