General Chat

Our supermarket is inundated at lunchtimes with school children buying sweets, fizzy drinks, crisps etc and they already all have the calories shown on the products which are obviously ignored. We couldn't leave the school grounds at lunchtime unless we went home for lunch so there wasn't the opportunity, even less the money to spare! A good thing for our health though.

Most ready meals already show the calories in them, so you can make informed choices. What they are wanting to do is the same with restaurant/cafe meals, most of which do not give calorie contents.

Older school children have been cluttering up the supermarkets at lunch times for years now. I guess these days it's impossible to keep them on school premises at break time as times and attitudes have changed dramatically over the past 50 years, so bear little or no comparison. Judging by my own teenage grandchildren, I don't think many of them would be particularly interested in working out what is or is not good for them!!, but my three are all as thin as reeds, gymnastics, horse riding, football and so on makes sure of that, hence the parental ferrying!!

That's a good and very important point about diabetics knowing the carb count Glasgowlass. After all, the NHS is dealing with an ever increasing cost in treating diabetes so you would think that information would be mandatory by now.

Not all women stayed at home to look after the house and children years ago. MIL worked full time all through her life into her fifties. She didn't need the money as they had their own house from the date she married in 1950 and a war pension contribution from her sick mother with a serious heart condition who lived with them, also the rent from a policeman lodger. She had washing, cooking, cleaning and ironing to do for three adults as well as a care for a child and sick mother. My own mother always worked part time and found jobs where she could take me with her till I went to school. My best friend's mother worked in their shop all day and had 2 other children. Most people made their own choices based on their own views and wants, ignored any disapproval from others who made different choices, and worked around any difficulties as they do now.

Yes, attitudes have changed, we all know that don't we and some not for the better, which is why we have these problems. Attitudes need to be changed and quickly if people care about the nation's children's health and futures and the NHS burden and cost of not doing so..

More years ago (in the fifties) than I care to remember I had one year of domestic science at school. I recall our teacher saying that a child (of our then age) needed a diet of one third fat, one third protein and one third carbohydrate.

We had to cook from scratch as well as make our own apron at the beginning.

I can remember doing the same JL! Not making the apron though!! I did DS for O'level ( not clever enough for Latin!!) which I passed rather surprisingly!! Everything was prepared and cooked from scratch, including washing up! no mixers (hand whisk!) and Mrs Beeton to the fore!! I've still got my copy after all these years!
Today's full time mums simply wouldn't have the time or the energy! and to be honest, the inclination and who can blame them!!

It would be useful if buffet caterers were forced to label their platters of food!

I don't want to peel open sandwiches to see what's in them!

Mr Owl and I enjoy making things from scratch and our repertoire now includes things like arancini, kebab and various forms of pasta including our favourite with brown butter sauce as well as macaroni cheese and spaghetti bolognese. We both work full time so cooking is a joint effort when we both get in.

JoyLouise,
I started secondary school in 1970 just after the Comprehensive system was introduced.
We STILL had to make our own apron before we could embark on the 1st cookery lesson cooking.
Tea, Toast and Scrambled eggs!

It was a very sexist regime .
Only girls did Domestic Science ( Home Economics) which was split into Sewing and Cooking
The boys did "Technical" which was split into Woodwork and Technical Drawing.
I don't think this system altered until the early 1980's!

My husband never had a single cookery lesson at his school either
Raised in a female household it wasn't expected of him

He was a quick learner... as soon as we were married, I insisted that he took his turn . LOL.

Yes of course some woman worked years ago but it wasn't the norm when children were very small like it is today. I personally would have hated to have left either of my two before they went to school; they were such happy times, and yes we could have done with the money, but pottering around with my two little people was worth far more than a holiday new carpet, car or anything else you can think of and I wouldn't have missed those early years for all the proverbial tea, the same for OH too. Once the younger started full time school I did work part time during the term. Admittedly things were easier then or so it seemed, and we were contented with what we had, rather like we are now!!
OH is an excellent cook, completely self taught, and enjoys it!! So I've always been lucky in that respect!