Improving school lunch with educational opportunities for students.

In grade school, we could not wait for lunch. It was one of our favorite times of the day, next to recess. In kindergarten, I remember eating hot main dishes such as, Country fried steak with creamed gravy, mashed potatoes, seasoned green beans, a hot white roll, cherry crisp, and our choice of chocolate or white milk. Chicken nuggets, a chicken patty sandwich, and how could I ever forget about those delicious square pizzas?

For breakfast, our menu went a little something like this.

            Monday was always cereal day, and Friday was always turnover day.

           

            Tuesday, it was either waffles, pancakes, bagels, honeybuns, or sometimes a banana or blueberry loaf. Either way, it was something that was in the grain family.

            Wednesday, it was something hot. A pizza, smoky sausages, breakfast sticks, a pork patty on a biscuit, and every now and then would we have biscuits and gravy.

            Thursday, it was usually undecided, but it could be anything.

            Rarely did we get fresh fruit, but we always ate the canned fruit. If it was fresh fruit, it would be a half banana, apple, or an orange.

            For lunch, if I can recall, we would have Chicken nuggets, Country Fried Steak, cheeseburgers, BBQ Beef sandwiches, burritos, chicken patty sandwiches, pizza, hero sandwiches, hot dogs, shaved turkey sandwiches, and it would just rotate itself throughout the month. Don’t get me wrong, they were all delicious, but I had my favorites. Our special lunches only came seasonal, and that was heart-shaped chicken nuggets for Valentines Day, Mac and Cheese, and chicken sluggers, which was actually a smoked, barbequed chicken drumstick.

            There wasn’t always a dessert, but we did eat some sort of a cherry crisp, apple crisp, a cookie, a cinnamon roll, and sometimes a cake for special purposes. As I entered in middle school, we were offered the same lunches, but this time, we had a salad bar. We also had a snack bar with soft serve ice cream, candy, and other good snacks. We had soda machines, ice cream vending machines and snack machines. But as far as lunch, I was always hungry. It felt as if they gave smaller portions to students, even if they did have to regulate serving sizes based on national USDA standards. In order to eat an extra lunch, you would have to pay a dollar. You wouldn’t believe my printout if I had displayed my school lunch account history.

            The point is this, I love to cook, but with all of the hype over school lunches, why not create a learning experience for young students. In many high schools, there are cooking and culinary programs designed for students. Typically, it advances their skills if they wish to pursue a culinary degree. I was thinking, instead of many kids not getting the true lunches that suits them best, why not have students of all ages devote their culinary knowledge and education, advance it, and apply it to working side by side with teachers and other staff in the school, or district central kitchens? Technically it isn't work, or child labor, but it could be great for community service and class. Here's another thing, students don't often have to cook, but what they can do is learn how to operate in the kitchen, utilize nutrition guides, plan menus, and survey other students their preferences for improving school lunches. Either way, it's something that students can do to improve their schools, and be the voice of change. It's something that can teach culinary arts, science, nutrition and health, leadership and service learning with elders. Why complain about government restrictions when there's numerous ways to improve food and school lunches? And then you ask yourself, how can I get my child to become the next junior master chef? There's so many talents and ideas in the world. This was probably already established, but why not in every school? as a child, it begins in the home with cooking with their parents. Later, it goes to watching cooking shows. Like I said, there's always ways to make healthy food delicious. Parents can definitely find eager ways to help.

The goal of this idea, is not just about allowing the children to have hands on experience with education in the kitchen, but if we can use the best sources from fresh produce, farmers, and other market sources that might be organic, we could also make it healthy. Healthy doesn't always mean tasteless and bland, but it can be delicious if we know how to be creative. Sometimes, it begins with a survey. Then, it meets with the students needs, and then to the upper level of people who create the lunches, and plan. With this plan, it can meet the nutritional guidelines for the students, allow them to not feel hungry, and also allow parents to have a say. Cut out the preservatives, and bring in the quality of good, healthy food.  Education in the Kitchen is the first goal. Fresh and Delicious is the second goal.

This is only an idea, but in the future, it can be done.

Ronald Atkinson