USDA to make school lunches edible again. Michelle Obama hardest hit.

[bigheadfred]

Stick to the theme, ".... is a fine meal"

Right right right...a fine meal...you pay for it in more ways than one.

[NavyCanDo]

Ode to the Cafeteria Ladies, who retired their hair nets long ago.

Some of you either went to school in a different decade, or remember school lunches all wrong.  We actually had balanced meals back then and they were good.  I actually loved the school lunches in the 60s, and up to the mid 70s when they started to go on the downward slide, and it got worse with each new administration but it took Moochelle Obummer to ruin school lunch for good.

Some of the lunches I remember:
Oven fried chicken
Whipped potatoes and gravy
Pan pizza
Yeast rolls
Chile with a cinnamon roll
Sloppy Joes
Spaghetti with meat and cheese
Hamburgers
Fish Stick - Fridays
Beefy gravy and whipped  potatoes
Wrapped Dogs.
and each meal came with a great desert and veggies.

Cost 35 cents with milk

Compare the above with the days lunch menu from the elementary school my son went to. This is the meal for one April day. The rest of the days are not any better. And NONE of this is cooked at the school.

Yogurt with Cinnamon Raisin Bagel and Sunbutter (V)
Hamburger & Tater Tots

Cost $2.50

[Cripplecreek]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7a5--UAe_Qo

[bigheadfred]

Our school lunches were good. And everyone here obviously survived the experience.

Not once, while standing in line for lunch, did I ever hear anyone one say, "I smell a rat".

[Wingnut]

In my Catholic Grade, St Josephs School for the perpetually misbehaved, we participated in the school milk program. Every morning  the milk lady would come to class and sell 1/2 pints of milk to those lucky enough to have pocket change. Whole White milk was a nickle and Chocolate Milk was 7 cents. 

Now I tell that story to tell this one.  There was a whole cottage industry for loaning money to kids who didn't have parents rich enough to spare a nickle for the daily milk.  This ring was run by our local Italian kids. Now the Italians in our town had large families. Most had like Eight Ten kids...some were even in the same grade even though they were 2 years apart!  Now, a poor sap could go maybe a week before the "Family" was sent out to the play ground at recess to collect.  If you didn't pay the 25 cents the next day it was 30 then 35 and so on.  Also each day you missed the vig they would Stand you up against the church wall and fire those red balls at your head.  The Nuns didn't care as long as there was no bleeding involved.  If you ever brock the skin look out.  A trip to Principal Stigmata was in your future and most times after leaving her office  you could not  sit or write r make a fist for a week!

Now we also had a large group of Irish kids in school.  The Irish families had mostly girls.  Those girls beautiful but they were also mean.  If you played your cards right, sometimes you could pay the Irish to protect you from the Italians. If they liked you and you carried their books home after school they would do it gradius. 

It was a vicious circle to be caught up in as a second grader.   To this day that is why I have an affection for Red headed Irish lasses who can kick ass.   

[andy58-in-nh]

In my Catholic Grade, St Josephs School for the perpetually misbehaved, we participated in the school milk program. Every morning  the milk lady would come to class and sell 1/2 pints of milk to those lucky enough to have pocket change. Whole White milk was a nickle and Chocolate Milk was 7 cents. 

Now I tell that story to tell this one.  There was a whole cottage industry for loaning money to kids who didn't have parents rich enough to spare a nickle for the daily milk.  This ring was run by our local Italian kids. Now the Italians in our town had large families. Most had like Eight Ten kids...some were even in the same grade even though they were 2 years apart!  Now, a poor sap could go maybe a week before the "Family" was sent out to the play ground at recess to collect.  If you didn't pay the 25 cents the next day it was 30 then 35 and so on.  Also each day you missed the vig they would Stand you up against the church wall and fire those red balls at your head.  The Nuns didn't care as long as there was no bleeding involved.  If you ever brock the skin look out.  A trip to Principal Stigmata was in your future and most times after leaving her office  you could not  sit or write r make a fist for a week!

Now we also had a large group of Irish kids in school.  The Irish families had mostly girls.  Those girls beautiful but they were also mean.  If you played your cards right, sometimes you could pay the Irish to protect you from the Italians. If they liked you and you carried their books home after school they would do it gradius. 

