Lord knows why, but I’ve a craving for a school lunch hot dish I was served in the late 50s and early 60s in a Minnesota school district. It was that sort of green, chop suey or chow mein thing, we got with chow mein noodles or sometimes rice. Probably had a lot of soy sauce.
I’ve checked out all the current La Choi canned stuff, as doing anything beyond heating canned “Chinese” wouldn’t fly with those ladies (but oh, my, could they do a sweet snazzed up sloppy joe). At any rate, nothing quite has come even close.
Does anyone else remember it? Got any suggestions about recipes from the time?
Many thanks,
I had a college roommate whose mother brought him a bunch of her recipes and one day he wanted her chow mein casserole. I don’t have the recipe any more but it was similar to this but I think it was tuna and not beef. Anyway, it was terrible. Gloppy, not particularly flavorful or chinese-y, but I could see a school serving it.
What I miss from school lunches is italian dunkers. So cheap and lazy but somehow, so tasty.
Hey! I grew up in the area (South Dakota) and remember that “stuff” too. But I can’t help you with finding it, because it was one of the few school lunch meals I absolutely refused to eat; most of us farm kids avoided it when it was on the menu. Blech!
Have you tried James Lilek’s site of regrettable food. It seems like it should be a natural fit. Perhaps he should have a section on weird school lunches.