Intro to McDonald’s: Summer CSA #6

 In CSA Newsletter

Zea has recognized McDonald’s golden arches since the age of 2.

She’s 6 now and except for some sweet tea from Grandpa, she has yet to experience it.  But that has not stopped the questions about this place.

Our standard answer as to why we don’t go to McDonald’s is as follows: “They don’t have a lot of healthy food there.”

As with many answers to kids, this is a massive oversimplification of why we don’t eat at McDonald’s.  Our reasoning is full of holes that an older child might catch… but luckily we haven’t been caught on those points yet.

Nevertheless, Mike and I have had discussions over time about why it might be a good idea to introduce our kids to McDonald’s.  Do we really want McDonald’s to be the tantalizing forbidden fruit for our kids? We joke about our kids secretly frequenting fast food restaurants in protest. We can just imagine the loathing of beets and broccoli, and the idolizing of Bic Macs.  Though there could be worse things for sure.

Bottom line, we want to introduce our kids to fast food because one day they will be making their own decisions about what to put in their bodies. We don’t want to rail so hard against fast food that it blurs their ability to rationally choose what to put in their bodies. We want them to choose to eat healthy on their own terms. Exposure to fast food is part of that ability.

So this Sunday, on our way home from visiting family in Chicago, we took the kids to McDonald’s. I was pretty nervous about the whole thing, but on the whole I think it went well.

We ordered the girls a happy meal to share. They had chicken nuggets, french fries, milk, and apple slices.

Mike astutely hid the happy meal toy inside the box.

They loved the french fries. (They are delicious, I admit!).  They got a happy meal with apples and milk. And Edie couldn’t get over the idea of being able to dip her chicken in honey. But the whole rest of the affair, was pretty ho hum.

“So what did you think about McDonald’s, girls?”  To this Edie and Zea both shrugged.

“It was okay,” said Zea.

Translation? Not sure what all the fuss is about.

Verdict: The girls were underwhelmed by the experience. The gold arches did not take on a magical status.

Victory!

As we cleaned up after ourselves, I sneaked the happy meal toy back to the front counter. A few moments later I see one of the employees pick it up and call out, “Anyone lose their toy?”

Thankfully the girls didn’t hear. Our victory could easily have been reversed.

In the Box:

  • Cucumbers
  • Eggplant, Japanese
  • Garlic
  • Green Beans
  • Zucchini

REGs only:

  • Bell Pepper, Green + Purple
  • Cilantro
  • Chard, Rainbow
  • Onion, Sweet
  • Peas, Snow

EOs only:

  • Beets
  • Bunching Leeks
  • Parsley
  • Pearl Onions
  • Romaine Lettuce

 

Recipes:

  1. Egg in a Pepper
  2. Baked Eggplant Parmesan
  3. Cucumber Limeade
  4. Spicy Mexican Style Zucchini Casserole
  5. Korean Chicken Lettuce Wraps
  6. Grilled Bell Peppers with Goat Cheese
  7. Eggplant and Green Beans in Spicy Garlic Sauce
  8. Creamy Cucumber Salad
  9. Eggplant, Chard and Chickpea Curry
  10. Thai Cucumber Cups

Wednesday, July 13th: Everyother Group B