I loved this interactive graphic that makes some simple, low-cost suggestions for urging children to choose better meals on their own. I’ll be packing T1′s lunch for him, but that doesn’t leave me feeling like I don’t have a stake in advocating for change in what I consider to be a really, truly horrific school lunch system that we have in America. Have you seen the Fed Up With Lunch blog? I feel like you can’t really argue with a woman simply taking a picture of what she is served each day. Way too many bland, reconstituted meals were documented for me to ever feel like we’re doing a good job feeding kids in America.
What was your most memorable school lunch option? Mine was either dirt pudding (crushed up oreos, chocolate pudding, gummi worms) or these rolls that I can’t remember the names of (Shay help me out here!). The rolls were a white roll with cheese melted in the middle. As you can imagine, we loved them (even when they were cold from sitting out too long!)
September 7th, 2011 on 9:39 am
My mom always packed my lunch for me, which I’m sure is the healthier option (though I remember being really jealous of that amazing-looking food the other kids ‘got’ to buy). My memorable school lunch was trading whatever I could out of my sack lunch for someone’s bought lunch. My raisins for someone’s cheetos was the best–4th grade me could NOT believe anyone would give up amazing cheetos for crappy raisins!
Reply
September 7th, 2011 on 10:09 am
Cheese Zombies!! I have fond memories of those! At least they were homemade. I pack my girls’ lunches. They would NEVER eat hot lunch. They say it looks GROSS!
Reply
September 7th, 2011 on 10:39 am
My mom always packed my lunch, but I would buy occasionally if they served pizza (I LOVED that rectangular lunch pizza!) or chicken nuggets or sometimes fried chicken. When I was in middle school or high school I would sometimes buy a roll for $0.10. Usually the smell of the lunch line area grossed me out, though. I’ll definitely be packing my kids’ lunch when they’re in school.
Reply
September 7th, 2011 on 10:52 am
When I was in middle school, the cafeteria bought pizzas from Pizza Hut on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I LOVED that. Other foods I ate at school? Nachos. Peanut butter M&Ms. Healthy, eh?
Reply
September 7th, 2011 on 11:40 am
We didn’t have hot lunch until high school and it was gross. Same cheese-filled rolls (bosco sticks!), pizza, nachos, burgers, etc. Nothing particularly good tasting or good for you!
I’ll be making my sons lunches for sure.
I read the fed up with lunch blog too… she’s in chicago public schools which was interesting to me.
Reply
September 7th, 2011 on 12:09 pm
My grandma was the head cook at our school. Cheese zombies and tomato rice soup. YUM! I’m not sure what I will be doing for my children. Likely packing lunch just because it is cheaper.
Reply
September 7th, 2011 on 12:19 pm
Ugh, my mom always made my lunch, but I can’t imagine that I’ll ever have my act together enough to do it for my kids. This is one of many, many things I don’t understand how mothers handle.
I deal with it when I get there I guess…
Reply
Mandy Reply:
September 7th, 2011 at 6:17 pm
My mom packed my lunch for me until about 5th grade, and then it was my responsibility each night to make it for myself before bed for the next day of school.
Reply
September 7th, 2011 on 1:01 pm
i hated the lunch options so i brought my lunch each day. i’m sure i’ll be doing the same with little em unless things improve drastically!
Reply
September 7th, 2011 on 3:07 pm
I was always a packer, because I was a picky eater as a kid! I ate nothing but peanut butter and fluff sandwiches for the entire year I was in 4th grade, ew. I pack now to come to work, and usually pack my husband’s lunch as well!
Reply
September 7th, 2011 on 3:10 pm
My mom packed us sandwiches in grade school for lunch, and then for middle through graduation I attended private school, where you weren’t allowed to bring lunch. Luckily they had amazing options. Three main course selections (including a vegetarian option, loved the rice-stuffed-bell peppers), two sides, a salad bar, sandwich bar, and drink station. Though lots of students continually complained, I was always impressed with the quality and options. I plan to introduce my daughter to a lot of healthy food options, and pack her lunches. I’m favoring the “bento box” method, with small portions of 5-6 different types of food.
