Today’s menu: cheese pizza, pears, pineapple-orange juice
This is not the “french bread” pizza that I ate before. I think I liked the other one better. The fruit cup was not frozen.
The menus are two-sided, menus. The side that I see posted in classrooms lists everything being offered at lunch (main entree and sides) while the flipside lists the main entree and another option in smaller font (no space for the sides).
Cheese lasagna was yesterday’s second option for that day. It looks like the second option is for vegetarians.
Gee, they don't make it easy. My son goes to a charter art school(CA.). I just found out at a parent meeting that the school outsourced the food service for a $250,000 savings a year. The meals come from a small local caterer. My son is in 7th and loves the food.
This is a wonderful project and you should keep at it! I have to say, I'm deeply grossed out by the food–worse than I would have expected.
I found out about your blog via Twitter.
I teach 4th grade in Kansas. I'm fascinated by your blog because even though this is my 6th year of teaching … I've never eaten school lunch because I'm terrified! Not because of the food, but because I don't know the routine … it all seems so fast & complicated! I'm pleased to hear you made the transition smoothly 🙂
I'll keep reading … keep up with the blog! 🙂
So I've seen you mention that the fruit cups aren't frozen a couple times now. Are they 'supposed' to be frozen? Or did you have one that was frozen at one point before I started reading and that was a bad thing?
@Jessi Mrs. Q is only on Day 14 so it'll probably only take you less than 30 minutes to read through the past blogs to the original one, as they're not long posts.
But to answer your question, the fruit cups aren't supposed to be frozen. There have been a few instances where the fruit cups are too frozen to eat. So yes, this is a bad thing.
@MrsQ Please post a picture of the menu, both sides, if possible. I'm curious about the menu presentation too.
I just stumbled upon your blog. I have been a "lunch lady" for 15 years at a high school in Virginia. This will be interesting for me to follow to say the least.
I remember pizza being my favorite meal at school lunch. Then I tasted said "pizza" the other day when helping my Mom in her classroom last week, and discovered it is little more than a salt lick with tomato sauce.
I guess kids will eat anything that isn't green…
I just found your blog. I can't believe you are safe in doing this! I have been told (in just the past week!) to keep my mouth shut or go to the house over the school lunch issue. I dispise what our lunch lady is feeling our kids but I am not allowed to even mention it again … or else! Wow! I am loving what I read! Thanks for the information!
From someone who spent many years living mostly on school lunch and ramen noodles, I thank you for what you're doing.
Interesting blog project, and interesting discussion. I read all the posts, and was also drawn to the mentions of frozen or thawed fruit cups. I am thinking that the fruit is stored in the freezer, and served semi thawed if possible so that it will be fresh and cold, which is desirable in a product that can ferment in a warm environment.
I happen to like semi-frozen fruit, and in this case, would probably prefer it to room temperature. Has Mrs Q ever asked the children how they prefer their fruit? Or do they more often than not just toss it?
I love your project! When my girls were in elementary school a couple of years ago I was occasionally invited to enjoy lunch with them in the cafeteria. I was so excited to be doing this, recalling the days I spent back in school eating the warm satisfying institutional food. It was pretty good back then, and actually made fresh daily. Boy was I surprised when I was served with my daughters. Frozen pre-packaged chicken nuggets! Give me homemade mystery meat any day over that stuff.
I confess, I cringe at every photo you post of the gnarly school lunches. I really appreciate what you are doing.
I read about your blog in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. I am disgusted by all the wrapping and packaging! OK, I will say that I am 50 years old, so my memory of my school lunches was that it was all served directly from the steam pans. I gave up eating packaged frozen foods 20 years ago because I realized I only ate 20% of the food – the rest was either still frozen or too weird to eat. So what can we do to help improve school lunches?
Thanks to all of you for your support!
Re: the fruit cups — they aren't supposed to be frozen. I'll ask my students what they think
Re: the menu — I'll snap a photo of one
I had been wondering what vegetarians are supposed to do… cheese pizza may be the first entree you've mentioned that I would eat. I'm teacher-aged, not school aged (but my kid is school aged). I'll look forward to a little more info on the menu and other non-meat options.
I just found your blog and have enjoyed catching up with your journey!
I just wanted to say that I was a vegetarian when I was in high school. I always brought my lunches, but on occasion would eat at school. The only way I could eat was if I asked a favor of a friend's mom (our head "lunchlady") who would save a grilled cheese or slice of cheese pizza for me until I got there. So I am actually pretty impressed your school has a vegetarian option (silver lining, right?!?).
My kids are in 2nd, K, PreK and toddler — and I make their lunches everyday. My oldest, when in Kindergarten, wanted to 'carry a tray' one day. She hasn't wanted to since and I cannot say I blame her. I'm very curious to see where you go on this journey.
I pray for your anonymity! Keep strong!
Our menus have a hot lunch choice, a sandwich choice, and then the kids get to pick 2 of the 3 side choices to go with it. It's usually a veg and 2 fruits to choose from. They can also get a chef salad.
It is terrible to see what is the “normal” scool lunch i the US.
In Norway every one brings lunch with them frome home. My daughters scool only supply free fruits, the rest must be made at home and brought to scool.
This give us parents the control of what the kids eat, and makes sure I can choose more healthy food for my child.
I read today on the newspaper i Norway that the goverment means that the pizza that is served at scool lunch is a vegetable!!! the tomato saus in the pizza is a vegetable…? Its unbelieveble becaus the tomato saus in the pizza must have travel far frome it origin: the tomato. The tomato is also actually a fruit 🙂
Keep up the good work with your blog and maby one day the horrible food is no longer surved to the kids! Her is wath is more likely to be a scool lunch in Norway:
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_i5yibsEqjWM/R0iX3GBM6rI/AAAAAAAAABM/QCp8i3fzZ54/s320/Matpakke.jpg
And pardon my bad english 😉