Rat hair in chocolate!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think I might have found the key to loosing weight now....no more chocolate (yea uh right)
Here's how I see it...food is food only difference is resturants have bigger places to prepare and are checked for clenlyness where people at home aren't. Which really can mean nothing esp when you pull a hair out of a Karl Jr sandwhich. Stuff happens and I know I've eaten things I don't know about and wouldn't want to know and haven't gotten sick or died yet from it. We've never done a pot luck simply because I'd put down money only pto members and teachers/staff would bring food, but if we were I'd think we'd have to ask parents to contribute food which is so much easier then going around getting resturants to donate. The most we'd get is coupons instead of donations. I recently asked McDonalds to donate some juice and had to go up the corporate ladder, it took a whole month to get a call back and I was told they wouldn't donate the juice but would donated 500 hamburger coupons and would send them to me. Its been 2 months now, and I have yet to receive them.
I pulled a hair out of a Karl's Jr. chicken sandwich last night. Before I began my "career" as a mom, I was a waitress in a lot of restaurants from Olive Garden right down to the greasy spoon casino diner and I still have trouble going to my local Olive Garden.
I also took a class regarding advertising, that included what can legally be an ingredient in prepared food. Things like a certain percentage of Rat hair in chocolate is okay (I am NOT making this up)etc.
We have potlucks in church (my church is REAL big on them, nearly every month) at work, and at the school and I have never pulled a hair out of my mouth or gotten sick but the Karl's sandwich wasn't my first "health protected" consumer worthy meal with an added bonus.
My take, people who prepare potluck food generally plan to eat some of it themselves. The restaurants don't.
We are a brand new PTO this year with very limited funds. From the above postings, I've noticed some concerns expressed about potlucks. I guess I would have to catagorize our faculty/staff members as "risk takers." We sponsored a potluck for our Parent/Teacher Conferences in the fall and are planning a "dessert fare" for Teacher's Appreciation Week in May. Phone calls will be made and dozens of parents will bring in baked goods. Included will be a thank you card for all that the faculty and staff members do for our children all year. It's not the big production that some PTO's host but it is very well received and appreciated by all! It is a very simple way to say thank you with absolutely no monies spent. Who could ask for more? [img]smile.gif[/img]
I can understand somewhat of their concerns,but I also just had a potluck at our church. I am married to a teacher so I'm not questioning teachers rights to prepared food. What I am interested in is we have a school when all staff are counted is a little over a hundred. If we choose to do something totally catered the cost could easily reach $500 for one meal. That is as much as some PTO's try to spend a year on teacher appreciaiton. Are PTO's looking at doing just special desserts or other ideas?
I love church potlucks also, but I usually know who brought what. I travel internationally frequently, so believe me when I say that I am not that picky about my food.
Apparently, the teachers have had bad experiences and they requested we do this. Something about cat hair and mouse "pellets".
It wouldn't fly to well in my part of the country. Potlucks are part of our culture. Somehow I ended up being a very picky eater and I only eat food that I know where it come from, over in this neck of the woods I don't eat the meat until I verify what it is! LOL. I think I can make my own decisions about what I eat and do not eat though.
Our Headstart had the rule about no homemade foods being brought in for parties and such. Understandable. We have a potluck for our teachers during teacher apprec week and they are always soo greatful.
