School Canteen Got Junk Foods?

Written by Mrs. Money

Last year, one of the morning I received a phone call from my son's school teacher to inform me that my son nose got severe bleeding. When I saw my son, first thing I asked him what food he bought from canteen, then he told me, "Koropok!"

So I went to the canteen told the takau-neon there not to let him buy anymore "koropok" but bread or noddles.

Then one morning around 10+ when I passed by my son's school I saw there were so many cars parking outside the school, I called one of my son's classmate mom to ask her curiously, she told me those cars belonged to parents that brought foods to their kids during recess.

"What? Really got so many of those '24 siew' mothers?"

So recently I was in doubt if I was a good mother and especially my son's school result was bad, I worried if I show enough concern to my son's school life, so one morning I dropped in the school during recess time. I came slightly 2 minutes late, with a can of juice and a bag of "kolo mee" but hidden in my big handbag instead like the rest of the "24 siew" moms and even "24 siew" dads who openly carried foods and drinks in their hands.

I couldn 't find my son after I raised myself to the second floor, and then I went to the canteen, I still couldn't find him, so I raised again to his second floor classroom, I finally caught him munching a piece of Malaysian "Hot Dog". I snapped the remaining one and the half piece of hot dog from him, "Don't ever eat this junk food anymore, got it? ^%$**^$#..." after blasting those nagging words that all children hate, I gave him the warm noddle and his favorite juice,

"Wow, yummy!" I could tell he was happy of what I brought to him.

When I descended the staircase, I doubted again if I was a good mom, should I bring him warm foods everyday during recess or just let him eat cold foods or canteen foods? I went directly to the canteen takau-neon.

"Takau-neon, please don't give my son hot dog, those perserved fried foods. I would appreciate if you give him noodles and bread."

"No problem but how about he rejects?"

"Just tell him that his fierce mommy said NO!"

"Sure, sure, I love to see your ang mo gian-look boy!" I don't want to act like a nasty and fussy mom, with my smiley face luckily the takau-neon likes me and my ang mo kian-look son.

So I called Mr. Money to fuss, "Hey, your son bought hot dog to eat during recess time!"

"Oh, that's very good! It's very nutricious!"

"Oh yeah, delicious but nutricious 'your head'! Do you know how many chemicals used to make hot dog? Do you know it's the different between Malaysian hot dog than the American hot dog you ate in America?

"Isn't all hot dogs are the same?"

"Price is different, Malaysian hot dog cost Rm1/piece but American hot dog cost RM5/piece. You want to know more? Malaysian hot dog is smaller and shorter but American hot dog is bigger and longer, enough details?"

Mr. Money is very positive that school canteen carries good healthy foods! What do you think? My friend told me, the canteen in one of the Kuching international schools still use banned Polystyrene food containers to hold hot foods and I also saw the banned Polystyrene food containers used to hold breakfast in my son's school canteen, how hot were those foods when they dumped into those cancer causing containers before serving, I really don't know!