That Metal Disk Story

I read a fair amount of non-German news sources, and came this morning across this odd story out of France.

What can be said is that school officials got frustrated about special people and special diets at a school.  They discussed the matter and finally came to the conclusion that kids can't be expected to monitor their special lifestyle or diet themselves.....so you need to identify the kids and have the teacher or the cafe lady serving food.....to know the special kid.  The kid would flash some metal badge and things would be 'fine' then.

By lifestyle or diet.....there were three categories that fell into this French logic of thinking: Jewish, Muslim, and vegetarian.  The Jews and Muslim can't eat pork, and the vegetarian can't eat meat.

Naturally, you'd spend a fair amount of time as a school director over this issue and the only logical solution would be some 'marking'.

So, they invented these red and yellow disks that you'd wear around your neck.  The news source that I read this piece from.....didn't have any pictures.  So I'm left to assume there's some kind of chain and a fancy but cheap metal disk.  Red probably means no pork and yellow means no meat.

The kids went home....showed their new fancy disk to mom and dad, and then.....all hell broke loose.

Meetings were held and it only took a day for the mayor to step in and throw out the whole disk idea.  No one says much over where the idea came from or the meeting where this came from.

Yeah, it all has Nazi suggestions written over it.....like the Star of David idea from the 1930s.

I read through the piece.....it originates out of Auxerre, in Burgundy.  Burgundy is in central France....kinda southeast of Paris, and known for great wine, lots of agricultural products, and a rural atmosphere.

My folks.....well, going back 1,000 years came from Normandy (stopping off for a couple of centuries in eastern UK).....so I have some French ancestry and connection to France.

The odd thing about this whole story is that we are back to stage one of the lunch problem.  A bunch of special kids who aren't supposed to eat pork or meat.  The kid.....for all the vast knowledge and understanding that he or she has.....really doesn't know much over the food they eat....other than mom says they shouldn't eat pork.  If I was the school menu gal.....I'd make this simple....just hand each kid an apple and banana each day.  Frankly, you'd hope by the time they turn seventeen or eighteen.....maybe they've figured out the special nature of their lifestyle and can moderate themselves to some degree.

Well, you can only hope this.