By KIM SEVERSON
Chalmette, La.

IT’S early morning on a marshy stretch of water that runs east from New Orleans to the Gulf of Mexico. Ray Brandhurst, who has known nothing but the Louisiana shrimping life, is three cans of iced tea and a dozen Kools into his day.

On the rear deck of the 50-foot shrimp boat he built by hand – a boat that Hurricane Katrina sent halfway to the bottom of Bayou Bienvenue – Mr. Brandhurst jerks a line securing a green mesh net.

All at once a thousand pounds of wild white shrimp, each about the length of a ball point pen and kicking for its life, pours onto the deck and buries his stubby white shrimper boots.

“We’re having our Bubba Gump moment, all right,” says Mr. Brandhurst, who can’t resist quoting from the movie “Forrest Gump.” (more…)

Board votes to improve food, dining experience
By Naush Boghossian, Staff Writer
LA Daily News

SUN VALLEY – If you want to grab what you want for lunch at the school cafeteria and eat it before the bell rings, sophomore Meri Sarkisyan has learned, you can’t dillydally.

With about 3,500 students on the Francis Polytechnic High School campus on any given day and one 30-minute meal period at 11 a.m., getting lunch requires negotiating long lines and using fancy footwork to beat the crowds.

“When the bell rings, you run,” said Sarkisyan, 16. (more…)

By MELANIE WARNER

For years, food companies have responded to criticism about the nutritional quality of their products by maintaining that all food can fit into a balanced diet. There are no bad foods, they argue, just bad diets.

That is starting to change. As major food producers face scrutiny over their role in contributing to increasing childhood obesity rates, they are under pressure to make fundamental shifts in the way they sell their products to American children.

Kraft and PepsiCo have created rating systems to designate healthier foods. McDonald’s said it would begin printing detailed nutrition information on its packaging in February. (more…)

Exchanging Our Gifts

By Kate Adamick

In a few weeks, many Americans will find themselves once again fighting department store crowds to exchange ill-fitting clothing and inoperable electronic devices, and to return various items the attraction of which was fully understood only by their purchaser. The Annual Gift Exchange Season is fast approaching.

The chore is time-consuming, tedious and frequently frustrating. Nevertheless, countless people put themselves through the dreaded task in order to obtain something more suited to them – something better for them. It is, quite simply, a largely self-motivated action to get our needs met. (more…)

Penny-wise and Pounds Foolish

By Ann Cooper

Chef, educator, and author Ann Cooper is director of nutrition services for the Berkeley Unified School District.

When making major changes to improve school food, such as moving from a thaw-and-serve style of food service to cooking from scratch with fresh ingredients, we need to realize how much we’re asking of food service personnel. Every bit of change any of us makes in our lives — when we move, when we change jobs or relationships — is hard. Revamping school food services requires large changes from a whole group of people, many of whom have been doing their jobs for decades, and have received awards, accolades, and promotions for what they’ve done. Now we’re asking them to unlearn much of what they’ve learned about preparing school food. We’re telling them that they need to acquire new skills, and sometimes to work harder. (more…)