Additional Coverage:
- 11 Photos of School Lunch Menus Over the Years (wealthgang.com)
School Lunch Menus: A Blast From the Past
School lunches have changed drastically over the years. Remember the days of from-scratch meals with tons of options?
Today’s standard fare of pizza, hot dogs, and grilled cheese pales in comparison to the culinary adventures found on school lunch menus of the past. Let’s take a trip down memory lane and explore some vintage school lunch offerings.
1. Detail is Key: One menu left no room for doubt, describing each item with mouth-watering adjectives. Zesty baked beans, seasoned green beans, crunchy chips, and buttered rice, corn, and peas – talk about painting a picture!
2. Keeping it Simple: A 1969 menu showcased a straightforward, week-at-a-glance format. While the main dishes were clear, one burning question remains: what was that mystery pudding topping?
3. Culinary Curiosities: Steak fingers?
Snowflake potatoes? Jell-O jewels?
Some menu items leave us scratching our heads. However, chocolate raspberry taquitos and rocky road mousse sound surprisingly tempting.
4. Mom’s Seal of Approval: One menu from 1974 featured dishes so delicious that parents were requesting recipes from the cafeteria staff. Now that’s a testament to quality school lunches!
5. A Cornucopia of Choices: Talk about options!
One school offered a staggering array of choices, including four main dishes, six sides, and two desserts on the first day alone. Today’s menus seem limited in comparison.
6. Bread and Butter: A Culinary Staple: Bread and butter reigned supreme as a side dish in the ’90s. One 1990 menu even replaced the traditional garlic bread with spaghetti with this simple yet satisfying classic.
7. Student Choice: A menu offering “cook’s choice” and “student’s choice” days highlights a level of autonomy and variety that’s often missing from modern school lunches.
8. Questionable Phrasing: “Spaghetti Meat”?
“Barbecue on Bun”? “Lettuce Salad”?
Some vintage menu descriptions are, well, interesting.
9. Spelling Mishaps: Typos happen, but one menu’s repeated misspelling of “o” endings is a bit cringe-worthy.
10. Made With Love: Some menus exude a sense of care and attention to detail. The 1965 menu, featuring four-course meals with homemade garlic bread and buttered 7-minute cabbage, suggests a dedication to providing wholesome, delicious meals.
11. Odd Combinations: Chicken chow mein paired with cabbage-apple salad and a peanut butter sandwich? Some menu combinations just don’t seem to work.
Read More About This Story:
- 11 Photos of School Lunch Menus Over the Years (wealthgang.com)