Macaroni And Cheese

Re "He's a tall-order chef," June 22 If the Los Angeles Unified School District thinks that macaroni and cheese, enchiladas and lasagna constitute healthy food, then its "meals" will only contribute to an already admitted epidemic of obesity in young adults. Feeding kids a meal consisting of 70% to 80% carbohydrates is not the answer to rising obesity. It's more junk food. Samuel Shultz Thousand Oaks The writer is an L.A. Unified teacher.

I read your article ["When Bad Mac Happens to Good People," Oct. 4] with interest, and the recipe looks inviting. But when I was growing up in the '50s the standard way to make mac 'n' cheese was much easier. You took a block of Kraft American cheese and melted it in a pot with milk and butter, added cooked macaroni, mixed well and baked at 350 for 30 minutes. We never added spices, crusts or any other fancy additives. (My friends from the Midwest, however, did crumble crackers or breadcrumbs sauteed in butter on top before baking.

The other day we spent a few hours surfing the Net in our quest to learn more about health and the human body. First, we visited an exciting-sounding Web site--the "Wonderful Multicoloured Intestine Creator!"--and painted a "medically correct" image of the human bowel. (If you've ever wondered what an undulating colon looks like in fuchsia or turquoise, then http://www.urban75.com/Mag/shock1.html is the site for you. OK, so we didn't learn much here.

I've found that the mere mention of mac-aroni and cheese to anyone who grew up in America almost always sparks an avalanche of memories, of Sunday suppers in linoleum-floored kitchens and chrome-bedecked diners, of oddly comforting lunches in school cafeterias. Figuring that a dish so roundly loved would be the perfect excuse for a dinner party, I invited friends to bring their favorite version for a macaroni and cheese contest. It was one of the best parties I ever gave--easy to execute, delicious and with a high level of fun, an inadvertent antidote to overwrought '90s entertaining.

Barry Sears disapproves of my breakfast. He is unimpressed by my lunch. And my afternoon snack is just awful. The breakfast: a toasted bagel, spread thickly with peanut butter. "What was it--one of those big L.A. bagels?" he asks. "Basically, what you had was the politically correct version of a Dunkin' Donut--the worst of all possible worlds. A lot of fat. And a lot of insulin. I bet that two hours after eating it you were famished again."

The only consideration for choosing a recipe is taste ("The Best Recipes of 1998," Dec. 30)? Taste has absolutely nothing to do with it. With four children under the age of 5, we have two considerations at the Slosberg household when it comes to choosing our best recipes: how long they take (anything over two minutes subjects the recipe to immediate disqualification) and whether the children eat the results. Bearing these considerations in mind, here are our picks for the best recipes of 1998: (1)

How to get your child to eat more fruits and vegetables: * Kids like crunch. Give them raw veggies with a dip. * Don't overwhelm them. A serving is 1/2 cup of chopped fruits or vegetables or 3/4 cup of fruit or vegetable juice. For leafy greens, a cup is a serving. * Try a sneak attack. Add chopped vegetables to spaghetti sauce, taco filling, macaroni and cheese. * Make fruit and vegetables for dessert.

The houses are well-spaced-out here in the heartland of Greater Los Angeles. "Deep lots," the real estate agents like to say. You can pass a lifetime without unwanted contact, unless you like unwanted contact, in which case we'll exchange glances and point you toward the urban hordes. Maybe this is why the knock on the door was so unsettling that Sunday. Out here, you don't expect a stranger with shame in her eyes.

The Scene: Thursday's premiere of New Line Cinema's "Now and Then" at the Village Theater in Westwood with an after-party at the Armand Hammer Museum. No one could accuse this film of not being in touch with its feminine side. Star Rita Wilson called it "a female 'Stand By Me.' It's a coming-of-age story for girls." It was described by studio Chairman Bob Shaye as a look into "the arcane psyche of our beloved gender counterparts" and by a guest as "a real estrogen experience."