[Forward the Light Brigade]

As a teacher—I understand this question. free Lunches are given—the kids—most of them Can pay and cell phones and video games—expensive shoes and such—they eat the desert or power bar and throw the resst away—all the good food that could fee starving kids in africa—is in the waste. Go to any school with such a program and the tossed out food will make you weep. Granted a few of the kids—mostly illegals—do eat the food because they need it—but its only a small number—most gos to the trash can. My solution! continue the free program but—no sweets, no powerbars—give them oatmeal only with a shot of milk. Maybe add some raisins or apples slices—but no cool food—that will be for paid lunchs. Oatmeal is cheap and good for you. That’s what they should serve—not the same lunch as the paid kids.

[EinNYC]

As I posted previously...I am a teacher. Most of the students in the high school line up for the cafeteria lunches. In many, if not most schools, most of the students in that school qualify for a free or reduced price lunch. In the days of yore, the cafeteria workers used to actually cook food and serve it up hot for the students. For the past decade, all they do is nuke or bake frozen portions of whatever. I always say that the NYC Bored of Ed must have special chicken farms to raise the scrawniest chickens I've ever seen. You would never see that bony kind of chicken in a grocery store. Must be the 4F grade of chicken. The school lunches are heavy on the carbs, because it's a cheap way to fill up teenagers. So they might get a piece of pizza/mac & cheese/breaded fish/chicken/bologna sandwiches/peanut butter & jelly sandwiches/ham sandwiches, some salad or a sadly overcooked vegetable, a bag of chips and fruit of 4th quality. I never saw such tiny plums or apples in a grocery store either. I always wonder who is pocketing the money given to buy food for the kids.

Meanwhile, the students usually pick out only the most carby of the foods to eat, especially the boys. The girls are much more prone to eat the salads and veggies. Fruits are often used as missiles through the air and other foods are used for non-eating purposes as well. The waste tossed into the garbage cans (and picked up off the floor) is enormous.

Here is a sample lunch menu. Never mind the high-falutin' descriptions of the food. It still looks like crud on a shingle: