Italian households revolve around the kitchen, and in the schools, the cook is pivotal to the whole organisation. The kitchen has an open hatch so children can smell and watch the food being prepared and feel part of the process. Salads and vegetables are identified from an early age.
School mealtimes bring a sense of occasion. Children and adults help in the serving and sit around tables together.
However, in England for many families, this has become an alien concept.
Adults pass in and out of the home; one returns from work while the other rushes out for a twilight shift. Children choose different foods because William doesn't like pasta, Thomas won't eat vegetables and Ella only likes sandwiches. It is simpler to please everybody and sit and watch TV with convenience food on a tray.
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