School Lunch

Noelle's school allows parents to come eat lunch with them whenever they want.  It's a nice perk.  Noelle enjoys having us visit 'her' school, I can to meet her friends (and scope out the good ones), and Sadie gets to feel like a big girl and familiarize herself with school.  It's a good time all around...it's also a cultural experience.

The first time I went I was surprised by some changes they've made since I was in elementary school (granted you would expect a few changes in 20-something years). 

• First of all they use Styrofoam trays and plastic utensils, all of which gets thrown away at the end of lunch.   It seems counter-cultural since they're really into teaching about being environmentally friendly.  I can only assume the sterilizing hot water and hard plastic trays, that I was familiar with, were not environmentally friendly.  OR they may simply chose ease over 'green' (gasp!)
• Secondly the kids, at least at Noelle's school, serve themselves.  I haven't been brave enough to eat a school lunch (I pack), so I haven't seen this in action, but everyone gets to pick what, and how much they want.
• Thirdly, as a mom I am so much more aware of what horrible eating habits elementary school kids have.  I can only assume kids made poor choices when I was in school, but it's almost appalling to see what they choose to eat when mom's not watching...I'm just going to assume that mom wouldn't let them get a way with it, okay?

The first meal I witnessed at school was tacos.  I was impressed that they offered soft tacos, however since the kids get to choose what goes in the tacos, most of them had just shredded cheese or...nothing at all.  One of the best uses of the dinner-plate-sized flour tortilla was to fold it into 4th, bite off the tip and open it back up to see what shape they created in the center.  It was amusing. 

One child had about a cup of shredded cheese as a, um, side dish.  I think she ate about an 1/8th of it.  It goes without saying that everyone eats the dessert, which comes with every lunch.  The milk cartons haven't changed at all and they still get mutilated just as much as when I was a kid. 

On my most recent visit I was so impressed with one little girl that got a tossed salad for lunch.  It was as if she picked it up at the Kroger Salad bar - neatly packaged in a plastic, see-through rectangle.  I didn't realize the school offered it as an option so I told her I was impressed by her healthy choice.  She said she like it because of the red pepper slice on top.  Apparently that's all she likes about the salad because that's all she ate...oh she also at the little packet of bacon bits.  And to be fair she also at the packet of Saltine crackers.  After she smashed them into crumbs, emptied them onto her plate and spooned them into her mouth.  And beware, 1st graders are usually missing teeth so little cracker crumbs come spitting out pretty easily.

School lunch...it's an experience.  One worth trying.