The Evolution of School Lunches
Every single day in middle school, my best friend and I had the same thing for lunch. Nachos with creamy queso, rice, and shredded cheese. On the side, we’d have the famous school chocolate milk carton, and if we were lucky, a piece of fruit. This was our ritual for three years. I remember every day, trying to curate the perfect bite with just the right amount of queso and rice. My technique would be to have the most amount of toppings on each chip as possible. My best friend, on the other hand, wanted toppings on every chip, no matter the amount. By the end of lunch, I would have a bunch of dry chip crumbles left over while my friend’s paper boat was clean.
The second part of this tradition was playing tag every day after lunch during our free time. How we ran around at top speeds for 20 minutes after forking down a big plate of nachos and never felt sick is beyond me. Truly, the fact that we are still healthy after eating nachos every day for three years feels like a miracle.
When we went to high school, we were devastated to learn that they did not serve the same nachos. Nothing else the cafeteria served was worth eating, so my best friend and I forfeited school lunch altogether and started packing our own lunches.
Of course, this all changed again when we went to college. With meal plans, we stopped packing our own lunches, but the memories from middle school cafeteria nachos still felt like they could be replaced by dining hall food.
Little did we know, The Chat actually has a nacho bar! The Chat is one of a few dining options at Arcadia University. It is a Wawa-style system, where you order what you want (including specializations) on a kiosk before your food is made to order by our amazing Chat workers. The Chat has three different sections: a deli, grill, and ‘Bravo’. At Bravo, there is a special that changes each week. One of these specials includes Nachos!
I was overjoyed to see this Nacho bar for the first time. I got to relive my middle school lunch days again when I ordered nachos with queso, rice, and cheese. This time, however, I have been adding chicken. So, at least it’s a little bit healthier than it was in middle school.
Apart from The Chat, we have the Dining Hall. The Dining Hall is open every day for lunch and dinner, and even brunch on the weekends. It is an all-you-can-eat dining option that changes every single day. There will always be fruit, a salad bar, bagels, and beverages – but the main course for the day is always different. Luckily, you can find the dining hall menu on the Arcadia Website to help make planning your meals a bit easier.
Something a lot of people don’t know about the dining hall is that there is a to-go option. You can buy a green to-go container from the dining hall for $5 and use it all year. The best part is that they will clean it for you! When you go in for your next meal, all you have to do is turn in your used container and swap it for a clean one to use for that meal. This not only gives you the flexibility that a lot of students need in being able to take their lunch to go but also eliminates the challenging task of washing dishes in the communal bathroom sinks.
While lunches will never be just like they were in middle school, I am glad that I have flexible options now that I am in college. All of the meal options at Arcadia help me stay focused and nourished throughout my busy days and I can say with confidence I am eating much better food than I was in middle school.