Reply
Senora H-B Reply:
September 7th, 2011 at 3:27 pm
Wow, Brooke, I am SO jealous! I would love those kinds of option in a college cafeteria, let alone high school…
Reply
Brooke Reply:
September 7th, 2011 at 3:33 pm
Wow, what college did you go to? I remember visiting my sister at Baylor, and being blown. away. by the cafeteria options (but then again, it’s another Christian private school, so maybe they just love food??) One of 3 cafeterias, the best one had this wrap station where you could choose a tortilla flavor, rice (white or brown) chicken, cheese, and all kinds of other toppings. Holy cow, it was delicious. I still crave Collins wraps on occasion… I think I need to make a visit to my alma mater!! Haha
Reply
Senora H-B Reply:
September 7th, 2011 at 3:38 pm
I went to Brigham Young (BYU) in the late 90s. We had a mushy pasta bar (with red and/or meat sauce), a Sizzlers style salad bar, oodles of breakfast cereal, soft serve ice cream… Pretty boring. There was always some sort of main dish type situation–often “chicken cordon bleu” (we called them hamsters because, well, they looked like hamsters), hamburgers, etc. It was just bad cafeteria food. Once a year they had a luau with big fly-covered platters of poi (because no one wanted to eat it). The best thing they had was Sunday pie–pie in all its varieties. Yum.
Really, it was pretty gross. I remember visiting a friend’s sister at Boston University and being completely blown away by her food options. I definitely got the shaft!
Reply
emily kate Reply:
September 8th, 2011 at 10:28 pm
I went to BYU too but never ate in the cafeteria except during my semester at BYU Nauvoo where we had the same food as there (and the MTC.) We called those chicken cordon bleus “hamsters” too! That being said, in Nauvoo they sometimes pulled together some really good stuff (but not particularly healthy!) for us since there were only 150 of us. Most everybody gained weight that semester!
Reply
September 7th, 2011 on 3:17 pm
I was a packer. My mom tried to pack healthy lunches for us. I remember getting mocked for my kielbasa and split pea soup in 2nd grade. It was so delicious, but I was too ashamed to eat it.
I also remember the time my mom packed me the worst sandwich. You have to understand that she made the WORST whole wheat bread in the world. It managed to be dense and dry at the same time. She spread it with crunchy peanut butter and sprinkled on shredded carrots. Five hours later at lunch, the peanut butter was just soggy peanuts and the carrots were mush. It was vile. To this day, I can’t eat crunchy peanut butter because it tasted so nasty.
As an adult, though, I’d love to try something similar, but perhaps with fruit…and never with crunchy peanut butter. *shudder*
Reply
September 7th, 2011 on 3:26 pm
About once a month, my school either had funnel cake or french toast sticks as the MAIN COURSE for lunch. We obviously thought it was awesome. Now I am appalled.
I work in the LAUSD and they MUST have some of the worst school lunches in the country. Supposedly the new superintendent is going to make some changes, but I’ll believe it when I see it.
Reply
Brooke Reply:
September 7th, 2011 at 3:34 pm
Funnel cake? Seriously? That’s crazy!
Reply
Senora H-B Reply:
September 7th, 2011 at 3:39 pm
Not that I don’t love the occasional funnel cake, but that’s more of a once (MAYBE twice) a year situation. Monthly!? Insane.
Reply
Life On Mulberry Reply:
September 9th, 2011 at 9:22 am
Totally remember the “breakfast for lunch” days at my school too. French toast or pancakes… very little nutritional value, but y-u-m
Reply
Stephanie C Reply:
September 11th, 2011 at 10:13 pm
I went to school throughout my life at LAUSD schools, and in elementary school I don’t remember it being as bad as it is now. I am about 8 years out, but my high school had the grossest food. For some reason I qualified for free lunch and they just GAVE me lunch tickets.. I ate there once and that was the last time. There were happy face round french fry things, gross pizza and the salad they DID provide.. was all ice berg lettuce with ranch dressing.
Reply
Kira Reply:
September 11th, 2011 at 10:31 pm
Yep, they had those happy face fries with lunch on Thursday, I think. Yum.
Reply
September 7th, 2011 on 3:33 pm
Hot lunches weren’t really a thing in my school district, but it could be because I’m Canadian. I remember when Lunchables first came out, and begging my mum to buy me some so I could fit in…instead she made me “homemade” Lunchables, with much better cheese and crackers and meat. I felt really self-conscious about eating them, but my friends all commented that what I had tasted way better, even if I didn’t get the Capri Sun juice pack.
My high school was one of the first in our region to have a healthy-meals pilot project that gradually phased out soft drinks and french fries in favour of REAL FOOD, made fresh! The high school where I was a student teacher had a fantastic student-run cafe that served fresh prepared food made with local ingredients. Starting this fall in Ontario there are new restrictions on what can and cannot be sold in cafeterias, and more school are banning vending machines. SUCCESS!
