Martin Luther King Jr. Marade serves history less clichéd than MLK menu by DPS last year

The weather looks promising for this morning's Martin Luther King Jr. Marade -- a march/parade that's the biggest in the nation. But no matter the air temperature, the atmosphere won't be as hot as last year, when the Denver Public Schools had planned a lunch in honor of MLK the...

By Patricia Calhoun

January 17, 2011

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The weather looks promising for this morning's Martin Luther King Jr. Marade -- a march/parade that's the biggest in the nation. But no matter the air temperature, the atmosphere won't be as hot as last year, when the Denver Public Schools had planned a lunch in honor of MLK the Friday before the holiday, featuring some of the greatest hits -- and stereotypes -- of Southern cooking.

This year, DPS did not even think about serving students Southern-style chicken with biscuit, as well as sweet potatoes or collard greens, the menu promised last year.

DPS didn't wind up serving that meal in 2010, either. After controversy flared over the the lunch offerings -- which did, in fact, include some of MLK's favorite foods -- the district changed the menu and served the kids some politically correct, polyglot tacoroni or other lunchroom staple.

This year, DPS dodged the problem by making last Friday an assessment day, with no classes. Schools is officially out today. And tomorrow's featured item on the DPS menu? Chile relleno quiche.

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Patricia Calhoun is editor-in-chief of Westword, the alt-weekly she co-founded in September 1977. She’s been inducted into the Colorado Press Association Hall of Fame, the Association of Alternative Newsmedia Hall of Fame and the Colorado Restaurant Association Hall of Fame. She’s also received dozens of local, state and national awards for writing, including first place for feature writing and first place for column writing with the Society of Professional Journalists. Patricia is a weekly commentator on Colorado Inside Out, PBS 12's public affairs roundtable, which has won two Emmys.

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