Walk, hop, run or crawl for women like you
VSCA blog, 14 April 2010 1 comments

Walk (or run ... or crawl ... or hop ... or ... just do it!) for women on Mother's Day 9 May 2010 wherever you are in Australia. Or volunteer to help the event take place. Or, just show your support for breast cancer research by wearing something pink on the day!

Since 1998, Mother's Day Classic participants have walked or run more than 1.5 million kilometres - the equivalent of 80 laps around Australia. If everyone encourages friends, families and colleagues to join in 2010, maybe we can make 2 million kilometres covered to raise funds for breast cancer research!

At VSCA, we're convinced that there's more to life than work and the daily grind. In fact, we think it's these extra activities which bring the most meaning to our lives.

Get out of your "rabbit burrow", do something different, talk to people you normally wouldn't meet - and do your bit for women like you at the same time.

VSCA's Prue will be walking in pink in Melbourne - what about you? Like to form a group and walk together? Contact us if you'd like more information!

To find out more about the Mother's Day Classic, view these links:

Mothers Day Classic - http://mothersdayclassic.com.au

Frequently Asked Questions - http://mothersdayclassic.com.au/faq

Melbourne event - register, donate or volunteer http://mothersdayclassic.com.au/event/vic/melbourne

Does the "Mother's Day Clasic" have a personal meaning for you? Have you been involved in a "pink" activity? Will you be involved this year? We'd love to hear your comments - click the pink button at the top left of this page to tell us what you think!

© VSCA 14 April 2010

Schools often tell us that they have difficulty getting kids to buy fresh fruit. "The apples and oranges sit in a basket until they go wrinkly or mouldy, and then we throw them out!"

So much of eating - and life in general - lies in the way we present things: How it looks - size, shape, colour! How 'easy' and 'fun' we perceive it to be! What we call it!

At VSCA we find that whole pieces of fruit generally do not sell well. We can think of many reasons this might be. Whole pieces of fruit take too long to eat, are too 'fiddly' and 'messy' (if you think of a whole orange, for instance); and for the kids in grade 1 or 2 with wobbly teeth, or the secondary students with orthodontic braces, just too hard to get your mouth around! They might also be perceived as too 'big' or too 'boring', compared with the many snacks around which are designed to appeal to young fingers, minds and mouths.

But there are plenty of other ways to present fresh fruit. Try offering cut or chunky fruit pieces - watermelon slices, kiwi fruit, orange quarters, pineapple rings, half banana, apple slinky, grapes, cherries, strawberries, mandarines, canteloupe, and so on - according to fruit in season.

Fruit salad is another popular option. Cut fresh fruit with a can of pineapple pieces (those tinned in pineapple juice are preferable to those in syrup). Serve in a dish or cup. Or, without the pineapple juice, a mixture of cut pieces in a VSCA magic seal snap lock bag (also good for vege sticks). [Please contact VSCA for details of sizes and prices of VSCA magic seal bags or to place an order.]

Left over fruit salad can be frozen and sold as a frozen snack - the kids love it so much, you may find you actually have to make up fruit salad especially to freeze! No wastage at all that way - what is not sold fresh is frozen and sold frozen. Win, win!

Schools also freeze fresh fruit pieces (orange slices or quarters, grapes, watermelon, all sorts of berries in season) - and very popular are frozen canned pineapple slices (they call them "UFOs") and frozen canned pineapple pieces. Australian canned pineapple is good because it is consistently top quality, is quick and easy, and is grown, picked, processed and packed in Australia. It avoids the problems with trying to select perfect fresh pineapples every time and also the time it takes to peel and core and cut up... especially when there is not much time or many hands to help.

Or how about this idea... What about opening an 880g can of Australian crushed pineapple in pineapple juice (not in syrup)? The cost is under $3. Don't drain it. Just divide roughly between 6 - 8 200ml VSCA enviro cups to about 1/2 - 2/3 - 3/4 full - you decide how much. (Don't fill to the top - less spillage! And it will expand a bit when it freezes!) Place on a flat surface in the freezer (or on a tray) and freeze. Serve frozen - call them "Frozen Sunshine" or something ridiculously silly. Sell them for at least $1.00 each - to cover cost of cup and crushed pineapple. The pineapple juice won't freeze hard so they won't need a spoon to eat it. Why not make up 1 can and try selling them without even advertising them - just sample them over the counter? And it is an "Everyday" (green) snack! No need to make up enough for every kid in the school - just hold enough for lunch orders and any spares for window sales - once sold out they'll have to order them or get in earlier. This creates a demand!!! If they take off, you can purchase an A10 size can (3 kg) - much more economical. Keep the selling price the same, just make more profit!

