Fast food emporium near T. L. Storer

[bookmom]

Hi, I've got a scout who doesn't eat camp food because his parents runs to McDonalds or anything close to cater to the child. I think the kid either eats camp food or doesn't attend, but I don't want to single him out. My husband says that the closest fast food place to Storer is a good 10-15 miles away. Is he right?

[FScouter]

The patrol menu is decided amongst the members of the patrol. Encourage the boy to make his preferences known. Perhaps the rest of the patrol may agree to add something to the menu that he likes and he'll see that speaking up gets results and that he doesn't need his mommy to look out for him.

[SemperParatus]

Fscouter gave you the advice you need.

 

I would just add that if I were in your shoes, I would not be too concerned about 'singling this boy out'. I think that has already been done by his parents by delivering him a happy meal at breakfast, lunch and dinner.

[evmori]

We had one of them, too! If he didn't eat what was prepared, he ate nothing at all. And that included snacks later! He soon started eating what was prepared.

 

Do not make special accommodations for this Scout!

 

Ed Mori

Troop 1

1 Peter 4:10

[scoutldr]

Ditto what Fscouter said. The patrol eats as a patrol. No exceptions unless there are documented religious or medical issues.

 

Early in our troop's history, I remember cooking up spaghetti and serving it. One scout stepped up and said "where's the parmesan cheese...I don't eat spaghetti without parmesan cheese!"...to which I replied, "Fine, it's your choice"...and dumped his portion back into the pot. He changed his mind when he realized I wasn't kidding.

[funscout]

My brother was a very picky eater. Each year that he came home from a summer camp he would announce, "Guess what? Now I like spaghetti! (or other food)"

 

My older son's friend is even pickier. At Summer Camp he would eat cereal if offered for breakfast, but for lunch and dinner, the only thing he would eat was the dessert (sometimes). He is a tiny, skinny kid, and I worry about him since he doesn't like to eat. I don't know how he survived the week on so little food.

[EagleInKY]

funscout - i think the boy you describe is in our troop! He's been to three years of summer camp and still lives off fruit loops and golf fish. He struggles as the week goes on, but is way to stubborn to eat real food (with the exception of a few things he'll eat - like spaghetti ad hamburgers). What's interesting is that I found out his mother is the same way. So, I guess he gets it honestly.

[Eamonn]

I think when we take other peoples kids away we have a responsibility to make sure that they don't hungry.

We do teach Scouts about the values of eating right and planning menus that are well balanced.

There are a few foods that I just will not eat. Nothing that I can't live without or push to one side (One is Brussels sprouts the other is peanut butter -Yuck!!)

Some summer camps are now offering an alternative entre along with the regular menu. Sadly the alternative that our Council offers is peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

Over the years we have had Scouts who for one reason or another have not eaten what is on the menu. Normally one item, so they just don't take that item.

I feel almost 100% sure I would not be doing a fast food run for this Lad.

If and only if all he ate was something that was on hand or wasn't a real hassle (Fruit Loops!!) I would be fine with that.

However I would expect him to participate in the Patrol activities: Cooking and Clear-up along with the other Scouts. Being a picky eater isn't a reason to be a lazy toad.

In all the years I have been in Scouting we have never prevented a Scout from attending an event because of him being a picky eater.

I have an 18 year old Sea Scout who doesn't eat or drink anything green.

I'll remember that when he is 21 and it's Saint Patrick's Day.

Eamonn.

[scoutldr]

I always jokingly tell the parents (in earshot of the scouts), that my only obligation is to bring back the same number of bodies, preferably alive. If they come home hungry, dirty, wet, cold or mad, it's because of the choices and plans (or lack thereof) they made, not me.

[orennoah]

Scoutldr: VERY well put.

 

The biggest thing in learning to function as a Scout on a Scout outing is taking personal responsibility. Having one's mother scout out food for oneself, is a HUGE step in the opposite direction. That mother would be sent home if she ever did that on one of my trips.

 

I would never allow it, even if we were camping in the McDonald's parking lot.

[Eamonn]

"that my only obligation is to bring back the same number of bodies, preferably alive"

It would seem we take it one step further, we bring back the same bodies that we went with.

Most parents seem happy with this.

I tried to palm OJ off a few times but there were no takers.

I think they heard about how much he eats!!

No problem with him being picky!!

I swear he has a black hole for a stomach.

Eamonn.

[scoutldr]

I was raised to eat what Mom put in front of you. You were allowed to "not like" a food, but not until you tried it first. If you didn't like what was on the table, you wait until the next meal...no special orders. I never did develop a taste for raw onions or oysters. Can't think of anything else I don't like. Meatloaf is not my favorite, but I can tolerate it. My own two sons were raised the same way...the older became a country club manager and quite the chef, but still won't eat chicken on the bone ("it's just gross"). He makes a mean honey-glazed salmon and sauteed garlic spinach. The younger still won't touch lima beans or mayonnaise.

 

Compared to some of my scouts who live off of froot loops, peanut butter and trading post junk (which is nutritionally void but profitable) all week at camp. At dinner time, they just sit there. My only concern is dehydration and electrolyte imbalance, since we typically have temps in the 90s and dewpoints near 80. They are not required to eat balanced diets the rest of the year, so I'm not going to fight it for one week at camp.

[eagle90]

Fortantely our Summer Camp is almost 400 miles from home, so mom wouldn't be able to supply food 24/7. But I would tell her that is fine if she wants to supply McDonalds three times a day. Between scouts and adults there are 36 of us and if she suppies for one, she supplies for all. How big is her purse?

 

We had one scout a few years ago who claimed he was a vegetarian (except he ate tacos and burgers). Everyone wanted to eat with his patrol on steak night! More for the rest of us!

 

 

[Double Eagle]

I see this as more than just a summer camp problem. I think this has been ongoing for some time. I has a scout that only ate poptarts in the morning. This was ok as long as he still paid the same for food, was present at the patrol/camp meal, it did not become a nutritional burden (pooped out at 1pm), and was stored properly (not in a sleeping bag). The alternative to the planned meal of PB&J was always available in our troop as teenagers have this eating switch that is either always on or off. I would love to see the parents bring not only their child the fast food, but enough for everyone. A sit down with the parents teaching them the negative aspects for this action is their scout may be singled out as 'one of them" and not "one of us". The food is not too much the issue as the other scouts may see it (we all have a cache of cnady bar).

I see it as a difference in treatment of scouts. The other parents won't like him or his parents as Johnny's parents cater to him, literally. The other parents seem like bad parents for making their sons eat camp food. This will soon build a fence between the scout and scouts, parents and leaders. A small issue that can have terrible affects on the troop. The parents are not doing the scout a favor for the bottle feeding. Let him experience other ethnic and cultural foods, make his decisions and experience some diversity. Too bad the parents can't see the forest through the trees.

[CNYScouter]

You should come to our councils summer camp.

Its a bone-jarring 45 min. drive or so back into the Adirondack Mountains down a dirt road.

From there it is another 15-20 min. to the nearest town with a fast-food joint (and them only a McDonalds and a pizza place).

 

I think after a day or so of an hour drive each way (and rough on a vehicle) for meal that the catering would stop.