Chanut gets a healthy makeover? … YUM!
April 11, 2010 by Herzl Camp Admin, under Letters from Staff.
By Anne Hope
My kids think I have the most awesome job in the world. I am a hero in their world…the Director of Herzl Camp is their mom. What could be better?
Well, I found out the other day…
We had just returned from out of town. We were hungry and there was nothing in the house. We walked down the block to YUM! You know, the yummiest bakery in the upper Midwest, the freshest salads, most delicious soups, and I have never even tasted the roasted chicken dinner which is supposed to be out of this world. For my family, dinner or lunch at YUM! is really just an excuse to eat the cupcakes, bars, cakes, cookies, and all the goodies that really give YUM! its name.
So, how does this relate to my job? On Wednesday night as I made my daughters (ages 7 & 11) wash their hands in the back of YUM! I noticed the owner’s two teens sitting in the back room eating dinner. Knowing them from camp, I asked if their mom always brought home the good stuff? I was told she cooks dinner most every night, but yes, the Yummy sweets make it home quite a bit. My daughters’ could hardly speak…they were star struck that YUM! was actually owned by a human and by a human that had children and that the goodies could be had on a daily basis.
I was feeling jealous; I always have the coolest job in the room! Come on guys, I’m the director of Camp – don’t wish your mom owned YUM! My job is still cool! To that, Ruthie, my 11 year old replied, “If you hadn’t taken the candy away from chanut, I wouldn’t care that you didn’t own YUM!”
For our faithful blog readers who have not been to camp lately, I got rid of candy from chanut last summer. Yes, it’s true: no melty (or icy depending on your camp era) Snickers as you fall asleep at minucha.
Instead of candy, chanut choices include: dried fruit, such as Asian Pear Crisps, Fuji Apple Crisps, Organic Chocolate chip cookies, Nut free chocolate or vanilla covered granola cluster bars, fruit leather, and organic cheese crisps. Chanut no longer sells sugary juices but a choice of PowerAde Zero or bottled water. This year I would like to add fresh fruit and popcorn.
I would love to hear from you, our readers… Shocking? Good? What are your thoughts? Am I a bad mom and bad camp director for cleaning out the junk food from chanut or am I adding to the health and wellness of a generation in great need of better nutrition? Let me know, in the meantime, maybe YUM! can cater a special day or two in chanut this summer.