So I'm awake and can't sleep, probably due to the entire can of Amp I drank at the Taste preview this afternoon. Thanks Mountain Dew! Anyhow, I was looking over CT.com and came across this great article by Monica Eng about the unhealthy slop children are eating in Chicago Public Schools. The most popular item?
"...the longest line leads to lunch workers grabbing paper dishes full of yellow corn chips, topping them with a ball of ground meat and then smothering the ensemble in hot orange cheese product."
Right, the "meat" topping on those stellar campus nachos. Is that what they're calling it these days? Reading this article brought back memories of my favorite lunch time specialties at good old Schaumburg High School. Here they are....
"...the longest line leads to lunch workers grabbing paper dishes full of yellow corn chips, topping them with a ball of ground meat and then smothering the ensemble in hot orange cheese product."
Right, the "meat" topping on those stellar campus nachos. Is that what they're calling it these days? Reading this article brought back memories of my favorite lunch time specialties at good old Schaumburg High School. Here they are....
1. Rib-E-QueA "McRib" like sandwich featuring a pork patty smothered in BBQ sauce on a french roll.
Words can't express the joy I felt when the dry erase board outside lunch-line #1 read RIB-E-QUE in pour handwriting. When your stomach was growling in Mr. Behren's English class and that synthetic BBQ sauce scent hit your nostrils, it was nothing short of heaven. Like one of those guys who would wait years for the McDonald's McRib to come back and drive 100 miles to eat one, hungry pubescents would rush down the halls to fight their way to a rib sandwich before they vanished. Maybe I'm exaggerating. Who cares? Rib-E-Que rocked.
2. Turkey FritterA turkey patty, battered and fried on a white roll.
I can't remember if the Turkey Fritter had sauce on it, but I remember it being a worthy competitor to the Rib-E-Que. Even when it was overcooked (every time) and way too dry (every time), the Turkey Fritter was fried enough to make it satisfy any hunger craving. We'd find some sort of gravy product to dunk it in, and it was like Thanksgiving dinner during 4th period. Too bad naps weren't allowed in Dr. Bailey's math hour.
3. Bagel and French FriesA strange combination offer, any type of bagel and cafeteria french fries, serving with a mini-tub of cream cheese.
I can still remember this confusing combo because I would order it on days I had a big breakfast. It's an overload of starch, enough to shut up any pesky teen. Nothing like dipping your onion bagel in a bucket of creme cheese while offering your high school sweetheart a french fry. Oh...I guess that explains why I didn't have a sweetheart that year.
4. Yes, NachoramaMonica Eng described it best, a paper tray full of yellow corn chips, soaked in chemistry class chili and lava cheese sauce.
If I even ate one of these today they'd come right back up and splatter all over the floor. The high school nachos should be banned from every school in America, yet why did I eat so many of them? Probably because I had about half the maturity level that I do now (if you have seen me on television you know this is quite dangerous).
*THE MORE YOU KNOW* - It's fun to reflect on this stuff, but it's scary to think about all of the unhealthy foods being pushed down the throats of America's youth. I'm talking high school here, but some elementary schools are serving up slop. It's no wonder diabetes is on the rise, and if these health trends continue, all of us will be paying for it some way or another. - *END: THE MORE YOU KNOW*
Do any of you remember a classic cafeteria favorite? Or maybe something you absolutely couldn't stand but ate anyway? If so, leave a comment. It might end up making a neat feature some day.
one of my favorite meals from our hot lunch line in high school was: macaroni & cheese, served with a side of peas/carrots. I always adored the slop they called "cheese" & the peas were perfection (loaded with enough sodium to last a life time I'm sure)! Being a true adult now, and a Mother/wife to boot - I've learned what REAL mac-n-cheese is. No longer do I appreciate the velvety smooth, salty concoction they called "cheese sauce", that always left a peculiar aftertaste on the tongue... no, I now have learned how to make Macaroni & Cheese the good old fashioned way, with cheese! Adding in seasonings & onion until it's "just so"... my Grandma taught me well! But, way back when - nothing could've topped my high school's (Sauk Prairie High School - WI) version :)