As a former student and mom of students I thought we would create a new series sharing what school was like when David and I attended showcasing things we miss including the school cafeteria foods we still remember, miss and talk about and would love having for lunch. Would you want to join us for School Pizza or a Cinnamin Roll?
For David and I there were some foods we eat decades later and suddenly were back in school. I can remember the cafeteria. I can remember the trays. I can remember sitting with my friends. And sometimes I can remember exactly what I was hoping they were serving that day for breakfast and lunch.
That’s where we’re starting our new series, Back to School: The Way We Remember It. Because if we’re going to remember school, we have to talk about the food. I still remember those big, long cafeteria cinnamon rolls. Oh, they were good. Then there was the Salad Bar and all of the choices I could get lost in.
And then there were those big burritos. Not the little frozen burritos you find in the grocery store today, but those big cafeteria burritos that seemed to be made for a school lunch tray. And somehow they were even better when you went to the salad bar and added grated cheese on top — or when they put melted cheese on them.
And then there was cafeteria pizza. You know the kind I’m talking about. It wasn’t fancy pizza. It didn’t need to be. It was school pizza, and somehow it had a taste all its own. Different generations have their own favorites. Charlie loved the mini smokies and macaroni and cheese. My sister and I loved the steak fingers, mashed potatoes and rolls.
And then there were the meals that made school feel like more than just school. Halloween stew was one of my favorites. And the Christmas and Thanksgiving meal was another special day. Those were the days I made a point of going to the school with my child. Sometimes I would even take food up for the kids.
School meals became part of our family memories. And my connection to school cafeterias goes even further. Before our children came along my sister and I both worked in the cafeterias. So I didn’t just remember school lunches from the perspective of a student. I eventually saw school meals from the other side, too.
That’s one of the things I love about memories. The story changes as we grow. First you’re the child sitting at the table. Then you’re the parent walking into the cafeteria. Then, before you know it, you’re the adult looking back and realizing how many different chapters of your life were connected to that same school.
And I wonder how many of today’s children will grow up with these same kinds of memories. Will they remember a particular cafeteria pizza? Will there be a cinnamon roll they’ll think about thirty or forty years from now? Will they remember a special Halloween or Christmas meal? Maybe they will. Maybe school cafeterias will continue creating those memories in completely different ways. And that’s okay.
This series isn’t about saying everything was better back then. It’s about remembering what our version of school was like. Because food has a funny way of preserving memories. You can forget a homework assignment. You can forget what you wore. You might even forget the name of a teacher. But give someone the smell or taste of the food they ate at school, and suddenly they’re right back there.
So now it’s your turn. What school cafeteria food do you still remember? Was it the pizza? The cinnamon rolls? A particular dessert? A favorite lunch your school served? Or was there a special holiday meal that you looked forward to every year? Come and tell us what you remember. Because this week we’re going Back to School: The Way We Remember It. Part memory. Part history. Part conversation.
And tomorrow, we’re leaving the cafeteria and heading outside the school doors — because once upon a time, some students were actually allowed to leave campus for lunch.
Grateful. Thankful. Blessed.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates