Does this sound like a weird packed lunch to you?

[marialuisa]

DD (nearly 4) has gone back to having packed lunches as she has finally decided that bread isn't the food of the devil. She came home quite bothered yesterday as 3 of the nursery staff apparently stood round debating the "weird" contents of her lunchbox. She then told us that they do this most days.

So, do you think the following is worthy of comment?

Smoked salmon and cream cheese sandwich on brown bread

Little tub with cherry toms, carrot, red pepper celery and kosher sausage

banana

yoghurt drink

water

(BTW: this also contains her after school snack, she picks what she wants to keep for later)

sounds very worthy
maybe they were debating the juxtaposition of cream cheese and yoghurt in the same meal as meat?

I would be shouting from the roof tops with glee if my same age ds1 ate anything like that variety of fresh food, hats off to you

I think it's a fab lunch box. I expect they think it's 'weird' because the average child has
white bread sandwiches
crisps
chocolate/biscuits
fizzy or crap drink

So my son tells me anyway. He has brown bread peanut butter sandwiches, apple, satsuma, banana, pistachos/cashews, yoghurts, and organic chocolate today because I wondered if I was being mean about it.

But he won't be getting the chocolate tomorrow if he doesn't eat his fruit, that's the deal. Good for you ML, tell her it's NOT weird, we're impressed!

Sounds lovely not weird

SOunds great to me - but then me kids never went for the crisp, sweet and choccy lunch anyway.

me ...MY

Lunchbox sounds great. Have a word with those nursery staff - they sound weird!

sounds very much like what my ds1 has for lunch. Not wierd at all.

I think the "problem" lies in the fact that it is quite a sophisticated diet - well smoked salmon is. I gave my kids taramasalata once and you should have heard the comments I got! Doesn't stop me still giving it to them occasionally as a treat.

Think it sounds like a great lunch. What would the nursery staff consider less 'weird', then I wonder?

Oh no, it was defo that they thought it "weird". DD had to explain to them what the smoked salmon was. Don't why I'm so irritated about this, perhaps because the thought of 3 teachers discussing the strangeness of DD's lunch in front of her and the other kids seems so tactless? We've had genuine questions about the food she eats before (the school cook wanted to know what cous-cous and anchovies were) but this just struck me as mean, somehow!

And for the record DD does get to eat crap at times, but when it suits me (i.e. mummy and daddy are hungover on sunday lunch time) but it's for a treat. Anyway, have you seen the price of Dairylea lunchabls?

Has she been upset by this Marialuisa? Has she commented on what other children have in their lunchboxes?

sounds really yummy

my girls' nursery provides lunch - but they often did tastings of different fruits etc and loved the variety.

She was definitely bothered by the comments, esp the use of "weird". She's mentioned that other children have cheese string type things but never asked for them, she actually chooses what she wants in her lunchbox herself so it's not us "forcing" her to take whatever's left in the bottom of the fridge.

Batters-you're spot on about the singled out thing, esp as I had real issues with food as a kid and am really pleased that DD has fallen into eating a wide variety of fodds without question.

I'm probably getting too het up about this because I'm pre-menstrual and spoiling for a fight! DH has jsut taken it as an example of the somewhat limited horizins of the staff. Oh well, she's leaving at the end of term.

mmm - sounds yummy - can I have one too please

Perhaps they find it 'wierd' because most of the other children have lunchboxes full of cr*p???

I thought I'd posted this but can't find it now.
I think that's awful of the teachers, how rude and irresponsible. i'd have a word with them.

I want that lunch NOW marialuisa, its just the type of food I give dd all the time. I think its rather sad that the nursery staff don't know what smoked salmon is - but then I've had supermarket checkout staff ask me what an avocado is

Thomcat is right, it's rude and irresponsible. They should be praising your healthy choices and encouraging the other children to follow suit. I can't imagine what they were thinking of to say such things.

Mmmm please could you come round and do my lunch. I think it's great that you're encouraging healthy eating. My DS1 has pittas filled with tuna mayo, a banana, couple of cocktail sauages and squeezy fromage frais. PLus a drink of dilute ribena. He's not very adventurous but a lot more so than many other kids I know. BTW he does eat chicken nuggets but I refuse to do Wotsits, cheese strings and the like. I give him a few hula hoops but he's not really into crisp type snacks. Loves choc though.

Sorry that isn't all squeezed into his pittas, just the tuna mayo

Sounds very healthy to me!
I wish my ds was adventerous enough to eat that kind of food!

Dare I say it, what they can afford on nursery nurse salaries might be an influencing factor in their lack of knowledge of smoked salmon...just a thought.
But agree it sounded like a delicious lunch and they should keep their thoughts to themselves unless they are prepared to be constructive and supportive.
Ds comes home whingeing all the time about the lack of cheese strings/Fruit Shoots/Dairylea Luncheables in his breaktime snack...but just lately he is starting to accept that a good diet translates into feeling well and having more energy.