# School Lunch, what do you miss? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 26, 2007, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-lunch-what-do-you-miss/389492 "2007-01-26T00:38:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Ann\_Onimous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ea5d25/32.png) [@Ann\_Onimous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Onimous)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-lunch-what-do-you-miss/389492/121 "2010-12-02T20:30:17Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > And hey; how much is a stamp? 44¢ each, or a book of 20 for $8.80. I have two books of Forever stamps that I purchased about 6 months ago, and have not used one. I may be able to pass them down to my children. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-lunch-what-do-you-miss/389492/122 "2010-12-02T20:43:30Z")
> [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](#): > > The yeasty smell of fresh baked rolls wafting out of the cafeteria in elementary school. Nothing like it. Well, there is, sort of. Driving through Lawrenceburg, Indiana, when you’re downwind of the Seagrams factory, the whole area smells strongly of yeast. Reminded me of elementary school. > > I don’t remember anything other than slop and frozen burritos just like the kind you get in the supermarket for 39 cents each with little packets hot sauce. I ate my fill of frozen burritos in middle and high school. I can’t say I miss them, though. My elementary school had the best yeast rolls I’d ever tasted. And the smell was enough to drive us wild when they were baking. I liked the chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes and gravy that was frequently on the menu. Nowadays, I suspect that the CFS was actually just a breaded hamburger patty, but back in those days, I thought they were yummy. The Springfield high school had absolutely horrid lunches, except for their pizza, which wasn’t horrid, it was just bad. Other than that, I don’t really remember most of the school lunches. When I moved back to Fort Worth, the high school I went to had an open campus lunch for juniors and seniors, that is, we were allowed to go off campus and eat lunch elsewhere. A lot of kids abused this privilege, and came back smelling of smoke, and not always tobacco smoke, either. It was the 70s, OK? At any rate, there was a Taco Bell right across the street from the school, and it always did a booming business at lunchtime when school was in session. ---
**Author:** ![gurujulp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ba9def/32.png) [@gurujulp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gurujulp)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-lunch-what-do-you-miss/389492/123 "2010-12-02T20:58:40Z")
Sad what has happened to public school lunch in California since “Healthy” eating was mandated by law. I tried some of the stuff I thought was what I remembered liking, and ever since, I make her lunch. ---
**Author:** ![orderfire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orderfire/32/10908_2.png) [@orderfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orderfire)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-lunch-what-do-you-miss/389492/124 "2010-12-02T22:35:18Z")
Aaah, school lunch. We didn’t get to have “hot lunch” very often - mom was raising six kids on a professor’s salary, so every dime was painstakingly budgeted. Interestingly, there was always money for booze and the New Yorker, but I digress. Hot lunch was 55 cents and milk was 6 cents, you had to order tickets at the beginning of the month. White tickets = milk, purple tickets = lunch. When the school sent the menus home each month, we pored over them to find our favorite meals and cwere allowed to select two days a month to get hot lunch instead of brown bagging it. This was a major treat because mom was an early adopter of the health food movement in the 70’s, and every wrinkly, recycled brown bag I opened invariably held something like leaden wheat bread with that sandy health food store peanut butter and homemade crabapple jelly. I longingly gazed at my classmates’ lunches, comprised of delicacies like wonder bread and marshmallow fluff and Hostess Sno-Balls. What utter torment. Lest I give the impression that eating at home was hell - it was most decidedly not. My mom was a great cook, but I did get tired of those damn hippie sandwiches and yearned for junk food, which she refused to provide. My favorite hot lunch was “Weiner Winks”! Now here’s a recipe you’ll want to take down. Butter a slice of squishy institutional white bread. Lay a slice of American cheese on the bread (unbuttered side). Lay a hot dog diagonally across the bread, fold the two corners up over the hot dog and secure it with a toothpick. Repeat x250 or so and bake until the bread is toasty brown, the cheese is melted and the ends of the hot dog are shriveled up. Mmm mmm good! They served some kind of little pie in a teeny foil pie pan, it had a graham cracker crust and something like a scoop of vanilla pudding in it. Delicious. It made me so sad when the jock boys would whip them at the walls where they would stick. Great, guys! One less treat I’ll never get to enjoy. I remember LOVING those fake mashed potatoes and canned corn. I could never understand the attraction for that spongy pizza though…I guess I am in the minority there. I still have a secret love for cafeteria food. ---