It was a vicious circle to be caught up in as a second grader.   To this day that is why I have an affection for Red headed Irish lasses who can kick ass.

Great story, really.

Having grown up in a very Irish/Italian/Jewish neighborhood, I can tell you this: school turned out to be pretty good practice for real life.

But not like they intended. 

[Wingnut]

Great story, really.

Having grown up in a very Irish/Italian/Jewish neighborhood, I can tell you this: school turned out to be pretty good practice for real life.

But not like they intended. 

Back in our day We stamped out snowflakes before they had a chance to pollute the rest of the class with their sickness.

[Suppressed]

Growing up Protestant, I didn't know what CCD was, other than some kids leaving for part of the school day and someone said it was a religious thing.  We didn't do ashes on the forehead or anything.

So the day a bunch of kids came to school with smudges of ashes and I was told it was something religious... well, the association I made with ashes was The Devil.  And somehow, the Devil had known exactly which kids were the bad ones and marked them!  That made me a fervent believer!

I also noted that it was all the most sinful kids who went to CCD; I just figured they were selected because they needed it the most, not noticing that they were the Irish and Italian kids (who were the thieves and thugs!)

Funny to look back at how a child perceived things.

[geronl]

Some schools would be shocked when the trash bins are overfull of school food.

--

There is an Asian restaurant chain called School Food - Blooming Roll - obviously it hasn't been stigmatized in every country.

[Suppressed]

Now I tell that story to tell this one.  There was a whole cottage industry for loaning money to kids who didn't have parents rich enough to spare a nickle for the daily milk.  This ring was run by our local Italian kids. Now the Italians in our town had large families. Most had like Eight Ten kids...some were even in the same grade even though they were 2 years apart!  Now, a poor sap could go maybe a week before the "Family" was sent out to the play ground at recess to collect.  If you didn't pay the 25 cents the next day it was 30 then 35 and so on.  Also each day you missed the vig they would Stand you up against the church wall and fire those red balls at your head.  The Nuns didn't care as long as there was no bleeding involved.  If you ever brock the skin look out.  A trip to Principal Stigmata was in your future and most times after leaving her office  you could not  sit or write r make a fist for a week!

Public school here, but we had milk in the morning, too.

And the "Mafia".  But we formed the "Justice League" and would hide in the tall grass (hay field...lots of alfalfa and clover).  The victim would lead his pursuers out to where we laid in wait like VC, and we'd 0op up and beat the snot out of them where the monitoring teachers wouldn't see. 

[geronl]

Not once, while standing in line for lunch, did I ever hear anyone one say, "I smell a rat".

Probably not enough meat to be a rat in Obama-meal schools.

[raml]

I went 12 years to a Catholic school and loved it. We brought our own lunch in grade school and in high school they allowed us to go to the different restaurants in town. The businesses only allowed the Catholic school kids to eat there the local high school wasn't allowed off campus because of trouble they had caused. I graduated in 1963 so this was years ago. My school was great and the nuns were tops. We had dancing in the gym every noon hour when we got back from eating. They also had the option of expelling kids who acted up so the trouble makers ended up in public schools maybe that is why some think Catholic kids were trouble makers but the majority weren't and our town hired us first for part time jobs too they knew we came from a disciplined background. I no longer am Catholic but I do appreciate the education I got never had to take an entrance exam when I went to college and all colleges I applied to accepted me.

[DB]

The only thing I remember about my school lunches was the coleslaw made an excellent spoon launched aerial weapon.

[truth_seeker]

They also had the option of expelling kids who acted up so the trouble makers ended up in public schools maybe that is why some think Catholic kids were trouble makers but the majority weren't

I know all about the troublemakers that were kicked out of Catholic school, winding up at our public school.

We took the cool ones into our group, and schooled them in how to not get caught so easily.

One of them, also got kicked out of our public school. My father was always telling me to not hang out with him, but he was always doing fun risky stuff.

I never got kicked out of any school, but I had a few run ins with school administrators. Paddled for ditching to go surfing, and fist fights were my problem areas. Still graduated on time with honors.

I worked some part time from the start of HS, so I had money of my own, to spend in the cafeteria or off campus.

Our public HS observed meatless Fridays, since I suppose they wanted to make it easy for observant Catholic kids to get along.