Reply
September 7th, 2011 on 6:15 pm
I always brought my lunch in school. Pretty much the only time I bought it was once a month for nachos (and it was a treat). Honestly, the food they served was absolutely disgusting, the hamburgers were rubbery and I remember once my best friend’s simple bean burrito was still half frozen when she unwrapped it.
Reply
September 7th, 2011 on 7:08 pm
Jenna, did you see Jamie Oliver’s food revolution? It’s a short TV series, I think you’d really enjoy it.
I’m astounded by American lunches. How anybody in authority can genuinely defend them is beyond my scope of comprehension! Here in Australia, packed lunches are the norm. Primary schools have a cafeteria full of trashy deep fried treats for children to order, but they are only open one day a week, so there’s only so much harm that can be done. My mum let me order something atrociously bad from the cafeteria every now and again as a treat J In high school, the cafeteria is open daily, but there are healthy options (salad sandwiches, salad platters), and the vast majority of children still bring packed lunches every day.
Reply
September 7th, 2011 on 7:21 pm
I never brought my own lunch… I wish I did. I do every day now though!
I nominated you for the Versatile Blogger Award! Read about it here: http://stylemesimple.blogspot.com/2011/09/versatile-blogger.html
Reply
September 7th, 2011 on 7:28 pm
I am really impressed with the school lunches at the school I teach at. They have even received awards from the state for having such healthy lunches and well portioned meals. Everything has a calorie count that is appropriate for the age of the student. I know the schools I went to didn’t have great choices though….
I was lucky enough to have a mom and dad that packed a lunch for me all throughout my school career and I’m super lucky now to have a husband that packs a lunch for me now!
Reply
September 7th, 2011 on 10:06 pm
We had great school lunches at the public school where I attended in Iowa. This might not be a problem for you, Jenna, but one reason my mom wanted us to eat school lunches (and she was a former teacher-turned SAHM, so she knew what was served), was because we were forced to eat a variety of foods, and get used to trying foods we might not really like. There are very few foods I won’t eat nowadays; I mean I’m not a picky eater. I know it’s in large part to eating 12 years of school lunches. My favorite was the salad bar! I’m sad that they have changed the way they feed schoolchildren now, since, for many kids, it’s the only meal they get during the day.
Reply
September 8th, 2011 on 7:52 am
I worked in a high school in Denver, CO- an alternative school (students who had criminal records, pregnant and parenting, gang members, low functioning, high special ed population) and the principal there GAVE THEM LOCAL AND ORGANIC LUNCHES! It was amazing. It was a local company in Denver that had a farm (including animals) and kitchen. So whatever was in season they would pick from the farm and cook up and distribute the lunch THAT DAY! They had things like spaghetti and veggies, tamales, stuffed vegetables, and always fruit or veggie sides.
The kids even got organic yogurt.
Best thing? Most of the students liked the food and she told me it was only a couple bucks more per student than a traditional lunch program.
Reply
September 8th, 2011 on 5:11 pm
I loved my school lunch. We could smell the rolls baking from the classrooms! I always loved the pizza, rolls, chicken sandwiches, chicken nuggets, and steak um’s! They served veggies and I ate them too, but they weren’t the most memorable….and I never had a weight issue until I got to college! I will likely give my future school age kids some choice in the matter–it’s not cheaper to pack a lunch if it gets tossed in the trash–so we’ll see
Reply
September 8th, 2011 on 10:31 pm
I don’t remember a ton about my elementary school lunches other than the fact that I wanted school lunch and did NOT want a packed lunch. Back then it was cheap enough my mom didn’t care. I don’t think the food was good but it was definitely better than the appalling stuff the students were eating when I was a teacher. Disgusted me. The breakfast was the worst. Most of those kids were on free lunch and needed a really good breakfast to start the day and were getting french toast sticks + syrup or cinnamon rolls or basically sugar and carbs with no protein or dairy to help them out. I took a picture of the lunch calendar while at my sister’s classroom a few weeks ago. I should send it to you.
Reply
September 9th, 2011 on 9:26 am
The NY Times graphic you linked to reminds me of the TV shows “Restaurant Impossible” and “Bar Rescue.” They’re reality shows on different networks, but the same idea. Although some of the changes that are made are SO obvious (clean your kitchen! Have uniform portion sizes!), they do bring up the “science” of item placement on menus and on a bar. Its interesting to consider how influential an item’s location is to our choices, whether its on a menu or placement in a food line, as in the NY Times graphic.
Although having said that, the NY Times graphic focused on food sales, not necessarily what was consumed. Still interesting research though!
Reply