**Author:** ![markm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@markm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markm)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-lunch-what-do-you-miss/389492/125 "2010-12-02T22:36:49Z")
We had the zombies also, but they had ground beef in addition to the cheese inside them. They were basically the same as the yeast rolls, only rolled thin then filled with the cheese/beef and folded shut. One dish I really miss I can’t even remember what they called. It was shell macaroni with just a bit of tomato sauce and a ton of mozzarella cheese. I think there was more cheese than pasta in it, but it was delicious. ---
**Author:** ![orderfire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orderfire/32/10908_2.png) [@orderfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orderfire)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-lunch-what-do-you-miss/389492/126 "2010-12-02T22:44:06Z")
I just remembered that in middle school, we suddenly had the option to get “a la carte” or regular hot lunch. Naturally, anyone who had their own money or lenient parents could get a la carte, which often consisted of chips, ice cream and other junk. I was rarely in that line, sadly. Kids on public assistance got free hot lunch, and were not allowed to get a la carte foods, they had to get the proscribed tray with the gray (green) beans and watery gravy whether they wanted it or not. American Chop Suey was another cafeteria favorite. Overcooked shells with meat sauce and lots of cheese. Nom nom nom. ---
**Author:** ![sunstone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunstone/32/3372_2.png) [@sunstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sunstone)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2010, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-lunch-what-do-you-miss/389492/127 "2010-12-03T01:11:02Z")
OK, I’m trying to remember from 60 years ago when I was 7, but here are some of the ones I remember. #1 Tamale Pie. Yummy goodness of corn meal mush with slices of black olives and small hunks of tomato covering a hamburger base and covered by a layer of melted cheese. #2 Fish sticks. My mother never served fish at home and I loved these little crunchy bits of some generic fish with that coating of spicy meal. #3 Toasted cheese sandwiches. #4 Apple brown Betty. #5 Mashed potatoes with brown gravy. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2010, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-lunch-what-do-you-miss/389492/128 "2010-12-03T01:41:02Z")
> [@heavyarms553](#): > > O dear it’s all coming back to me. If I had to make one choice, it would be the stromboli. God I loved all that cheesy greasy goodness. Thank you. I couldn’t think of anything until you mentioned this. Probably because a local grocery store deli makes a stromboli that tastes just as good. I also think that the Always Save single serving pizzas taste just like the ones at the school–if you don’t mind that they are…round. ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2010, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-lunch-what-do-you-miss/389492/129 "2010-12-03T02:32:14Z")
> [@sunstone](#): > > …#2 Fish sticks. My mother never served fish at home and I loved these little crunchy bits of some generic fish with that coating of spicy meal… Listen. Some Fridays, they would have these fish squares. Not fish sticks, but a square of fish with that same yummy spicy meal coated on it. But then, they would have _American cheese between the layer of spicy meal and fish_. Between it! So good. Many times my chubby ass was wedged in at the lunch table, tummy poking out of the bottom of my tight t-shirt, asking kids, “you gonna eat yours?” ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2010, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-lunch-what-do-you-miss/389492/130 "2010-12-03T02:53:28Z")
The only good thing at my schools’ cafeterias was taco day. The spaghetti was this disgusting mush that they scooped out with an ice cream scoop. However, there was exactly one time when I was in 6th grade where they used a completely different spaghetti recipe, which was actually good. It had meatballs instead of the nasty meat sauce, and it wasn’t mushy and wasn’t served with an ice cream scoop. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2010, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-lunch-what-do-you-miss/389492/131 "2010-12-03T03:11:38Z")