[roamer_1]

They were barely edible when I was in school on the 80s.

All except pizza day. I hustled the lunch ladies all the time, just for their favor on pizza day.
And of course, it worked.

[roamer_1]

Paddled for ditching to go surfing

I crushed their paddle with my bare hands.
They didn't bug me much after that.

[Smokin Joe]

Whatever the reason, we kids were stuck with the school lunches.  At the time, they cost 35 cents, but they didn't look like anything my mother would make.

If mom had made something like that, we'd have called the ambulance. Something serious would have been wrong.

[Smokin Joe]

In my Catholic Grade, St Josephs School for the perpetually misbehaved...

Did you guys have a track-mounted nun, too?

[mountaineer]

The only thing I remember about my school lunches was the coleslaw made an excellent spoon launched aerial weapon.

For us it was the oven-roasted potatoes. One day in the cafeteria, potatoes were being spoon-launched all over the place. I saw one coming and ducked, and the spud missile hit my friend Beth right on her glasses - where it stuck, dripping oil down her cheek. I never laughed so hard. She must have blamed me somehow, because she brought it up at our 20th reunion.

[DB]

For us it was the oven-roasted potatoes. One day in the cafeteria, potatoes were being spoon-launched all over the place. I saw one coming and ducked, and the spud missile hit my friend Beth right on her glasses - where it stuck, dripping oil down her cheek. I never laughed so hard. She must have blamed me somehow, because she brought it up at our 20th reunion.

LOL!

[Suppressed]

They also had the option of expelling kids who acted up so the trouble makers ended up in public schools maybe that is why some think Catholic kids were trouble makers but the majority weren't and our town hired us first for part time jobs too they knew we came from a disciplined background.

@raml
The Catholic high school had its own problems with discipline.  I don't think it was the Catholicism, per se, that was why they were problem kids...I think it was culture of the Italian-American and Irish-American communities in my area. 

I grew up in New York State, where the Mafia had a safehouse raided by the FBI in the woods of my town.  Townspeople disappeared into the Witness Protection Program after turning state's evidence.

The Catholicism I grew up around had the very clearly stated MO of "attend Mass on Saturday so you can get all your sins cleared in advance" and not have to worry about what you did or get up early on Sunday.  (This was openly described as the intent.)  But that doesn't mean that's what Roman Catholicism is about.  Similarly, I know that the culture of these ethnic communities in my area aren't the same as elsewhere.

   

[Cripplecreek]

@raml
The Catholic high school had its own problems with discipline.  I don't think it was the Catholicism, per se, that was why they were problem kids...I think it was culture of the Italian-American and Irish-American communities in my area. 

I grew up in New York State, where the Mafia had a safehouse raided by the FBI in the woods of my town.  Townspeople disappeared into the Witness Protection Program after turning state's evidence.

The Catholicism I grew up around had the very clearly stated MO of "attend Mass on Saturday so you can get all your sins cleared in advance" and not have to worry about what you did or get up early on Sunday.  (This was openly described as the intent.)  But that doesn't mean that's what Roman Catholicism is about.  Similarly, I know that the culture of these ethnic communities in my area aren't the same as elsewhere.

 

We could definitely get expelled from public school

[roamer_1]

We could definitely get expelled from public school

Ooh, Ooh, pick me! 
I know ALL about it. Expelled and reinstated 18 times in four years. I think it's still a record.

[Wingnut]

Did you guys have a track-mounted nun, too?

No...ours kinda floated down the halls weaving in and out with no particular direction swinging a 3 foot ruler and pulling kids by their ears....

[Smokin Joe]

Ooh, Ooh, pick me! 
I know ALL about it. Expelled and reinstated 18 times in four years. I think it's still a record.

D@mn, roamer, you needed some serious lessons on being sneakier...

I always managed to keep mine to misdemeanors.
It was sixth grade when I spent purt'near every day visiting the office. It was so extensive, the one week I decided to behave myself and stay out of any trouble (yes, it was a strain) the Principal called my folks and told them he hoped I was feeling better. I spent the weekend on lockdown, grounded to the house for skipping school, where there was NOTHING for a mile in any direction--until that got cleared up on Monday. I maintained a higher profile after that, but not too high. Moderation in all things, and all that.