Most or Least Favorite School Lunch?

[mneeley490]

One of the things I love about this forum is that many threads stimulate thought on other subjects. For instance, JLinza's thread on chili made me think back of my grade school days in Seattle in the 1960's when chili and cinnamon rolls were a Wednesday staple. Thank you, JLinza!

That got me to wondering what other folks fondly remember?
This was when school cafeterias were staffed with women who actually prepared and cooked the food. No farming the meals out to mass-produced, commercial "kitchens".
Besides chili, my other favorite was creamed turkey over mashed potatoes, with big chunks of turkey in a savory gravy. This was always served with maple bars. And in grade school back then, if you ate everything on your plate, you could go back as many times as you wanted, until they either ran out, or lunch period was over. My friend and I would eat our favorites until we were stuffed! And as I recall, a carton of milk was a nickel, and a school lunch was $0.35 in the late '60's.
But not everything they made was great. I remember sauerkraut was on the menu way too often. Who feeds sauerkraut to little kids??? We tried to bribe other kids to eat it for us, because you couldn't leave for recess until your plate was clean. Also, their "hamburgers" had so much oat-filler in them, they might have qualified as "Vegan".

Anyone else have a story to share?

 

[mr_whipple]

I do have a story or two... as I'm sure everyone does! Done on the web for the day but I'll get to it tomorrow.

 

[DougE]

What they called beefaroni was especially nasty ....... basically some sort of ground beef concoction served over elbow macaroni.

 

[gmc2003]

I can't remember the day it was served, but Cookie Sheet Pizza's were the worst.

 

[DougE]

They had another version called, "Rocky Mountain", which was ground beef in gravy over mashed potatoes. It was pretty good aside from the giant pasty peas that came on the side.

I may or may not have been sent to stand against the wall in front of the cafeteria by the lunch ladies for flinging peas off my fork at other students .................

 

[mneeley490]

They had another version called, "Rocky Mountain", which was ground beef in gravy over mashed potatoes. It was pretty good aside from the giant pasty peas that came on the side.

I remember that one as well. I still make it sometimes. Not the peas, though.

 

[DougE]

I remember that one as well. I still make it sometimes. Not the peas, though.

It was pretty decent. I also like peas, but not those pasty nasty ones the cafeteria aways served on the side.

 

[yankee2bbq]

Very rarely did I buy my lunch. I always made my lunch before school. I do remember pizza day, most popular item on the lunch menu. Kids, including me loved it.
The most popular lunch line in high school was the “short line”. Don’t know why it was called that, but it was the longest line and you could buy nothing but junk food….candies, Little Debbie’s, chips….pop.
A couple of years after I graduated (1995) they discontinued that.

 

[Fueling Around]

The kitchen staff actually cooked back in my day too
They made some of the best soups and chili too
Some of the hot dishes (casseroles) were really good
Toastie Doggies was by far the most popular
I really missed the flavor of bulk milk. When they switched to cartons all I could taste was carton

 

[JLinza]

I remember the boiled hotdogs and what they called baked beans, were pretty bad. The hotdogs they served, looked like a Slim Jim that got run through the dishwasher

 

[JIMSMOKES]

I can't remember the day it was served, but Cookie Sheet Pizza's were the worst.

Rectangle pizza day was always a favorite no matter what grade I was in. Elementary and middle it was the biscuits for breakfast if you got there early enough and the yeast rolls for lunch!

 

[SMOKEOCD]

Salisbury steak, green beans, mashed potatoes is #1. Then jr high had alacarte type so pizza rectangle, fries and a chocolate frosty.
“Hamburgers “ were the worst. We called them soy burgers but never knew for sure what was in there.
High school was pretty good food. Two lunches, two chocolate milks, and a nutty bar was under $3.

 

[thirdeye]

In grade school (also in the '60's), we had the option to take a sack lunch, or buy a cafeteria lunch via a punch card.

The worst lunch option at school.... for me was fish sticks on Friday, with mac-n-cheese and some unknown dessert.

I lived on the Gulf coast, and we enjoyed fresh fish or shrimp at least 3 days a week.