School Lunches

PimTac said:
Going to Catholic grade school starting in the early 60’s I ate the lunches the cooks made. They were not free. Each day of the week had its own lunch. Monday was hot dog and sauerkraut 🤢. Tuesday was Spanish rice. Wednesday was spaghetti. Thursday was hamburgers. Friday was fish sticks.

The same menu for pretty much all eight years I attended. After that I brought simple bag lunches like chopped ham sandwich.
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That‘s right, forgot about fish Fridays. Especially during Lent.
 
Jdeere562 said:
When I started school was the early 1960's. We lived on the next block, so I went home for lunch until maybe 2nd or 3rd grade. Had no idea how it worked, so just followed the others in line the first time.

Back then they had real cooks and made everything from scratch. It was probably better than what my Mom fed me at home for lunch. So I continued eating at school. Those ladies got there early AM and started cooking. Homemade pizza cut in squares, I always went back for seconds. We never made pizza at home. Chili, turkey, sea dogs, meatloaf and all the other stuff was cooked in the school kitchen. Milk came in glass bottles. Couple of the cooks belonged to our local church. Every few years, the church would make a cook book from the local recipes. I still have one dated 1970. Those cooks always shared recipes from themselves and other local people. Still my favorite cook book.

My Grandma was the main church organist and taught me how to play as a kid. I would fill in, if she could not attend. They gave us free cookbooks for pay...LOL!

I would never complain about our school food, it was good! My Granddaughter graduated last year. Said the school food was junk, just heat up frozen processed food. She took a cooler most days with her own lunch, said it was too nasty to eat.

Any other old timers remember good school lunches?
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We just had homemade meatloaf, mashed potatoes from scratch, and hand-made grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch today. Yesterday was hand-made pancakes with frozen and heated up sausage patties but at least the pancakes were almost from scratch.

It completely depends on the school.
 
Jdeere562 said:
When I started school was the early 1960's. We lived on the next block, so I went home for lunch until maybe 2nd or 3rd grade. Had no idea how it worked, so just followed the others in line the first time.

Back then they had real cooks and made everything from scratch. It was probably better than what my Mom fed me at home for lunch. So I continued eating at school. Those ladies got there early AM and started cooking. Homemade pizza cut in squares, I always went back for seconds. We never made pizza at home. Chili, turkey, sea dogs, meatloaf and all the other stuff was cooked in the school kitchen. Milk came in glass bottles. Couple of the cooks belonged to our local church. Every few years, the church would make a cook book from the local recipes. I still have one dated 1970. Those cooks always shared recipes from themselves and other local people. Still my favorite cook book.

My Grandma was the main church organist and taught me how to play as a kid. I would fill in, if she could not attend. They gave us free cookbooks for pay...LOL!

I would never complain about our school food, it was good! My Granddaughter graduated last year. Said the school food was junk, just heat up frozen processed food. She took a cooler most days with her own lunch, said it was too nasty to eat.

Any other old timers remember good school lunches?
Click to expand...
I'm 41 and graduated in 2001. By the mid to late 90's I'm fairly sure 99% was Re-heated frozen foods. When I lived in Georgia in Kindergarten they offered breakfast. One morning my school was out of 2% milk and only had buttermilk left. Ahhhh! I only marinade chicken in buttermilk not drink it.
 
97prizm said:
I'm 41 and graduated in 2001. By the mid to late 90's I'm fairly sure 99% was Re-heated frozen foods. When I lived in Georgia in Kindergarten they offered breakfast. One morning my school was out of 2% milk and only had buttermilk left. Ahhhh! I only marinade chicken in buttermilk not drink it.
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The school served buttermilk? First I have heard of that! My Grandpa drank that stuff now and then. Tried it several times to see if my tastes changed, NOPE!
 
The 90 era food in my Midwestern school system was downright terrible. Everything had a strange after taste and even the bread. It was mostly prepackaged food. The only highlight was occasionally desserts when they had them. The peanut butter treats were the best, the cookie brownies were also great, the sunshine bars (pumpkin brownie-like thing with powdered sugar) were decent. This was in the era of being able to buy soda or juice in aluminum cans at the school. The funny thing was all they would sell is diet versions of the sodas due to their concern about making us too hyper yet they didn't think to sell exclusively caffeine free sodas.

Another crazy thing looking back was the dumb rule that we had lunch after recess and they wouldn't let us use the restroom afterwards to wash our hands. No wonder why germs spread through kids. As I got older, I started to use plastic wear so I could avoid touching my food as much as possible. I got mocked for it (but they would have mocked me for something else anyways) but I had fewer stomach problems afterwards.

