Florina has flair for the kitchen
This mother of five says its a tough job to keep the little one's satisfied, a job she proudly takes on as cook at PEMPS
POLOKWANE – Florina Sebopa from Moletjie-Mabokelele, Kgoshi Moloto 3 says having kids as old as the ones she cooks for at Pietersburg English Medium Primary School (PEMPS) is a great advantage.
She is the only cook at the school where she has been employed for many years. She has encountered picky eaters and others who eat whatever they are given.
“I have been cooking daily meals for the children here for a long time. Having children of my own has helped me to be more patient, especially when it comes to feeding the learners.
“I have learnt that some children are picky eaters while others eat whatever you have made for them. It is a challenge to feed the picky ones but it is my job as the mother cook to make sure that they eat their food and finish it, so that they have enough energy to see the day through and perform as required in the classroom,” she explains.
Gr R head, Karen Adlem, pleads with parents to let the children explore different a variety of food. She says when they are enrolled their parents say that they have certain food allergies and do not realise that the child is just being a child and is picking out certain foods they do not like, over the food they prefer to eat.
“I have seen it first-hand here where children end up eating and enjoying the particular food which they were declared allergic to and which is not always the case. Children require authority in order to become successful in every activity that they do, and that responsibility lies solely in our hands as parents and teachers,” she said.
The children’s daily menu is worked out according to their needs and after consultation with a dietitian.
The menu caters for all seasons and includes a snack and a cooked lunch. The children are also taught restaurant etiquette, a fun way of introducing the food and encouraging the children to eat ‘like queens and kings in a castle’ and telling them it is food for their brain.