Hope these few ideas might be helpful - and a start to your more "fruitful canteen".

Here's a photo (see above right) from one Victorian country primary school that sells lots of fruit - I think you'll agree it looks delicious - good enough to eat!!!

Has your canteen found a successful way to sell fresh fruit? Please tell us about it so we can share it with other schools! Email your comments to blog@vsca.org.au or click the pink button at the top left of this page to tell us what you think!

© VSCA 3 March 2010

Here is a fun way for you to introduce the "Vindaloo Against Violence" theme into your school canteen. All you need is a microwave oven and a packet of mini papadums!

1. Purchase a packet of mini papadums from your supermarket or grocer.
2. Open the packet.
3. Place single papadums side by side around the outer edge of the carousel or turntable in your microwave.
4. Do not overlap papadums. Do not stack up. Do not place in the centre of the turntable.
5. Microwave on high for just 1 minute (60 seconds).
6. Papadums will expand.
7. Remove from microwave.
8. Only prepare what you need and serve them freshly made on the same day.
9. Place any spare uncooked papadums from the opened packet into a sealed airtight container for storage.

That's it! Just so quick and easy!

Serving suggestions

* Serve single mini papadums as a crunchy snack for 20c each.
* Serve 3 mini papadums for 50c or 6 for $1
* Serve with dips (like hummus, tatziki, sweet chilli sauce or fruit chutney)
* Serve with vegetable sticks
* Serve broken bits in a bag as "Chips for Peace"

Papadums are quick and easy to cook. And very profitable for a minimum of effort! Absolutely no need for any oil. Definitely NO deep frying - no frying of any kind. No greasy clean up. No special utensils or equipment. No dishes to wash. Great if you don't have time or space to cook fancy things!

What are papadums?

Papadums are common in South Asia. They vary from region to region and from family to family, but may be made from lentil, chick pea, rice, flour or potato. Papadums also usually contain some salt and vegetable oil. (For those concerned about peanut allergies, you will need to check the vegetable oil is not peanut or groundnut oil.) They may contain a raising agent like bicarb soda and they may be flavoured with chilli, cumin, garlic or black pepper. We suggest you begin in your canteen with a "mild" or plain version for a start!

In North India, the lentil variety is more popular and is usually called 'papad'. Alternative names and spellings may include pappad, papparde, pappadom, pappadum, pappadam, popadam, pompadum, poppadam, poppadom, appadum, appalum, appala, appoll, papari, pamporo, puppodum.

Whatever you call them, and however you spell it, you can introduce "Papadums for Peace" into your canteen.

Mini papadums are readily available in a 100g packet (approx 100mm square). The unopened packet has a long shelf life of 18-24 months. A 100g pack contains approx 25 - 30 mini papadums and costs around $1.50. You will find them in the rice or curry paste section of your local supermarket. You also may find them in an Asian or Indian grocery. (Remember that they may be spelt in any number of ways.)

Large papadums also are available and are in a pack of 10 for approx $3.00 and a variety of flavours. We feel this large size is not so practical to serve in school canteens.

Lijjat means tasty

In India, 'papad' is often associated with the empowerment of women. Many women are involved in running small and organised businesses to produce papad, pickles and other snacks. This provides them with regular income from minimal financial investment.

Shri Mahila Griha Udyog Lijjat Papad is an Indian organisation that generates self-employment for women. Roughly translated, it means Mahila = Women, Griha = Home, Udyog = Industry, Lijjat = Tasty.

Commonly known as "Lijjat", it is primarily a women's cottage industry. It is solely run by women and produces large quantities of papadums on the open market. All its working members are co-owners and fondly referred to as "sisters" who equally partake in profit and loss. Men cannot be members (or owners), but may be salaried employees (eg. accountants, drivers or security guards).

Lijjat was begun in 1959 by 7 semi-literate housewives in Mumbai who wanted to start a business using the only skill they had - cooking. Within 3 months, about 25 women were making papads. Soon they bought some equipment like utensils, cupboards and stoves. Broken papads were distributed amongst neighbours.

