Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:School lunch in the past wasn’t great, but somehow they’ve managed to make it even worse. This is pathetic!
Our school tells us not to send in fast food because they want the kids to eat healthy, but what they are serving isn’t any better. My kids would sometimes buy school lunch, but now don’t want to. It makes me sad to think that for many kids this is their only option of having a warm meal every day.

The food the kids are getting now is the same as it has always been.

It is not.

When I first started teaching (as a 30 year old), I could eat almost everything the cafeteria served. It was cooked on site and pretty tasty if a bit junky. Now, 20 years later, I can only eat the fries. Everything else is tastes so bad and is not much healthier than before the overhaul.

PP was complaining about cafeteria now vs. cafeteria food pre-Covid. It's the same food now as it was two years ago. Obviously it's not the same as it was when you and I were children.

Can they really not come up with meals that are better than what they are serving? I wouldn’t be surprised if prison food is on the same level as school lunches.

The school cafeteria food is cooked in a steamer. Everything comes in frozen or canned. The cafeteria staff dumps it onto trays and sticks the trays into steamers. On the serving line they have food warmers that pans of hot food can be scooped out of, but that food was just taken from the steamer and dumped into the pan. The only exception is the rice. They cook that in the school cafeteria. It’s just water and rice. Nothing gets seasoned or anything added to it, it’s all just dump and serve.

It is not “the same as it has always been” because it became big business. Companies found school lunch is $$$ so they pushed in. That is why it is all big brand bagged stuff.

Our ES installed a salad bar two years ago the DD loved, but it disappeared with covid and the food is back to the awful garbage it always has been

Anonymous wrote:My kid is a senior and has never eaten a school lunch. He packs a lunch for himself and brings extra to share or swap with friends. He is actually turning into a foodie. It’s a shame what they serve. We can do better FCPS.

Good for you! Unfortunately, your son is breaking county rules by sharing food. 😊

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:School lunch in the past wasn’t great, but somehow they’ve managed to make it even worse. This is pathetic!
Our school tells us not to send in fast food because they want the kids to eat healthy, but what they are serving isn’t any better. My kids would sometimes buy school lunch, but now don’t want to. It makes me sad to think that for many kids this is their only option of having a warm meal every day.

The food the kids are getting now is the same as it has always been.

It is not.

When I first started teaching (as a 30 year old), I could eat almost everything the cafeteria served. It was cooked on site and pretty tasty if a bit junky. Now, 20 years later, I can only eat the fries. Everything else is tastes so bad and is not much healthier than before the overhaul.

My kid is a senior and has never eaten a school lunch. He packs a lunch for himself and brings extra to share or swap with friends. He is actually turning into a foodie. It’s a shame what they serve. We can do better FCPS.

Anonymous wrote:School lunch in the past wasn’t great, but somehow they’ve managed to make it even worse. This is pathetic!
Our school tells us not to send in fast food because they want the kids to eat healthy, but what they are serving isn’t any better. My kids would sometimes buy school lunch, but now don’t want to. It makes me sad to think that for many kids this is their only option of having a warm meal every day.

The food the kids are getting now is the same as it has always been.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So those pictures were illuminating. Last year during hybrid, they just did cold lunch and my kid says it was much better. Her prefers to pack his own sandwich this year, says this stuff is all pretty awful (except for the fruit and veggies, and the PBJ). That’s a bummer. It was nice not to pack or shop for lunch stuff. I think they could manage salad bar.

Many restaurants and grocery stores still have their salad bars closed.

I think salad bars are gross and a petri dish for viruses and bacteria in a good year. We don't need them right now.

School lunch in the past wasn’t great, but somehow they’ve managed to make it even worse. This is pathetic!
Our school tells us not to send in fast food because they want the kids to eat healthy, but what they are serving isn’t any better. My kids would sometimes buy school lunch, but now don’t want to. It makes me sad to think that for many kids this is their only option of having a warm meal every day.

Anonymous wrote:So those pictures were illuminating. Last year during hybrid, they just did cold lunch and my kid says it was much better. Her prefers to pack his own sandwich this year, says this stuff is all pretty awful (except for the fruit and veggies, and the PBJ). That’s a bummer. It was nice not to pack or shop for lunch stuff. I think they could manage salad bar.

Many restaurants and grocery stores still have their salad bars closed.

Anonymous wrote:Had no idea - thanks for letting us all know.

Also amused to see that school lunch pizza hasn't changed in the last twenty-five years

Someday, I'd love to campaign for improvements to school lunches, but I for one am glad they're offering them to everyone free of charge and making sure all kids have access to enough food every day.

35 years ago the pepperoni pizza was my favorite. It is still the same rectangle block, but it used to have tidbits of pepperoni back then. As for the rest of it it looks awful. I think the biggest change is that the schools used to have actual kitchens with ovens and stoves and the food was actually prepared, cooked, grilled on premises so even the bad stuff was at least a nice warm meal.

This stuff is all in plastic bags. How hard is it it make an actual PB&J? It wouldn’t feed my cat that garbage and I don’t even like my cat!

DD used to buy one thing at school, so that was like once a month. She says what's on the current menu is either unhealthy or tastes bad (or both), and won't eat any of it.

My kids have food allergies. They can have non allergic friends at the allergist table as long as they don’t have peanuts (or other allergens depending on the case) in their lunches. Maybe your son agreed to eat at the allergy table with a friend?