Hello beautiful people. Over the last week while working in a primary school, I witnessed kids being served lunch. Some of the kids had badges hung around their necks with yellow ropes. These badges specify the kind of food allergies they have.
Meanwhile, for some other kids in some classes, their pictures were pasted somewhere the chefs serving the meals could see, and they must have even mastered, as they didn't have to peep at that before recognising most of them. These ones have special intolerances to some food ingredients.
Now, the chefs have been given instructions not to serve these categories of kids the main meal options for each day's lunch, and the meal option provided for them was strictly the same for the whole week.
Whenever these kids come, they point at one of the other variety of meal options, like other kids, but they are told no, they can only have the option avaliable for them (sometimes politely and other times not, as the chefs got tired of their whys). Some of them just quietly accepted and walked away; while others questioned, argued that they are allowed to have this or that, but were still turned away and had to break down in tears.
I got so emotional seeing this, and felt so bad that these kids were limited to just one option when their mates had several, but it wasn't the chefs' fault, it was their conditions.
But there was a particular body who refused to have the same meal option after the second day. The chef told him she was sorry and there was nothing she could do as she wouldn't be liable for whatever happens by not following the instructions given. He went ahead to call one of the school authorities, for the rest of the week, who came to speak to the chef on his behalf and explained that he only has an intolerance to some ingredients and not allergies.
She collected meals for him and told the chef she's taking responsibility for that. Although I felt that was not fair on those in the same category as him, I learned another lesson from that.
Now, as a result of this, the school authorities consulted and concluded that they were going to have more meal options for these categories of kids starting from the following week, and would look into the instructions for those with intolerances for appropriate revision.
WHAT IS YOUR TAKE HOME FROM THIS? I will like to know.
While there are many lessons like I tried to point out with the bold words, the perspective I'd like to share is gratitude. I am grateful that I don't have a condition that restricts me from having or doing what I love.
Some people would give anything to have the privileges you have, be grateful for them.
