Would you eat this school lunch?

[unsinkable]

Bigger Picture at link.

 

http://wavy.com/2015/04/15/would-you-eat-this-school-lunch/

 

For me...no. :ack2:

 

ETA why i said no: It looks unappetizing and OLD. And shriveled and puckered and dried. I love fish, loooove corn...but this?! :ack2:

[Jean in Newcastle]

The fish looks healthier than any breaded fish nugget.  I couldn't eat the bun due to gluten issues but if I didn't have those I have no problem with it.  The corn looks a bit dried out but pretty typical for institutional canned corn.  I would have preferred the fish on top of some rice!  My kids would eat it. 

[MEmama]

DS wouldn't touch it but wonders how a teenager is supposed to survive on that little food.

 

Gag.

[regentrude]

The worst part of the meal is the bun. I'd eat the rest.

Why on earth they put the bun on top of the fish is a mystery to me.

The food looks a bit dry, but I don't see anything wrong with it other than that it's not enough and there is no fresh fruit or veggies.

 

My DS would have chosen a different option.

 

[Joker]

No, I wouldn't eat it and neither would dds. Oldest dd actually might try the fish but it looks so dry I doubt she would eat much.

 

My dds are in ps (in two different schools and in two different districts) and do not eat the food. If they forget to take a lunch, they choose to go without all day. I keep money in their school lunch accounts but the food is so bad they just refuse.

[OneStepAtATime]

My kids and DH hate fish so no they would not eat it.  I would probably eat it if I were hungry enough but the corn looks overcooked and unappetizing.  

 

Honestly, though, I don't remember food being presented in terribly appealing ways in school.  I ate what was served or I went hungry.  Sometimes I really did choose not to eat what was served.  I preferred to go hungry.  The food was frequently pretty bad.

[justasque]

The fish looks dry but it's an actual piece of fish, and at least theoretically healthier than a breaded, fried "fish stick" of dubious content. The roll is squished, and the photo's coloration makes it looks a bit oddly colored, but it appears to be whole grain (ish) and thus likely healthier and probably better tasting than its white counterpart.  The corn looks like it might be intended to be "blackened" to go with the spicy fish theme.  I think the fact that the photo has an odd color tinge - too much yellow everywhere - makes it look worse than it is.

My questions -

• Were any kind of non-starchy veggies offered with this?  
• What is the child offered to eat or drink that can cool the spice of the fish?  (Milk, fruit, mayo?)
• Is that a reusable plate/tray, and if so, can they try to obtain ones that are more attractive (and not yellow)?  
• If it's not reusable, can they find either something that is (and is more appealing) or something disposable that displays the food more attractively?  (A local state college's cafeteria uses Fiestaware plates.  It really makes the food feel a lot less institutional, and they are thick and sturdy and seem to hold up well.)

It does look like they are TRYING to provide a healthy lunch, even if they're not there yet.

[unsinkable]

IMO, it really doesn't matter how "healthy" it is if it is so unappealing looking no one eats it.

[Cricket]

DS wouldn't touch it but wonders how a teenager is supposed to survive on that little food.

 

Gag.

 

Yes.  I think even my active middle schoolers would be starving an hour later. 

[ChocolateReignRemix]

The fish looks dry but it's an actual piece of fish, and at least theoretically healthier than a breaded, fried "fish stick" of dubious content. The roll is squished, and the photo's coloration makes it looks a bit oddly colored, but it appears to be whole grain (ish) and thus likely healthier and probably better tasting than its white counterpart.  The corn looks like it might be intended to be "blackened" to go with the spicy fish theme.  I think the fact that the photo has an odd color tinge - too much yellow everywhere - makes it look worse than it is.

 

My questions -

• Were any kind of non-starchy veggies offered with this?  
• What is the child offered to eat or drink that can cool the spice of the fish?  (Milk, fruit, mayo?)
• Is that a reusable plate/tray, and if so, can they try to obtain ones that are more attractive (and not yellow)?  
• If it's not reusable, can they find either something that is (and is more appealing) or something disposable that displays the food more attractively?  (A local state college's cafeteria uses Fiestaware plates.  It really makes the food feel a lot less institutional, and they are thick and sturdy and seem to hold up well.)

It does look like they are TRYING to provide a healthy lunch, even if they're not there yet.

 

The menu options for the day:

 

• Spicy Cajun Fish w/Brown Rice
• Cold Cut Turkey Sub (w/g)
• Assorted Chef Salad (Croutons & Crackers)
• Steamed Carrots & Side Salad
• Fresh Orange or Canned Fruit
• 1% & Skim Milk

The meal was served at a elementary school.

