Want to hear something depressing? According to teachers'
estimates, two-thirds of students in some public schools rely on
school lunch as their primary source of caloric intake. Want to
hear something else depressing (YES!) According to government
data, between 16 and 33% of American children and teens are
obese. What's a school lunch program to do? If you're New York
City's public school system, the answer is to cut calories so
that the fat kids become less fat, to levels below federal
caloric guidelines. But what about the kids whose only caloric
intake comes from mystery meat and the mysterious creamy gravy
of the chicken a la king? Are they supposed to subsist on the
happiness that comes from knowing that Mayor Bloomberg is
bravely battling child obesity? What's the vitamin D content of,
uh, knowing you took one for Team No Fat Kids? The Times found
that NYC has been skirting federal school lunch requirements for
Lord knows how long and without the approval of the federal
government, all under the banner