Evanston and its ridiculous rules - potlucks could be banned

This one's a classic:

at ChicagoTribune.com, Karen Chen wrote:International potluck dinners have also been big draws — and, some say, important community builders — at various schools in Evanston.

But such functions could be banned under a controversial food safety proposal in Evanston-Skokie School District 65 that could prohibit food prepared at home from being shared at school and only allow food that's been commercially prepared to be served.

Potlucks could be banned in Evanston schools

=R=

HI,

MHays and I have been corresponding about this.

Truth be told, this issue is not just an Evanston thing. I brought this issue up at a Chicago Foodways Roundtable meeting recently. Two people who have culinary training and food safety licenses knew potlucks served in schools and government buildings are forbidden. I'm sure there are others here with a similar background who can elaborate.

Regards,

Doesn't shock me. My kids are not allowed to bring home made treats or cookies to school.
Everything musty be store bought and sealed in it's original packaging.

Cathy2 wrote:...Truth be told, this issue is not just an Evanston thing...

Cathy2 is quite correct. In my daughter's Chicago public school classroom, first, all food must be store-bought and packaged (as Zoid mentions below). Second, no peanuts or tree nuts. Third, the teacher cannot serve food unless it's written into the curriculum. So, a formal tea party celebrating Tchaikovsky is okay, but a random holiday or post-ISAT party is not allowed.

Unfortunately, that means that her "foods of my country of origin" project this year is a paper plate with glued on pictures of kielbasa, beet salad, potatoes, and kompot, rather than a class-wide potluck.

Jen

My child's future school bans any food brought in by parents. And, to be honest, my kid doesn't need crappy store bought cupcakes once a week (or maybe more) anyway!

Pie-love wrote:Unfortunately, that means that her "foods of my country of origin" project this year is a paper plate with glued on pictures of kielbasa, beet salad, potatoes, and kompot, rather than a class-wide potluck.

This is so fucking sad.

I realize this isn't just an Evanston thing but it doesn't surprise me that they've jumped on this bandwagon.

=R=

My school in Florida had a lower division (K-6) and an upper division (7-12). Back then, one of the things that you did as a rising 7th grader was pick a language to study--at the time, the choices were French and Spanish. So at the ripe old age of 12, I based my decision on the food--figured, I could get all the Spanish cuisine I wanted in Tampa but French would be more of an adventure. And, yes, we did have some great French food experiments in class. We also had to do "folded sheets" every day for memorization which may have scarred me for life in learning languages

I think it's sad all around. Not the banning of the incessant parties and cupcakes and garbage--we didn't have that and, in fact, I don't remember parents being around much at all in school except for big events and when you got in big trouble and to me, that was a good thing. But not being able to bring my 13 year old self's first attempt at French Onion Soup for that month's class lunch or the teacher rewarding us for translating a recipe for croissants with her version of the real thing. It's sad that the kids will miss those things.

I think the end of the era when parents or students could bring homemade foods to share in school came about 15-20 years ago. Just as parks and schools got rid of high slides, swings, and jungle gyms, concerns (some would say fears) about children's safety seem to be driving these prohibitions. I suspect liability issues are there as well, certainly for play equipment, and probably also for food allergies and food poisoning. The changes were underway when my oldest started in CPS in the mid-1990s. International potlucks lasted a few years into our time at our multi-lingual grade school (40 languages!), but I couldn't bring homemade birthday treats into the classroom even then. I wouldn't be surprised if private schools aren't even more prohibitive about homemade food than the public ones.

When we did this in French class one of the kids brought in donuts (from Dunkin', or whatever the suburban NJ equivalent was) that had weevils in them. Banning food would have been just fine with me!

My girls' school banned all food from home for in class functions including store bought cookies and cakes for b-days. They said that the peanut allergic, glutton intolerant and diabetic children would be in harms way. But when there is school wide function that includes parents it seems there is no restriction when they ask for food. Nothing is home-made anymore (although I don't think too many of the trophy moms cook in their designer kitchens). I remember for one morning function I made wonderful mini triple berry tarts beautifully plated complete with doily and flowers on a silver platter and they sat amidst Dunkin Donuts, Oreos and Jewel cupcakes all in their original packages. Never again.

Elfin wrote:They said that the peanut allergic, glutton intolerant and diabetic children would be in harms way.

Freudian slip?

To Belgians, a proposed food safety rule smacked of bureaucratic overreach that would threaten a centuries-old craft and tarnish the country’s traditions. The offense? A plan to regulate frites.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/21/busi ... -ipad&_r=0