For the past two months, one of my favorite reads has been a blog started by 9-year-old Martha Payne of western Scotland to document in photos the daily lunches she was being served in her public primary school.
Payne started blogging in early May and her lunch photos went viral in days. She had a million viewers within a few weeks; was written up in Time, the Telegraph, the Daily Mail; and got support from TV chef Jamie Oliver, whose series “Jamie’s School Dinners” kicked off school-food reform in England.
Yesterday, Martha was called out of class, and though her school officials had been very gracious about her food blog, the higher-ups in officialdom had had enough. She was forbidden from taking any more photos of her dinner plate.
Her delightful blog, Never Seconds, is still racking up dozens of views every minute. It also features full plates from other schools around the world, the photos having been emailed from students in Vietnam, China, Taiwan and America.
The girl has also channeled her newfound celebrity into a fundraiser for a charity, Mary’s Meals, that feeds African children while at school. Donations are up to $35,000.
EDITOR’S UPDATE: Just hours ago, following widespread anger over the decision, and in response to a request from Scotland’s education minister, the local council reversed their ban on Martha taking pictures of her school lunches. [Great news, because I’ve become addicted to her clever writing.]
(READ the full story from Wired)