School lunches

We were too poor to own lunch boxes when I was growing up so I took my lunch to school in a molasses bucket. Later I got 15¢ a day for bologna and crackers at the local grocery. After the big war my school bought an Army surplus building to build our very own school cafeteria . The cafeteria severed mostly bean dishes but had a piece of meat. Best of all they had a milk dispenser at the end of the line.

I gained weight in college. I thought I had died and gone to Heaven. The cafeteria served three squares. They had ice cream at the end of the line twice each day. How was school food growing up?

School lunch usually consisted of a Spam sandwich and maybe a foil wrapped can of Coke. All in a brown paper bag.

at least you had lunch , we ate the dandelions in the field.

I loved a bologna sandwich with mustard and cheese. I had it almost every day. My parents would let me buy one day a week and I would either pick ravioli or pizza day. When I got to jr high my parents would let me buy every day and I loved it. I still have two of my old lunchboxes. Check out what ‘ol King Kong is standing on...

Mostly Buddig meat and miracle whip sandwiches. I haven't touched that crap since 9th grade when I got a job and started buying my lunch.

I mostly bought. The ladies at my elementary school cafeteria made the best fried chicken on the planet. If they were in a good mood they would give you a piece of bread with gravy on it. That was an extra good treat. Public schools were different back then.

I remember having pretty good lunch room meals. Much more variety than the stuff at home.

11 schools, some had cafeterias, some didn't. The best food was in the Department of Defense schools at overseas locations. Carried my lunch at the schools without cafeterias, or went to the eateries that were close. The larger the school district the lousier the food. San Antonio ISD in the mid 1950's was the worst.

I carried a bologna or Spam sandwich and whatever chips we had most of the time. A few times a week they had something I liked in grade school and get the full meal, other days just the cold mild to go with my sandwich. The cafeteria was underground in the fallout shelter. We would get our meal then walk up the ramp to the music room where the table and chairs were. Junior high on up I ate in the cafeteria and in high school we could go off campus to eat. Picked up coke bottles for the refund to have money then at 15 started pumping gas at a full service Texaco the at 16 Safeway.

My freshman year of high school (Huntsville High School Go Hornets) some jack wagon called in a bomb threat right before lunch and they bussed all 1700 of us to the Walker County Fairgrounds.

It was Fried Bean Burritos in the cafeteria that day, and they fed us at the fairgrounds. They fed me 3 times because the Fried Bean Burritos at HHS were excellent, they tasted just like the ones from Allsups.

Memories.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

Waterproof High School...the fighting tigers. NE Louisiana. Seems like we had a steady lunch of rice, gravy, and mystery meat (I really do think it was horse meat), some green beans, a slice of bread, and a small carton of milk.

No vending machine food, since none had been invented but the coke machine.

Very small school district. We had a snack bar as well as a regular cafeteria. I usually got a couple corn dogs or a burger from the snack bar, but the cafeteria beef tips and gravy over rice and fried fish on Friday were pretty dang good, so I'd get those.

I call BS on you being poor. I have seen your photos when you were a kid. Who had cameras back then? You were far from poor.

Things might have been tight, but poor, Cmon!

I guess the question would be, what's your definition of poor?

Respectfully.

I don't remember my first hamburger. The meat in my lunch pail varied depending on hog killing time. It was biscuit and sausage. A friend brought a hamburger. I told my momma that I wanted a bigger biscuit.

As far as how poor. This is how poor.

Bag lunches in grade school mostly salami or luncheon loaf,worked in cafeteria 5th and 6 grade for free lunches In Oklahoma they served beans as main meal once a week. Lord I Hate Beans

Ever had dandelion wine?

WORD

I started a thread called Colege without a car. I hitched hiked. The thread got several replies about the cars they had in college. Also, you have never seen a picture of me with a camera.

This song exemplifies how poor I was.

Growing up we brown bagged (lunch sacks) usually Bolgna sammich with a slice of American Cheese and Mayo with some tater chips. Every now and then a PBJ and chips but it was usually mushy by lunch time.

I loved cafeteria food growing up. I remember it being pretty good. Once we got into HS you had the snack bar, which was great.

Mom made us lunch everyday.
A sandwich, fruit and something in the thermos to drink.

I carried one like this in elementary school -




parents these days would freak out. food out of refrigeration for half a day.

I grew up in S. La. and we had awesome cafeteria food, late 60's - 70's. Those women could cook! Rice/Gravy Roast/Pork, Gumbo, Spaghetti, Pizza are some I remember, plus some of the best rolls ever. HS added a Burger line where the meat was questionable but it also gave fries and a shake, didn't do that much. My dad paid for my meals annually so I just showed my ID to eat (it had a special punch) and on good days, I'd hit it twice. Seems like in HS lunch was .50

Charlie

Mom usually made us sandwiches and we brown bagged it. She always put sliced tomatoes and some lettuce in a separate baggie so the sandwich didn’t get soggy. She would give us a nickel for milk. We didn’t throw away the brown bag either. It was folded and rode home in my back pocket for tomorrow’s lunch.

If she didn’t pack us a lunch, she gave us 35¢ for a hot lunch.

Cast, I forgot how cheap lunches were. Ours were 32 cents plus 3 if you got a 1/2 pint milk.

Where did you learn to make the ¢ mark? No one uses pennies anymore.

Mostly bought school lunches growing up...$1.50 a day in elementary, middle school and HS were $2.30 for a chicken nugget basket with an extra roll.

Loved the school pizza and the burritos.

I always bought on Tuesdays because that was fried chicken day and Faye Nichols could fry some serious chicken.

You taught me the ° sign, so I figured the ¢ would be out there too. Found it on the first try. It’s easier to type 35¢ than $.35. And it annoys the yutes.

Yep, and we never got pizza, burritos, tacos or burgers. We usually had meat, potatoes, gravy and veggies. A roll or white bread and a half pint of white or chocolate milk. The lunch ladies loved me and always loaded up my lunch tray.