I haven’t been out of high school that long.
I mean, I’m done with college, but — compared to people with kids, grandkids and, you know, houses ? It was pretty recently that I was collecting varsity letters and taking SATs.
I was shocked, then, when I returned to my alma mater (Mountain Lakes) and saw the state of our Jersey school lunches in 2024.
Arepas, General Tso’s Chicken, gourmet wraps with mac and cheese cooked inside — the meals looked more like they came from a global food court than a Morris County cafeteria. One of the Pomptonian Food Service reps (the company that supplies lunches to over 100 NJ districts, including Mountain Lakes) even mentioned that some local schools are serving bao buns, boba tea, fresh pasta and hand-rolled sushi.
AKA, gone are the days of hamburgers, “nachos” (chips with shredded cheese) and the air-filled chicken nuggets that hiss when you squeeze them.
Today, the kids are devouring dishes at school that are damn near restaurant quality — including one, that’s made this weeks top eats list.