By the second year, around 150 women had joined the group. By the end of the third year, it had more than 300 members. Now Lijjat has headquarters in Mumbai, and 67 branches and 35 divisions all over India. In 2002, it employed 42,000 people. From a tiny struggling business that started by producing 4 packets of papads, Lijjat now has an annual income of over 3.15 billion rupees (or around $80 million US). Lijjat marked its 50th anniversary on 15 March 2009.

Lijjat has contributed in many ways to women in Indian society. From 1980, scholarships have been awarded to the daughters of the member-sisters. In 1999, Lijjat started promoting literacy and computer education for member-sisters and their families and classes now are held in all of its branches. In one rural branch in Valod, member-sisters set up a women's educational and hobby centre with courses in typing, cooking, sewing, knitting, toy making, child welfare, first aid and hygiene. This branch also helped to build the first ever tarred road in that area.

In conjunction with Mother Teresa, Lijjat member-sisters took part in activities at Asha Dhan, an institution to care for destitute women. Lijjat women also have distributed nutritious food for poor children, donated money for conducting community marriage, provided prize money to spread primary education, undertaken drives for blood donation, and organised health camps and plantation drives. They have undertaken rehabilitation in several earthquake affected areas, and Lijjat donated over 4.8 million rupees after the 2001 Gujarat earthquake. So much goodwill started in 1959 with the production of those 4 little packets of papadums! You can continue this in your school canteen with Papadums for Peace!

Happy munching and peace to all!

References:
Vindaloo Against Violence: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=266109388050
Papadum: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papadum

Has your canteen taken part in 'Vindaloo for Peace'? Do you sell papadams? Email your comments to blog@vsca.org.au or click the pink button at the top left of this page to tell us what you think!

© VSCA 26 February 2010

A journalist recently asked us this question: "How would VSCA describe a perfect lunch box?"

Got us thinking! It's an interesting question and we found it raised more questions than answers.

Are we talking about a lunch for primary or for secondary students? Brought from home, or commercially provided (whether from within or outside the school)?

How would you begin to assess a lunch box? Nutritionally? Educationally? Safety?

Our experience of working with authorities setting school canteen policies in Victoria over the decades has proven the difficulty of pinning down just what is - and isn't - an "acceptable" school lunch - a fraught and enormous task. Then there is the further challenge of spreading the message in a way that actually will lead to healthier eating at school, and health benefits for society. Three years after the launch of the Victorian government's 'Go for your life' policy for school food, one thing is clear - we have seen many "creative" interpretations of which canteen or lunch box foods constitute 'Green', 'Amber' or 'Red' choices.

One thing VSCA has observed, in working with canteens and schools for the best part of 30 years, is that decisions about school food are complex!

Food and eating are complex for each of us, with far more functions than simply nourishing the body. And even that is not a straightforward matter to adjudicate! One body's meat is quite literally another body's poison - for example, when it comes to allergens like peanuts.

Food can mean many things to many people - survival, social, multicultural, political, interesting, comforting, divisive, pleasurable, celebratory. It can be an expression of emotion, an integral aspect of identity and family life. Perhaps most controversially of all for schools - food can be seen as a "treat" or reward.

...who is responsible for deciding what children can, should, or do, eat at school?

Food at school is further complicated by matters such as profit and loss, and the allocation and availability (or otherwise) of resources such as equipment and labour. And then there's the question of who is responsible for deciding what children can, should, or do, eat at school? Parents, education authorities, the food and advertising industries, the government, or hands-on service providers such as school canteens or commercial canteen lessees, local shops, or out of school hours carers?

What could VSCA say about the content of a perfect lunch box? It looks good, smells good, tastes good, is fresh, is hygienically prepared and is safe to eat, is fun and appealing and appetising, is affordable, is varied, is nutritionally balanced, is just right for that individual student at that time on that day as part of a total food intake, is washed down with a good drink of water .... and is made with love and care?

But is this really the question we should be asking? Is there such a thing as a 'perfect' lunch box, a 'perfect' meal, or 'perfect' food, in this far-from-perfect world? What do you think?

Email your comments to blog@vsca.org.au

© VSCA 27 January 2010

go to: latest posts