AT HOME WITH KAYLA PRICE 8/19: School Lunch

ByTaylor Nye

PublishedAugust 19, 2022

School LunchesNo recipes here or even menu lists. This is all about the good old days of school lunches. Whether you took your lunch or purchased one in the school cafeteria, the thought of school lunch recalls lots of great memories.I think of the school logo on the trays and the tan platters with compartments that food was served on. And those little cartons of milk.Just the thought of the big, white school cafetorium allows me to smell that distinctive school caf smell!On really special days, like the last day of school or day before spring break, we would have special treats served such as a small package of cotton candy or small cup of vanilla ice cream (with the wooden spoon).Staples were steak fingers, mashed potatoes, green beans, spaghetti, and Salisbury steak, or at least, that is all I remember. I do not think lasagna was served nor any casserole dish.In elementary school, lunch was two quarters and a nickel. Yes, that is 55 cents, but back then it was two quarters and a nickel. By the time I got to high school, I rarely ate a lunch line meal. I usually went to the snack bar and got a Dr. Pepper and a Snickers bar. I don’t think my parents knew this!

Of course, some days I took a lunch box from home. It too has its own smell memory! It usually contained a sandwich and chips. This was before fruit juice boxes and bags, so there was a thermos of water in there. Some days, my mom might have included some change for a box of milk.I don’t know why, but bologna sandwiches with Fritos always comes to mind when I think of a lunch box. Any chips sent from home for my lunch were in a plastic baggie with a folder over flap or twist tie because zip bags didn’t exist.I don’t think I ever had a metal lunch box. Mine were always soft-sided. I really think my original one was Strawberry Shortcake or Holly Hobby. Later I had the Sabrina (the Teenage Witch) yellow one from the photo. I don’t remember ever watching Sabrina!Back then, I didn’t really eat much, nor did I have any interest in food. It was more of just doing what we were told, so I had food in front of me at the appropriate time. How much of it was consumed wasn’t a concern. I doubt my mom would have been pleased with all the lunch food I threw away. Her motto was, “We didn’t pay for food just to send it back to the kitchen.”This time of year, I always think of my own school days so many years ago when I see the ads, meet the teacher night, and all the school prep going on. School lunches are what came to mind this year. Maybe you have your own fond memories of school lunches!