PHILADELPHIA (AP) — In some school cafeterias in Philadelphia, students are saying goodbye to french fries and hello to roasted fennel.
They're also bidding farewell to long lunch lines in favor of family-style eating. It's all part of a new lunch program called "Eatiquette" (EET'-uh-ket).
The initiative was designed by local chef Marc Vetri. It aims to provide nutritious, low-cost lunches in a setting that reinforces social niceties and communication skills.
Students sit at round tables and pass serving dishes to each other. They eat off plates, not cafeteria trays, and use silverware instead of plastic utensils.
The program will expand this fall from four schools to about 10. The move comes as federal officials try to combat childhood obesity through proposed new standards for food sold in school.
