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Family Kitchen
Fed Up with Lunch’s Mrs. Q Reveals Her Identity
Talks shows and newspapers were abuzz today as a school lunch blogger named Mrs. Q. shared her true identity with the world, revealing her name for the first time.
Beginning in January 2010, Sarah Wu, a speech pathologist in the Chicago Public Schools system started eating school lunch and secretly photographing it every day, recording it on her blog Fed Up with Lunch. After a chance encounter with the lunch earlier in the school year, she wanted to document a year’s worth of lunches as a personal project, never expecting much recognition from the project.
Instead, Sarah found that people were interested in what was being served in the school cafeteria’s day after day, and more than interested, perhaps a bit horrified as well. Gaining national attention and catching the eye of Food Revolution star Jamie Oliver.
Keeping her identity a secret, Sarah continued her quest and then wrote a book, Fed Up with Lunch, all about her experience and her perspective before and after. Today she came out and revealed her true identity just as her book launched on ABC‘s Good Morning America, The View and in many other news sources including the Chicago Tribune and USA Today.
I first met Sarah in October of 2010. She was speaking at BlogHer Food at the time, and our mutual friend, Michelle, introduced us, knowing that we had plenty to talk about. I would go on to run into Sarah multiple times in the next year, and I am beaming after hearing her speaking up to help change the food system in this country and in our schools to a national audience.
Sarah points out that for many students, like those on the free and reduced lunch programs, school lunch may be the most complete meal of their day. While there is no easy answer to the school lunch debate, I’m happy to see a friend helping the issue gain traction so that people can become more aware of the situation, which will hopefully drive change.
Please visit Sarah Wu’s blog Fed Up with Lunch and check our her book of the same name.
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3 Comments
brooklynsupper commented on Oct 06 11 at 10:25 amMy daughter just started public school in New York City. From sugary cereals and drinks, to no veggies in sight, the state of school meals is downright alarming. I am so thankful that people like Sarah Wu are standing up for our kids. Let’s hope we change things soon so kids can get the nutrition they need.
Carol Steiner-Bible commented on Oct 07 11 at 10:44 amYou go girl! I also work at CPS and have been working with Common Threads for years to introduce our children to foods of different cultures and develop an understanding of the importance of eating foods that are nutritionally sound.
Ma.belgica commented on Oct 24 11 at 10:18 pmI’m fun with cooking but, much better if you can share some tips and recipe’s this sweet and yummy food. thanks
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