Shut up and eat your meat, or French weirdness

In Villefranche-sur-Saône, France, parents of some public school students were informed, in writing, that their kids would be kicked out of the school cafeteria if they refuse to eat meat. The students in question were Moslem; they refused to eat the meat served in the school cafeteria because it was not halal.

According to sources (they are numerous; try googling on "Villefranche-sur-Saône" if you are interested, I am sure there is nothing else newsworthy happening there anyway) the children are supposed to eat everything they are given, or at least a little bit of every food they are given. Those who fail to do so will be banished from the school cafeteria. Apparently the whole thing started when a group of Moslem parents asked that their children be allowed not to eat the meat. They were not demanding halal meat or anything; just not to eat the regular one. And now they apparently got their answer in written form.

Now, I am not the greatest friend of the world's most peaceful religion, but isn't this too much? Kicking kids out of the cafeteria and refusing to serve them any part of lunch because they don't want to eat a part of it? Is that normal in France? Hmm, if my school cafeteria tried to make everyone eat a bit of everything they'd lose all their clientele. Hey, wait, they did! Wonder what they do about the kids who are allergic?

The Moslem parents say that only Moslem families were targeted and no letter were send to any vegetarians. The town says that that's because there aren't any vegetarians. Thanks heaven! Imagine what would have happened to law and order and cuisine if vegetarians had invaded the town? Or, god forbid, vegans?

My advice to the Moslem parents: get an Orthodox Jewish family to move there, and they will straighten everything out for you. Extra points if the parents are lawyers and the kids are lactose-intolerant vegans.