April 30, 2024
1:00 pm
The time-saving lunch solution received mixed opinions, between those who appreciated the practicality and those who would prefer more wholesome meals. In Italy, however, the idea would be difficult to replicate due to stricter regulations.
Prepare lunch for the children going to school represents a daily challenge for many parents. If the family is particularly large, the management of meals becomes a managerial enterprise which requires planning – everything must be ready well in advance to avoid hectic rushes in the morning – and a great ability to problem solving.
He knows it well an American mother who recently proposed their time-saving solution in the Facebook group Slow Cooker Recipe & Tipsdedicated to sharing quick and easy recipes to prepare every day.
“My kids love peanut butter sandwiches, so I started a new routine,” reads the image caption. “Every Sunday I use a whole loaf of bread and I make as many sandwiches as possible. Then I keep them in the fridge for children’s lunches during the week. This makes my morning routine easier.”
The mother who leaves notes on the cars of those who park on the sidewalks: “Be kind, I have a stroller”
In fact, in the United States it is very common for children and teenagers to eat at school food brought from home and often the choice falls on sandwiches or similar, easy to carry in the backpack.
After all, overseas breakfast tends to be more abundant than what happens in our country, therefore the meals consumed during the day are usually more frugal.
pros and cons
Within a short time, the post was inundated with commentsmany of which are extremely positive.
“I used to always have ham and cheese sandwiches in the freezer ready to be toasted at the last minute. This post reminded me of that and I’ll start doing it again” writes a user.
“My mother used to make sandwiches and freeze them. They were perfect when lunch time came,” says another member of the group.
However, if many found the idea useful and ingenious, some criticized it type of conservation And the environmental impactgiven the use of many disposable bags every week.
“I’m sorry, but no, that’s disgusting. Fresh bread and sandwiches every day”; “Everyone has their own taste, but no, it’s disgusting.”
Could it be done in Italy?
As films and TV series have taught us in decades of teen dramas populated by bullies, cheerleaders and bespectacled nerds, in the USA students they can bring their own lunch or buy what the school canteen offers.
In our country, however, the situation is a little different and the American mother who keeps sandwiches for the whole week might have encountered more problems (and not due to the choice of ingredients that are unfamiliar to the Italian palate).
In Italy, in fact, the issue of meals consumed at school is still the subject of extensive debate.
In fact, in 2004, European Regulation no. 852 on hygiene radically reorganized school lunch and safety control activities within the food sector and Italy had to adapt.
One of the most obvious consequences was, for example, the introduction of the ban on celebrating birthdays or anniversaries in class using cakes, pizzas or products prepared at home by families.
Then in 2019, sentence no. 20504 of the Court of Cassation he even prohibited students from having lunch with food brought from home in the canteen and school premises. However, the ruling was overturned by the TAR of Lazio with the sentence n.07814/2020 of 7 July 2020, which reiterated the right of students to have lunch in the canteen with food brought from home.
The question is therefore still open. Usually, however, institutions that offer full-time hours and offer a school lunch service have regulations that they discourage do-it-yourself lunches both for an educational purpose (sharing the same food remains an opportunity for sociality and the discovery of new tastes) and for a safety issue.
