nosh nook #175 - friday, november 13, 2009

'jersey fresh' a mantra in school cafeterias (link)
11.12.09 - philly.com - by james osborne

are you "jersey fresh?" do you possess slicked, oily hair, a shirt half-unbuttoned & a general aura of douchebaggery? do you want to fight me and/or kick my ass? you sir, are jersey fresh. you have enormous hair, overwhelming perfume & orange, leathery skin and/or fake boobs? do your friends call you a "skank?" yeah? sounds like you're a jersey fresh lady, lady. are you stuck between a rock (nyc) & a hard place (philly)? does your turnpike smell funny down around exit 13? you're totally jersey fresh. get down with your mirrortastic bad self. please don't get mad at my depiction of you, jersey. i mock because i love.

according to philly.com, "jersey fresh" has recently become a mantra in school cafeterias. that mantra has nothing to do with AXE body spray & a longing to get laid down at the shore though. this mantra is all about jersey's tubby youth eating healthier. it's a trend in schools these days & if any state's trendy, it's jersey, so they're on board. philly.com's article focuses on one township in particular--cherry hill--where they're going nuts promoting locally grown fruits & veggies to their students. instead of letting them loose on bags of cheetos, they have to worry about students mobbing the fruit cart.

cherry hill's a suburb where the median family income's just under six figures, so i guess they're the perfect demographic for creating an anti-junk food program in the schools. the program puts an emphasis on being a locavore (or as osborne calls it-- "localvore") & gets kids pumped about all jersey-grown fruits & veggies. philly.com asked dittmar gagnon, a senior football player, what he thought about the changes. "i think I'm eating healthier now than in middle school. back then, it was all reheated tacos and other junk. just today, they added cherry tomatoes." cherry tomatoes! they have football players talking about cherry tomatoes! that's the sort of thing that's going to get the cougars crushed in next week's game against atlantic city. i'm not a gambling man, but i'd put money on it.