Food Wars

I live in a community that has a regular weekend farmer's market - all certified organic, local, blah blah blah.  All very nice (and pricy).  Our local supermarket has an extensive organic section, and there is a Whole Foods nearby.  I know many people who are harboring (illegal) chicken flocks in their backyards and never stop raving about the eggs.  "Oh, they are so fresh!  So wonderful!  You have no idea how good they taste!"

Yes, that's all very nice.  Seriously, I love all that stuff.  I draw a line in the sand at the $25 organic free range chicken my son tried to talk me into buying at the farmer's market, but this is California, after all, and being a foodie is part of the state's DNA.

Our town also has an education foundation and PTAs that raise a huge amount of money for our schools.  Also very good and nice.  Just in case you think I'm talking about bake sales, or send in your check for $100 or something, I'm talking about a yearly request in excess of $1000 per child.  Did I say every year?  Again, this is California, where public school funding is always inadequate and makes no sense and it makes you want to scream.  So communities that can do it, fundraise through their foundations.  The schools here are great, and that's why people pay big bucks to live in crappy three bedroom ranch houses and write out checks for thousands of dollars every year for 12 years.

So why did my son bring home a cookie dough fundraiser brochure last week?  Frozen cookie dough?  Really?  All the blather about childhood obesity and eating local and organic and the best the school can come up with is yet another frozen cookie dough fundraiser?

I went to a PTA convention once.  They actually did a whole thing on healthy eating habits and how we need to encourage that in our children.  While I was there I checked out the hall with all the vendors.  I would guess that at least half of them were vendors peddling either frozen cookie dough or candy fundraisers.

If schools want to fundraise that way, go for it.  But don't do that at the same time you force the kids to watch "Supersize Me" in science class.  And don't expect my kid to go door to door peddling cookie dough while you are also expecting me to fork over $1000 every year!