Stomach Turning School Lunches
Yasmin Salazar
Whole Wheat
Why eat whole wheat when you can eat fat? In my opinion, eating a healthy school lunch isn't the most appetizing. Whole wheat food should be a choice, not a choice of school food. I enjoy eating french fries, cookies, and food that isn't whole wheat. Some may enjoy it, but I don't think whole wheat pasta is the best tasting. I especially don't enjoy whole wheat cookies.
Smaller Portions
This school year I realized we don't have a lot of normal size chip bags. The Simply Chex is in smaller bags than they were last year. A lot of the food that we had last year isn't available at school this year. We don't have anymore of the big cookies that they had last year, fruit snacks, pop tarts that aren't whole wheat, or anything that isn't whole wheat.
Venders
Why aren't we able to walk into the smell of warm pizza or chicken sandwiches from Hungry Howies or Chik-Fil-A. Last year we had a variety of great food choices. I would always run out of fourth period and run to the Chik-Fil-A line on Mondays. It was probably my favorite day just because of lunch. We also had Panda Express, Hungry Howies, Subway and Big Apple Bagel! The lunches last year were delicious and not as healthy as this years, which I loved.
Vending Machines
Last year, we had amazing vending machines that had candy, gum, chips, donuts, and other appetizing snacks. They were also really cheap for how good they were. I can still picture myself walking to the vending machines every day with my friends and getting Sour Patch Kids or Skittles every time I'd go to the vending machines. This year, we have all healthy and organic. This year, we don't have good food in there anymore. I don't ever go to the vending machines.
$ Money $
I feel like the school lunch is too expensive for the food that we get. I feel like I put lunch money in my account every other day and I put in about $5 every time I do put lunch. With the money I put in, I can't get extras unless I want to put in extra money. As a worker, I have to pay for my own food and I feel like it's too expensive for a high school worker.
Healthy Food
Everything in the lunch line is healthy. All I see is salads, fruits, vegetables, whole wheat food, water, and healthy food. Even though I enjoy eating salads and fruits, the ones at school are not appealing to me. The fruits are always mashed together and not delicious looking. Sometimes the salad looks dry, or old. I enjoy eating fresh food and not food that has been sitting out for a while
Soda/Pop
Even though I don't drink soda, I have friends who enjoy drinking it. All the drinks we have this year are healthier and don't taste as well as the drinks from last year. All that is being sold at lunch are waters and healthy drinks. They sell Gatorade, healthy Snapple, fruit juices, and other healthy drinks. My friends that drink soda have to bring their own because the school doesn't sell any. The only soda I've seen are the ones in the vending machines, but they are diet, which aren't tasty. Last year, they had Dr. Pepper and other sodas, but now we don't get any sodas.
O-Zone
My favorite part of lunch last year was being able to go to the O-Zone after eating to go get my favorite cookies ever. As soon as you were a few feet away from the door, you could smell the aroma of the delicious cookies in the oven. Every time I'd go in there, the people giving them out already knew which ones I wanted. When I heard they were whole wheat this year, I knew they weren't going to taste the same. I've only had them twice this year and I can't finish the cookies because they're not as heavenly as the ones from last year.
Dry Food
Wouldn't you want to be able to have a school lunch that is mouthwatering? Food that looks scrumptious and appealing? I always enjoy eating juicy food, even though I know it's not good for me. I love having cheesy macaroni, juicy meat, and juicy food in general. When I get the noodles or pizza, they're so dry. They look crusty and are not tempting. I don't enjoy food that is dry, especially when I'm hungry. I look forward to being able to eat food that isn't dry.
Conclusion: School Food Isn't Appealing!!
Instead of looking forward to lunch, I wish I was able to go out and eat somewhere else. Due to the unsatisfying food, I always end up buying the Uncrustables PB&J sandwiches with a cheese stick and goldfish. I wish our lunches were like last years, where we had delicious food and I actually enjoyed eating the food served for lunch. Whereas this year, they don't have the same cookies, fruit snacks, vending machines, vendors, or appetizing meals. I think eating healthy should be a choice not a requirement at school. I know Michelle Obama is trying to make it a healthier environment for us kids, but there are some, like myself, who don't enjoy eating healthy every day. I think we should either get more food options that aren't so healthy, or lower the price of lunch due to it not being appealing.