Camp food has come a long way since a favorite ditty was:
The meatballs that they give us
They say are mighty fine,
One rolled off the table
And hurt a friend of mine.
Mystery meat is out, and restaurant-style menus with salad bars are in as camps try to please growing numbers of vegetarian campers and children with more diverse tastes - not to mention health-minded parents.
"I have seen a real consciousness-raising in the camps about food and the importance of proper nutrition," said Jeffrey Solomon, executive director of the National Camp Association, which helps families find sleep-away camps.
"Ten years ago, when I visited a camp I would rarely find one with a salad bar. If it had one, it rarely was more than a bowl of iceberg lettuce, a cucumber and salad dressing."
That would have been the scene at Independent Lake Camp in the Poconos town of Orson a decade ago, where deep-fried onion rings and chicken wings dominated the fare.
Today, though, at a typical dinner, campers can pick from a menu akin to what might be found at a wedding: salad bars (three of them, spread around the massive dining hall that serves 600 campers and staff at one sitting); a baked potato bar with choice of toppings; a pasta bar, with both vegetarian and meat sauces; and then there's the entree of the day - maybe sweet and sour chicken.
At cookouts, campers can choose from three types of hot dogs, vegetarian or turkey as well as beef.
"We wanted to provide a healthier menu and more variety," said Nigel Watson, camp co-owner. "And parents were asking for it."
Vegetarians now make up 15 percent of its campers, up from 5 percent four years ago, Watson said.
Camp Westmont in Poyntelle, Pa., recently added to its menu Caesar salad with grilled chicken; turkey bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches; and fajitas, said Jack Pinsky, camp co-owner.
Riverway Ranch Camp in the foothills of Sequoia National Park in California updated its salad bar over the last couple of years to include spinach, romaine lettuce, garbanzo beans, alfalfa sprouts and bean sprouts. "A lot of the older kids are becoming more aware of what's healthy and what's not," said Nancy Oken-Nighbert, camp owner and director.
Circle F Dude Ranch Camp in Lake Wales, Fla., has banned caffeinated soft drinks in the evening so campers can settle down to sleep more easily, said Diana Yost, camp director.
