After walking into the lunch room, I quickly noticed the new lunches being offered. With an updated menu, ranging from pasta to chicken sandwiches, this year’s meals offer a much-needed upgrade from previous years. While some of the entrees are delicious, the sides fall short in both appearance and taste.
The first option I tried was nachos with lettuce and sour cream and I grabbed a kiwi. After waiting in an exceedingly long line for them, I was pleasantly surprised by their taste. They were the perfect temperature and the toppings I chose were fresh and delicious, making nachos a solid option for an everyday lunch. Ironically the nachos were fresher than the “fresh” fruit, as the kiwi was overly sour and unripe. Most of the fruit from the new lunches tends to be hit-or-miss, with oranges and grapes being delicious but the kiwis and apples being terrible.
Broccoli pasta and a cheeseburger with french fries were next from the lunch line. The pasta was freezing, the flavor was lacking and the pasta sauce was watery and disgusting. The french fries don’t have much flavor and fluctuate between being overly soggy or overly burnt. However, the burger makes up for it immensely. In past years, the burger was at a moderate temperature with no flavor but this year it is warm and tastes good for a school lunch.
Lastly, I tried the chicken sandwiches, and their look was extremely unappealing and the repugnant taste didn’t help. It appeared flat, as if someone had stepped on it, and was dry and cold. You could correct this by adding sauces and condiments, but you’d need a lot of them. Despite the poor entree, the side of spicy waffle fries and oranges was somewhat redeeming. The waffle fries were surprisingly edible, unlike the rest of the meal. They weren’t very spicy, mostly just over-peppered, yet they held up structural integrity. Different from the regular fries the cafeteria offers, these fries weren’t soggy or burnt. However, my orange was not the most appealing of the fruits. Even though it had been abused and bruised, the excellent taste remained, and I liked that it was ripe and citrusy.
To make up for the stomach-turning cafeteria food at our school, students have access to the Student Union to buy snacks. On days when the lunches don’t sound appealing, students can always rely on going there and getting edible snacks or drinks, like Takis and coffee. Additionally, students can also go off-campus for lunch and head to nearby restaurants or the church for Tuesday Meets Pizza. While it isn’t the healthiest option, it is better than not eating anything.
From school lunches, you can never expect much but the new food is at least an improvement compared to last year. Despite the diverse variety of meals, there are still options to stay far away from. Set side by side with lunches from previous years, there would be a noticeable difference in the flavor and appearance. Overall, this year our school has helped create more enjoyable lunches by providing more options and supplying better food to students.
