“Noodles of Opportunity”
I have an essay in The Guardian - and here's an expanded ending just for you!
Exciting news! The Guardian published an essay I wrote called “Noodles of opportunity: how an Oregon law boosted a small food business and built community.” In it, I tell the story of how our noodle business, Umi Organic, developed and began selling wholegrain yakisoba noodles to public schools in Oregon. I’d be honored if you’d read it.
I’m so grateful to my editor, Cynthia Greenlee, for soliciting the story and helping me shape it for clarity. Because, believe you me, her job wasn’t easy! It’s very challenging to understand, let alone describe, the regulations around school lunch, specifics of evolving legislation, and complexity of distribution.
I really enjoyed bringing together my noodle life with my writing life. Because The Guardian knows its readers, I couldn’t wax poetic at the very end—too many words! But that, dear friends, is what this newsletter is for. After you’ve read the original, if you’re still itching for a little more, here’s an extended ending for you.
On a mild June day at the end of last school year, I met Whitney Ellersick, senior director of nutrition services for Portland Public Schools, at McDaniel High School in northeast Portland. McDaniel is one of the most diverse schools in Portland. Students of color make up nearly 70 percent of the school population. The school underwent a recent remodel, and Whitney wanted to show me the renovated kitchen. Specifically, we’d come to see their tilt skillet—a massive rectangular fry pan with an electric lift—that her staff uses to cook our noodles.
But first, she led me into the cafeteria. Nothing about the airy, light-filled room we entered reminded my of my own high school cafeteria, a windowless, cramped basement. The cafeteria at McDaniel was porous, with entrances at every corner. Light poured in from high windows on three sides. Whitney told me that the district had involved students and teachers in the school redesign process, and they’d requested that the cafeteria sit at the very heart of the school. I saw students criss-crossing on their way to classes. Others sat at tables, joking with friends and generally being exuberant, awkward, and deeply curious about each other. I was reminded of a college student union.
The tilt skillet was impressive, but even more so was Chris, the cafeteria lead, who wielded a canoe paddle-sized metal spatula to stir and flip our noodles, cooking with muscle and pride. (For the record, Chris is also the announcer for the Rose City Rollers!)
When lunch time came, the staff rolled up garage doors and suddenly the lunch counter was part of the capacious eating space. Students began flowing to several lunch lines, grabbing noodles and filling their trays from the salad bar. I watched Kyle, one of the staff, making sure everyone got a piece of fresh fruit. Because this neighborhood is low-income, McDaniel qualifies for the Community Eligibility Provision, which means breakfast and lunch are free for all.
I grabbed a plate of our steaming yakisoba noodles and then hit the salad bar, where I was totally floored to find white kimchi made by Choi’s Kimchi, a Korean family-run business a few miles from McDaniel. I thought of all the Korean students who’ve been taunted and ostracized for the smell of their lunches, yet here it was, for all: crunchy, flavorful, bright kimchi, the perfect accompaniment to a plate of noodles and veggies. I watched kids all around me hoovering their food, as teens do.
This lunch room felt good: the open layout, the sky-filled windows, the opportunity for universal participation, and the quality of the food. So many factors were contributing to reduce the stigma of school lunch and make this meal appealing.
It’s been almost eighteen years since that first farm to school meeting. I thought about the stamina that it takes to raise a kid. The members of the Farm to School network see themselves as responsible for all kids. They’re committed to a gradual, patient, visionary process, maneuvering onerous federal programs, celebrating small wins, and continuing to fight for something yet unfinished. I was part of this ecosystem with the responsibility to give back to it.
And then I sat down and dove into my delicious school lunch.
I’m indebted to the many people who took time to talk or write with me. Most of their quotes and stories didn’t make it into the final piece, but their conversations and their ongoing work informed every word! Here’s looking at you: Melina Barker (Oregon Farm to School and School Garden Network), Fannie Chen (Shin Shin Foods), Lucy De Leon (Salsas Locas), Whitney Ellersick (Portland Public Schools), Amy Gilroy (Oregon Department of Agriculture), Angela Hedstrom (Ecotrust), Tom and Sue Hunton (Camas Country Mill), Anne Leavens (Jackson County School District 6), Michelle Markesteyn (Oregon State University and Rootopia), Naomi Molstrom (Richmond parent), Stephen Pierce (Umi), Charity Ralls (Beaverton School District), Nathan Roedek (Hillsboro School District), Lynne Shore (Willamina School District), Darlene Snell (Lakeland), Eleni Woldeyes (Eleni’s Kitchen), and folks I’m invariably forgetting. Thank you!
If you want a deeper dive on our specific collaboration with Portland Public School and our flour supplier, Camas Country Mill, please check out this lovely video that Shawn Linehan made:
Congrats, Lola!!