Sunday, October 26, 2008

Ghetto Parties







Fried chicken for MLK?

To honor slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. on Thursday, the Houston school district served a lunch of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans and peach cobbler.

Several principals thought the menu was a bad choice, according to Houston Federation of Teachers President Gayle Fallon.

HISD does "a lot of weird things, but this is new. Everyone's just sitting there saying 'There's new heights of insensitivity here,'" Fallon said. "The reaction we got was more, 'I can't believe they did this. Do they have a brain or just a shred of common sense?'

HISD's Terry Abbott notes that there were other items on some menus, including hamburgers.

He said HISD has offered a special menu in honor of Martin Luther King's birthday for many years. Here's the rest of the district's response:

The Food Service Department often runs a promotion in celebration of his birthday. The promotion includes posters and public-address announcements promoting the special meal served in the cafeterias, as well as his message of remembering to celebrate with the spirit of giving back to the community ...... " a day on, not a day off." A menu committee researches all promotions and has utilized the MLK Center of Atlanta as a resource for information about this famous leader. Elaine Hall, from the Archives Department at the King Center in Atlanta, has informed the committee that Dr. King's favorite meal includes fried chicken, collard greens, cornbread, and sweet potato pie. Fried chicken is also a favorite item for the students of HISD. Food services offers a healthier "Oven Fried" version and has featured it this past year for Grandparent's Day and as an option on their special Thanksgiving menu.
What are your thoughts on the menu selection?

Friday, October 24, 2008