Today’s menu: “Salisbury” steak, bread, corn, milk, pineapple chunks
Not the best, but I ate the meat. It’s called hunger. The bread was soft and fresh. The corn was what I expected… And the pineapple chucks were frozen and I couldn’t force them down.
School lunch costs me $3.00 per day. I don’t carry cash.
The cash part of this “experiment” has been pretty challenging. I do carry bills, but they are usually twenties and disappear quickly. Open your wallet. Do you have three singles? Would you be able to acquire single dollar bills for every lunch this week? It’s been oddly difficult for me.
The lunch ladies don’t make change. I have shown up with a $5 and they give me a look like I think they are some kind of shiny ATM. Grudgingly they find the money, but I often have to wait for it.
So since starting this project, I have had to be creative with my money. I’ve borrowed money from my husband (indefinite loan). I’ve stopped at businesses and bought random things just for the change.
One day I stopped at Star*bucks before work and bought a drink. I never do this by the way. I asked the barista, “Can I have change in dollars?” He asked me, “You need it for the tolls?” I stammered with a smile, “Yeah, basically.” I’m sure he knew I was lying, but I didn’t want to get stuck in a long discussion not to mention my concern about my anonymity (there might be other teachers waiting for their cappuccinos).
I mean, what do people need singles for? The only thing I can think of is going to a strip club. Mr. Barista was left wondering what I was up to. I certainly look like an exhausted working mother — not the kind of gal gearing up to go to Chip*n*Dale’s.
Today’s menu: “Tex-Mex”: Taco-style meat with a little cheese on top over white rice, refried beans, tortilla chips, a pear, and milk.
Points for creativity (it’s not a hot dog!). I ate all of it and I felt sorta full. The taco meat over rice was ok. Looking at the color of the beans I expected black beans, but my spoon stirred up a pinto bean color. Hmm. I LOVE beans normally. These were on the tasteless side (Do you see a pattern?).
In sum, this was my favorite lunch so far.
If you are wondering why I’m doing this project now, well, that’s a good question….
Why didn’t I start at the beginning of the school year?
I was breastfeeding my baby through the fall and I wanted to eat healthy.
Why now?
They say “having a baby changes everything.” They aren’t lying. Every parent and teacher wants their kids to eat the best food. Now that my baby is eating real food, I work hard everyday to make sure it is the best food possible. I think every child no matter how much money their family has deserves to eat quality food at school.
Today’s menu: Hamburger, wheat buns, tator tots, fruit jello, chocolate milk.
I ate everything. The patty was how do you say nothing like any hamburger I have ever eaten. Mystery meat in every sense. I also really wanted more than just six tator tots. The fruit cup was NOT FROZEN, so I ate it. I also drank the chocolate milk, which was ok.
I normally don’t drink milk at lunch. So now that I’ve added a lunchtime milk, I’ve noticed some interesting changes. I’m getting a little lactose-intolerant in my old age.
This lunch was better than other lunches in that there was more protein and I wasn’t as desperately hungry after school like I have been in the past. But overall it still isn’t enough for the kids who eat this one meal at school and that’s it for the whole day. There is significant poverty at my school and some of the kids are very thin (and others are very, very chunky). No matter what size you are you should be able to eat healthy at school.
Today’s menu: Cheese croissant sandwich, broccoli in a secret sauce, pear, chocolate milk
Lunch today was pretty light on the protein. The cheese in the sandwich was nothing special and didn’t seem very satisfying. The broccoli had a weird sauce going on… I couldn’t place it, but it tasted slightly sugary. Strange meal.
I thought I might lose weight on this special “diet,” but after work today I was ravenous and ate some pringles, which I normally do not eat.
Today’s menu: Pizza, an orange, pretzels, fruit juice, and chocolate milk
The pizza wasn’t good. I took the first picture with the box closed and then I realized that you have to actually see the pizza for its full effect. The cheese looks shellacked and shiny. And the “pepperoni” is in little squares.
The students and staff talk about how the pizza is “good.” Yes, I agree it’s better than say the hot dog, but it’s completely devoid of flavor