A nostalgic trip to the elementary school cafeteria

You had just arrived at school, whether on a yellow bus or from the comfort of the family car. Either way, you were there and you were hungry. It wasn’t often you didn't have time to eat breakfast at home (your mother always made sure of it), but when the morning was particularly hectic, you had to grab grub at school.

The cafeteria glowed with a warm, sun-kissed hue from the natural light that flooded through the windows. Depending on where you stood, it reflected off the speckled tile floor and temporarily blinded you. The bright fluorescents above weren’t buzzing yet, it was too early. There was a thin layer of silence underneath the low voices and soft clattering of metal serving utensils.

You spotted your friends gathered at one of the elongated tables with yellow plastic chairs, the ones that always gave you a static shock in certain weather. Your best friend with ultra long hair always got some of her strands stuck in the backing screws.

Photo by Alan Light via Wikimedia Commons

Photo by Alan Light via Wikimedia Commons

You waved to them and they waved you over, but you gestured towards the short line at the food service counter. You forgot to look at the monthly cafeteria calendar that your mother had taped to the refrigerator, so you hoped they would have something you liked.

Then you saw it—the rectangular breakfast pizza with bits of sausage on top. You’d eaten it in times of desperation, the first being out of sheer curiosity. You weren’t sure how anyone could stomach such a savory food first thing in the morning.

They didn’t have the mushy (but delectable) french toast sticks with a side of one lonely sausage link that you secretly loved. It’s how you first discovered that sausage and maple syrup was a combination of the gods.

But alas, you opted for one of the individual cereals, pre-measured in a plastic bowl. You’d pull off the paper lid and add milk from a miniature cardboard carton. One time you felt too adventurous and poured chocolate milk into your Cinnamon Toast Crunch, but it wasn’t good at all. Hey, sometimes that’s how groundbreaking recipes are created.

Photo by U.S. Department of Agriculture via Wikimedia Commons

Photo by U.S. Department of Agriculture via Wikimedia Commons

You chose Lucky Charms with whole white milk. You retrieved the envelope of coins your mother gave you; she had even taped the seal so they wouldn’t spill out into your backpack and wrote your name across the front.

After you thanked the lunch lady, you plucked a milk carton from the plastic crate, then a spoon, and finally met up with your friends.

You ate your magically delicious cereal while everyone talked about their weekend. Some of those conversations still stick in your memory today as if you’d just had them - the harmless classroom gossip, the nonsensical inside jokes, the recollections of shenanigans you got into at the mall, the innocent crushes and utter embarrassment of when your friends blew the whistle. They were all shared over that plastic bowl of sugary crunch and rainbow marshmallows.

When lunchtime rolled around, it was back to the sunny cafeteria. It was much busier than in the morning, with students from all different classes who had gathered for their mid-day meal break.

Photo by Amanda Mills, USCDCP on Pixnio

Photo by Amanda Mills, USCDCP on Pixnio

Sometimes you brought a packed lunch and sometimes you had what was offered in the cafeteria, it all depended on the menu of any given day.

Packed lunches normally consisted of a cold cut sandwich, fruit cocktail cup, and a Capri-Sun pouch to wash it all down with. Sometimes you’d find the little plastic Pringles container that was specifically designed to protect the sacred chip. Other times you’d find a cheese stick and enjoy the simple challenge of peeling the thinnest strips you could. It was rare you’d find zebra cakes or cosmic brownies, as your mother thought they were too sweet; she’d swap them for a Jell-O or pudding Snack Pack, or a handful of Teddy Grahams.

School-issued lunches were hit or miss. Everyone loved nachos day - the salty tortilla chips smothered in fake runny cheesy (aka liquid gold) and grease-dripping meat. Fridays were pizza days, another crowd pleaser. But many times, you and your friends would all buy lunch just because you wanted to eat the same things as each other.

Taste the nostalgia

Taste the nostalgia

You hated to admit it, but you liked the bland chicken patty sandwich or cardboard-esque cheesy breadsticks with marinara dipping sauce. But you’d never touch the shrink wrapped peanut butter and jelly sandwich that included a random slice of processed cheese, and you weren’t particularly fond of the scoop of tasteless vegetables. For a kid, you loved veggies but for whatever reason you couldn't stand the ones in the school cafeteria.

You’ll never forget the bready aroma of reheated chicken nuggets, the sogginess of the crinkle cut fries, the grainy oil taste of the tater tots, and the refreshing zing of a Minute Maid frozen juice bar. Speaking of dessert, no school function was complete without the individual ice cream cups with the flat wooden ‘spoon’.

These were the tastes of childhood, the palate of flavorless amazement yet to be evolved. You didn't realize how bad the cafeteria food was until you hit thirty and began to reminisce on all those precious days gone by.

But you savored every minute, every bite, every inside joke concocted over rectangular breakfast pizza, milk cartons, and sloppy nachos. It wasn't about how tasty or gross the food was, it was about who you shared the mealtime with and the memories you made around the table...and isn't that what food is all about?

What are some of your favorite school cafeteria memories? Please share in the comments!

Children all over the world rely on their school to feed them and the situation is more desperate now with food supply shortages and rising costs due to the pandemic. While many of us have fond memories of the school cafeteria, there are always some kids who can’t pay for their meals, and some who do not have a packed lunch provided from their home. Please consider donating to your local communities to make sure no child is hungry, as most students head back into their physical schools this year.