[iambateman]

I live in the US and I doubt the student cleaning tradition ever gets imported…but it reminds me…

I’ve always wondered why we don’t ask sufficiently old children to make their own lunch at school. Surely a sixth grader is capable of making their own lunch and it’s a huge opportunity to learn about nutrition and basic kitchen skills.

I obviously don’t think that a 12-year-old child should be deep-frying french fries but there’s a lot we could find for them to do.

[macksd]

I don't think a 12-year-old should be eating deep fried French fries as a regular part of a school lunch either... Nothing wrong with a sandwich.

[caslon]

In terms of raw calorie count, which is the major contributor to the American obesity crisis, french fries probably pale in comparison to a sandwich, while being dramatically more filling.

[ProxCoques]

I doubt you'd eat only french fries for a meal though. A sandwich and an apple might be 700 calories, but a 300 calorie portion of fries with something less than 400 would be a challenge.