By H.S., I just started packing my own lunch and was so much happier and healthier.
 
Enthusiast said:
Another crazy thing looking back was the dumb rule that we had lunch after recess and they wouldn't let us use the restroom afterwards to wash our hands. No wonder why germs spread through kids. As I got older, I started to use plastic wear so I could avoid touching my food as much as possible. I got mocked for it (but they would have mocked me for something else anyways) but I had fewer stomach problems afterwards.

By H.S., I just started packing my own lunch and was so much happier and healthier.
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you are one of the contributors to the weakening of the human immune system because that which doesn't kill you makes you stronger. :)
 
IMG_2869.jpeg
 
I know a lot about school lunches because it was my job for a long time. My childhood lunches were good (though I usually packed) but they’re infinitely better now, on average. A school district near me is run by a CIA grad who sources locally grown artisanal products, if you can believe it.
The school lunch program was originally funded as a bipartisan act owing to the high number of 4Fs during WWII. It was considered a matter of national security as so many who enlisted were undernourished and under weight.
Today the program has expanded (of course) to include breakfast, snacks, and summer feedings. It’s subsidized by your tax dollars so that low price is only the tip of the iceberg. It’s an entire, expanding industry being churned just as much as any unscrupulous financial advisor’s accounts. Still, it’s the only way many kids get fed, and a lot of people work hard every in the kitchen so even more people can coast in offices expanding and tweaking it every year.
 
I believe it. I hear stories like this from friends all the time. One of them did a drive at church for supplies to help his students. It's sad to say the least. This is part of the reason I am a bit dogmatic about US made stuff as my home town lost its industry in the 90s. The town is a shadow of its former self and the ratio of poverty is higher which drives more reliant on these programs. I try to do what I can even though I don't live there anymore as it is too far to commute from.
 
I know for me I was allowed to buy 1/week. I really looked forward to it, and had week long plans for bbq chips.

The rest was from home: chicken roll, bologna, head cheese, wilted lettuce.

All of the above were the garbage foods of my time (as were chicken wings, Chuck roast, corned beef, ox tail).

But check out the prices of all of the above today!!

My buddy says 3 kids $300/mo EACH on snacks. I said wow $300/mo on lunch, huh?

He goes no, snacks. And screen shots it to me. They even buy bottled water.

That’s unreasonable. He’s a nice dad who should crack the whip. But I’m just as soft on a lot of other things, just without the big monthly bill.

I guess when our own parents were harsh, we don’t necessarily want to do the same.
 
853okg said:
I know a lot about school lunches because it was my job for a long time. My childhood lunches were good (though I usually packed) but they’re infinitely better now, on average. A school district near me is run by a CIA grad who sources locally grown artisanal products, if you can believe it.
The school lunch program was originally funded as a bipartisan act owing to the high number of 4Fs during WWII. It was considered a matter of national security as so many who enlisted were undernourished and under weight.
Today the program has expanded (of course) to include breakfast, snacks, and summer feedings. It’s subsidized by your tax dollars so that low price is only the tip of the iceberg. It’s an entire, expanding industry being churned just as much as any unscrupulous financial advisor’s accounts. Still, it’s the only way many kids get fed, and a lot of people work hard every in the kitchen so even more people can coast in offices expanding and tweaking it every year.
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This is likely why my buddy’s kids rack up a $300/mo tab times 3. Don’t get me wrong good quality is a plus. Their mom shops at Whole Foods.
 
Yeah, I would start shopping at Aldi to fix that problem. My grandparents never set foot in a Whole foods and are 92 and 93. They ate right, made mostly homemade dishes,xand exercised daily.
 
My mom made pizza, it's all I knew. School lunch pizza tasted weird to me. Started school in 1963, but didn't have lunch at school until 64-65(?) I don't remember what I ate 1-2nd grade. Maybe by 9 years old Little League had pizza a Shakeys...maybe not. I ate little and was a skinny runt. (Yeah I know)

One thing I do remember is I worked on the lunch line dumping and washing trays! 5-6 grade Our big hope was some kid left a nickel on the tray. I remember what the dump can smelled like - 55+ years ago! Yeah the stench sticks with one.

Also I always threw my bologna sammich away along with the apple and trading the Ding Dong for a Twinkie, or better a Tiger Tail. Sorry mom!
 
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