Lunch lady giving Asian student less food

klokker · #1 11-16-2010, 10:13 AM

This year we have a foreign exchange student from Thialand living with us for the year. Our son is the same age and they both attend the small rural high school in our area.

Well, we have a problem emerging. A few weeks ago our exchange student began to complain that he's getting less food for lunch than the other students. This is his quote: "The lunch lady looks me in the face and then gives me less food". This has been confirmed by our son.....it happens on a daily basis.

I'm never surprised at small town attitudes toward outsiders, or the petty crap people can come up with. But before I make some effort at addressing this, I'm looking for ideas on why this might be happening that might soften my own anger about this. I want to give this lunch lady the benefit of the doubt but............................

MakiSupaStar · #2 11-16-2010, 10:21 AM

Call them out on it. Talk to the principal and explain that your exchange was complaining that the lunch lady was not giving him the same amount of food as your son. That's not acceptable.

hover · #3 11-16-2010, 10:23 AM

yeah. nip that in the butt now. Report it.

Racism has many faces.

MJ5150 · #4 11-16-2010, 10:28 AM

Where is Thialand?

-MIke

**pacojas** · #5 11-16-2010, 10:32 AM

bravo for the kid speaking up! if i was an exchange student from Thailand i would complain ABOUT the food at school. (my Thai friend hates American cuisine)
anyway,.. the lunch-lady must be punished.

macaroni tony · #6 11-16-2010, 10:33 AM

As Mr "lets look at this from the other person's perspective," I gotta say it sounds like this calls for a little chat with school administrators

MJ5150 · #7 11-16-2010, 10:38 AM

Weird how everyone just pulls out the race card automatically.

-Mike

**Eric Perry** · #8 11-16-2010, 10:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MJ5150

Weird how everyone just pulls out the race card automatically.

-Mike

Don't you read cheese's posts???

Selta · #9 11-16-2010, 10:43 AM

There's very little info to really go off of in the OP. I wouldn't want to just start throwing out the race card myself here. However, if he is getting less food than the other students, that is cause for it to be brought up and the reason for that being found out.

spade2you · #10 11-16-2010, 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eric Perry

Don't you read cheese's posts???

I felt guilty, but I chuckled.

As for the OP, might be good to get a witness or two before calling anyone out. Given that the "evidence" is eaten and tossed in the trash, proving anything will be difficult.

klokker · #11 11-16-2010, 10:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ray Salamon

There's very little info to really go off of in the OP. I wouldn't want to just start throwing out the race card myself here.

Exactly. I'm trying to keep my mind open to other possibilities.

Relic · #12 11-16-2010, 10:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MJ5150

Weird how everyone just pulls out the race card automatically.

-Mike

Yes, this.
It may very well be that the lunch lady is a racist moron, but there may also be other reasons (maybe also moronic) but not mean-intended. I would suggest a talk with said lunch lady but I would also avoid jumping to conclusions.

macaroni tony · #13 11-16-2010, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hover

yeah. nip that in the butt now. Report it.

Racism has many faces.

This was the only post that implied racism

hover · #14 11-16-2010, 10:55 AM

Yeah, and I was being cheeky. Apologies?

need4mospd · #15 11-16-2010, 10:56 AM

Have him take pictures of the "small" lunch next to another lunch. If they question the camera in the lunch line, say he wanted to show his parents in Thailand what the tasty American cuisine looks like.

It might not be racist as in, "I hate X race". It might be more of a strange stereotype like, "I think X race eat less". Either way it deserves corrective action.

MJ5150 · #16 11-16-2010, 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by macaroni tony

This was the only post that implied racism

Yeah, well that is what everyone is thinking. The rest of you sissies were just afraid to say what hover did.

-Mike

macaroni tony · #17 11-16-2010, 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MJ5150

Weird how everyone just pulls out the race card automatically.

-Mike

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ray Salamon

There's very little info to really go off of in the OP. I wouldn't want to just start throwing out the race card myself here.

Quote:

Originally Posted by klokker

Exactly. I'm trying to keep my mind open to other possibilities.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Relic

Yes, this.
It may very well be that the lunch lady is a racist moron, but there may also be other reasons (maybe also moronic) but not mean-intended. I would suggest a talk with said lunch lady but I would also avoid jumping to conclusions.

Weird how that snowballed so quickly

Yerf Dog · #18 11-16-2010, 11:06 AM

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't less school lunch food a good™ thing?

macaroni tony · #19 11-16-2010, 11:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by need4mospd

Have him take pictures of the "small" lunch next to another lunch. If they question the camera in the lunch line, say he wanted to show his parents in Thailand what the tasty American cuisine looks like.

It might not be racist as in, "I hate X race". It might be more of a strange stereotype like, "I think X race eat less". Either way it deserves corrective action.

Yeah, she could've been thinking "well all those Asian folks never grow past 5'4"; this kid doesn't need as much food as these red blooded 'Mericans do."

....Or maybe neither. Iono

MakiSupaStar · #20 11-16-2010, 11:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by klokker

Exactly. I'm trying to keep my mind open to other possibilities.

Good. This will present a very level approach when addressing it with the principal. Who knows what's happening? You need to get to the bottom of it, whether racism is involved or not.