God did I love school lunch. squares of delicious pizza turkey and noodles over mashed potatoes–THE BEST! french fries small paper boxes of ice cold orange juice when I was in high school we got “Bosco Sticks” which are the most fuckingly ridiculously delicious breadsticks stuffed with more cheese than bread. rawrawrarwr ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2010, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-lunch-what-do-you-miss/389492/132 "2010-12-03T18:50:30Z")
We had hexagons of pizza and “tostada.” It put me off real tostadas because… the school ones were better. Basically a mexican pizza… not a glorified taco salad. ---
**Author:** ![ratmanizhere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b5ac83/32.png) [@ratmanizhere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratmanizhere)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2010, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-lunch-what-do-you-miss/389492/133 "2010-12-04T02:41:59Z")
> [@Miss\_Purl\_McKnittington](#): > > I made another call to my mother, and she said that the brand of pizza they buy is called Tony’s and they get it from a supplier called [Martins Brothers](http://www.martinsnet.com/). I think [this](http://www.tonys.com/) is the pizza, as they say they were one of the first companies to provide pizza to schools on the brand history page. I don’t know how the pizza available in the grocery stores compares to the stuff served at school. She said it is most definitely not Tony Roma pizza, though. It’s not quite the same. BTW, I can get the same lil rectangualr pizzas like in school out of the vending machines at work! The same grease and all! ---
**Author:** ![Zjestika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/8edcca/32.png) [@Zjestika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zjestika)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2010, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-lunch-what-do-you-miss/389492/134 "2010-12-04T03:56:48Z")
I loved grade school lunch. The pizza, the breaded chicken patty on a bun, the pizza burger that I pretended to think was gross so no one thought I was weird. But there is really nothing I won’t eat. Seriously, there are things I don’t _prefer_ but I will eat anything. I love high school lunch, too, but for different reasons: the open campus. Burger King, Happy Wok, Beef-a-roo. All with smoking sections. Horrible, hedonistic bliss. ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2010, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-lunch-what-do-you-miss/389492/135 "2010-12-04T07:11:58Z")
This was back in the 70s, but our school had the yummiest and most unusual pizza. It had a nice soft but thin crust, plenty of cheese, a little bit of sausage and an oddly yummy hint of honey flavor. ---
**Author:** ![Enuma\_Elish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5e9695/32.png) [@Enuma\_Elish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enuma_Elish)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2010, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-lunch-what-do-you-miss/389492/136 "2010-12-04T07:44:39Z")
Those pickle slices that stuck to the ceiling when flicked just the right way. Somewhere there is a janitor who never knew me, but hates my guts. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2010, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-lunch-what-do-you-miss/389492/137 "2010-12-04T07:45:30Z")
We had homemade yeast rolls too in my junior high and high school. Best scratch rolls I’ve ever tasted. High school had very good hamburgers. I’m pretty sure it was fresh meat back then. The chocolate chip cookies were fresh baked. But only served once a week. 10th grade I volunteered to work the line as a server. We got to make our own plates and had large servings. Except for cookies. They only made enough for the students. There was never a lot of extras. > [@SkeptiJess](#): > > My junior high had wonderful yeast rolls – they were big and square and golden, drizzled over the top with melted butter. Man, I haven’t thought of those in years. My mouth is watering! ---
**Author:** ![Qwakkeddup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/90ced4/32.png) [@Qwakkeddup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwakkeddup)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2010, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-lunch-what-do-you-miss/389492/138 "2010-12-04T13:48:09Z")
Food Fights, only ever witnessed one in High School. ---
**Author:** ![festiva76](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8e8cbc/32.png) [@festiva76](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/festiva76)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2010, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-lunch-what-do-you-miss/389492/139 "2010-12-04T14:05:58Z")
I loved the chicken sandwiches in high school, and got them nearly everyday. It was nice that I had the $0.40 reduced-lunch price also. During the last week before I graduated, I made some comment to the lunch lady how much I’ll miss them. She said they could order me a case of the chicken patties to take home, but I decided I didn’t like them _that_ much. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-lunch-what-do-you-miss/389492.md?page=6)