On January 14, the conference room at Dongguan Middle School was full of people. I stared at the three words "Meal Accompanying Certificate" intently, and suddenly there was a feeling in my heart.
Not a meeting for the sake of a meeting.
Not for taking pictures either.
It was Principal Zhou Jianguang who handed the new meal certificates to the parents one by one.
How long has it been since you had a meal at your child’s school?
I don't know if that's the case for you.
Every time I read news about the school cafeteria, my heart suddenly thumps, and then I comfort myself: It’s nothing, I guess it’s nothing.
But the word "should" itself is very empty.
Dongguan Middle School seems to want to remove the "should" this time.
They came up with a system called "three-person collection." What does this mean? It does not require one person to sign, but three people to accept it together. It may sound a bit stupid, but stupid methods are often the most practical.
There is also the "four without two straight".
Go to the grassroots level without informing, saying hello, listening to the report, or accompanying the receptionist, just inserting yourself directly into the scene.
Pretty ruthless.
What should the canteen sell?
Was there a quarrel at the meeting? I guessed.
Because the issue of the canteen was discussed and voted on.
Guangdong Province actually has relevant documents. According to the principle, primary and secondary schools basically do not set up supermarkets. Those that belong to the boarding system can be retained. However, they can only sell prepackaged foods such as purified water, milk, bread, and fresh fruits.
Think about it.
The old days of running to the canteen after class to buy spicy strips or popsicles may really be coming to an end.
Some parents said it was for protection, while some students sneered.
However, you have to admit that there is already quite a lot of malice inflicted on children in this world today. At least within the scope of schools, they should be kept clean.
That APP can move the kitchen into the living room
The "Sunshine Canteen" system was fully launched in December last year.
Using "Guan Jiao Tong", parents can watch real-time pictures of the kitchen on their mobile phones.
A picture flashed in my mind:
At seven o'clock in the evening, you just got off work, collapsed on the sofa, and opened your phone.
I saw the aunt in the canteen washing vegetables, and the uncle was cutting meat there. The soup in the pot was steaming and gurgling.
Then you turn to your child and say: Tomorrow’s braised pork meal should be good.
This kind of transparency is quite healing.
A meal pass is not a pass, it is an invitation letter
The new meal certificate issued at the meeting.
It’s not the kind of politeness that “welcomes guidance”.
It's the kind where you can come at any time, sit down and eat, and make comments after eating.
Some schools are afraid of parents coming.
The more people come, the more things happen.
But Dongguan Middle School doesn’t seem to be afraid.
They even hope that parents will "come for a meal if they have nothing to do."
I don't know what you think.
But if my child is in this school, I will feel that the school treats me as one of its own.
The opinion was raised, what next?
Parents mentioned a lot at the meeting: the taste of the dishes, nutritional combinations, and service details.
These words have been said at many meetings.
That's it.
But this time, the people in the cafeteria replied one by one.
It's not a "we'll study it carefully" kind of cliche.
Specifically how and when to change it.
In fact, parents don’t want much.
I just want this sentence to have an echo.
Zero profit, how much is this sentence worth?
The canteen is independently operated and operates at zero profit. Teachers and students have the same dishes at the same price.
You might think this is what it should be.
But if you ask around, how many school cafeterias are outsourced?
Outsourcing means making money, making money means reducing costs, and reducing costs will...
I won’t say it anymore, you understand.
Dongguan Middle School chose the most difficult path: do it yourself and make no money.
This is not business, this is logistics.
What are the logistics? Only by being diligent at the back can the front be at ease.
Accompanying a meal is not a check-up, but a meal
After the meeting, everyone went to the canteen to have dinner with them.
It’s not about standing in front of the window and pointing.
It’s about queuing up, getting food, sitting down, and eating.
Principal Zhou eats it too, right?
Teachers eat too, right?
Parents eat too, and students eat too.
Eat from the same pot and use the same pair of chopsticks.
This kind of equality is more effective than any slogan.
Food safety is not something you control, it’s something you eat.
It’s 2026.
We have seen a large number of situations in canteens, we have seen so many public relations manuscripts that we can’t even count them, we have seen situations where after expressing “high attention” there was no follow-up and the matter went unsolved.
But this time at Dongguan Middle School, I saw another possibility:
Bring the parents in, show the kitchen, and spread the ledgers.
Then he said: Come, let’s eat together.
It's that simple.
It's so simple that you find it incredible.
But sometimes, the stupidest solution is actually the smartest.
Because the human heart is a scale, what you use to weigh others will be what others use to weigh you.
I don't know how other schools would learn it.
I hope that when I see the words "meal committee" again in the future, what appears is not a pile of red-headed documents, but a bowl of hot food, a smiling face, and a door that can be opened at any time.
After all, a mother can tell at a glance whether her child is eating well or not.
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