Regard, the Turkey Wrap

By Ed Bruske
aka The Slow Cook

The standing alternate cold lunch option in D.C. schools on Tuesdays is a turkey wrap. Just by chance, I happened to see some boys in the cafeteria who had gone to the trouble of unfolding their wraps to reveal what was inside. (Some, apparently, were removing the vegetables.)

First, the tortilla itself appears to contain more whole grain than in the past. The "turkey" in fact is processed turkey breast conveniently sliced into deli portions. It does seem a bit dry, but the grated cheddar, diced red bell pepper and lettuce are a thoughtful touch.

Compare that to the "lunch meat burrito" the schools were serving as recently as last April. It's the same processed turkey, but notice any differences?

While some things have stayed much the same, school meals in the District of Columbia do seem to have undergone some dramatic changes over the summer. Maybe that's what Food Services Director Jeffrey Mills meant when he said he and has staff were busy taste-testing some 300 different "products" while the rest of us were on vacation.

What's for Breakfast: Egg burrito

Just about all the food served in D.C. schools arrived frozen or canned. But egg burrito? This will require further investigation.

Here's what it looks like inside. Some sort of scrambled egg with tomato salsa inside a giant flour tortilla. Note the double dose of sugar on the side, chocolate milk with orange juice.

This was the alternate breakfast: yogurt, graham crackers, orange juice. Which do you think is better?

What's for Lunch: "Turkey Ham" Burrito

By Ed Bruske
aka The Slow Cook

Here's something I'd never seen before: A burrito made out of a giant flour tortilla, "turkey ham," and processed cheese slices. Apparently there wasn't enough starch in the burrito, so one of the sides is pasta noodles. The green stuff is overcooked broccoli. This would be Exhibit A to explain why kids in D.C. schools don't eat vegetables: they are always cooked to death.

This is what the burrito looks like when it's unfolded. Now, this took some imagination.

The "turkey ham," from Jennie-O Turkey Store Sales in Willmar, MN, consists of "cured turkey thigh meat chunked and formed." The label lists ingredients as "turkey thigh meat, water, contains 2% less lite salt (potassium chloride, sodium chloride), sugar, salt, sodium phosphate, sodium erythorbate, natural smoke flavoring, sodium nitrite."

In other words, it's highly processed and doused with chemicals that make turkey meat look like ham.

The girl sitting next to this little boy didn't want her burrito, so she unfolded it, removed the meat and cheese, and gave it to him. He then stuffed the extra meat and cheese into his burrito, making it truly gigantic.

Kids are devilishly clever around food--especially when it means finding ways to get more.