 

[zoobie]

I would not eat fish in a school cafeteria.

[Bluegoat]

No, it looks gross.  I like fish, but that will not tempt anyone.

 

I agree that it looks like it is trying to be healthy.

[Ravin]

It looks fine to me except for the corn. Canned corn is disgusting and has basically zero nutritional value. Hopefully the fish has some sort of seasoning on it and isn't just steamed/baked plain, but  a little salt and pepper would do if nothing else is available. I'd probably send my kid with garlic salt and a little bottle of tabasco or ketchup.

[AndyJoy]

DS wouldn't touch it but wonders how a teenager is supposed to survive on that little food.

 

Gag.

The link says it was an elementary school, but it is definitely unappealing. The text said it was supposed to include brown rice, milk, side salad, steamed carrots, and an orange or canned fruit. It sounds a lot better on paper!

[chiguirre]

The link says it was an elementary school, but it is definitely unappealing. The text said it was supposed to include brown rice, milk, side salad, steamed carrots, and an orange or canned fruit. It sounds a lot better on paper!

I think that the child probably refused the rice and carrots and it just doesn't show the milk (which they must take, unless they're allergic and can sub juice) and orange. The fish probably looks a lot better over brown rice than with a roll mysteriously stuck on top. OTOH, I wouldn't eat fresh fish from a school cafeteria because of how long the food has to sit in warming trays. I'd have gone for the turkey sub. I think the photo isn't showing the true colors either, the corn looks green to me and I thought it was peas. The fish might not have looked quite so bad in person.

[idnib]

As an adult, I would eat it if I had no other choice. As a teen, I would have bought a Snickers instead.

[HRAAB]

I like fish but am very picky about what fish I eat.  I wouldn't eat it.  Well, if I were hungry enough I would.  Do not waste food is a lesson all my girls have learned.  I don't really think any of them would have chosen it to begin with because they're used to eating what they choose.  So no, my girls would choose another option.  It looks so unappetizing.  Why put a roll on top of the fish?  I wouldn't eat a roll that was sitting on top of fish.  Yuck.  I think all of us would eat the corn even though it looks dry.

[TrixieB]

Bigger Picture at link.

 

http://wavy.com/2015/04/15/would-you-eat-this-school-lunch/

 

For me...no. :ack2:

 

ETA why i said no: It looks unappetizing and OLD. And shriveled and puckered and dried. I love fish, loooove corn...but this?! :ack2:

 

That is CORN?  I thought it was hamster pellet food.  Yuck. 

 

If they turned the piece of fish over to the "good" side rather than serving it scale-side-up it would have been a bit more appealing.  Not sure how it is supposed to fit in the bun, or is that a roll?

 

I find the appearance unappetizing, that's for sure. 

 

ETA:

 

Where are the other things listed on the menu?  The rice that is supposed to come with the fish, the carrots, the orange or fruit?

[SparklyUnicorn]

I don't know because I don't know if the food is old or if that's a low quality picture or what.  It doesn't look good as pictured.

 

 

[Butter]

No, but then I don't like fish and can't have the bun (gluten).  The corn I'd eat.  I would not drink the (not pictured) milk.  I hate milk.  It think it is gross.  I do not understand why they force it on kids in school.  When I was in elementary school I always refused to take the milk and they'd tell me I *had* to and I'd tell them it would be going in the trash unopened.  I hate milk, including chocolate milk, that much.  My mom eventually wrote a note (after I reported throwing away unopened milk day after day) saying I did not have to take the milk and they stopped forcing it on me.

[MEmama]

The link says it was an elementary school, but it is definitely unappealing. The text said it was supposed to include brown rice, milk, side salad, steamed carrots, and an orange or canned fruit. It sounds a lot better on paper!

Even as a six year old DS would have been famished an hour later after all those carbs.

 

Basic nutrition isn't rocket science. Are the school powers-that-be ACTUALLY surprised at poorly kids behave after serving them stuff like this? (nevermind, I know the answer. Sigh)

[luuknam]

I've taken pictures of food I've cooked before, so I know how much worse food can look in a picture not taken by a professional vs the actual food or a picture taken by a professional (with proper lighting, etc). So, I'll agree with the school district that the picture probably looks significantly worse than it would've looked in person.

 

That said, I would eat it (but I'm willing to eat almost anything), although I'd try to find something like ketchup or mayo or something to put on the bun and then stick the fish in the bun. It doesn't look appealing, and it wouldn't have looked all that appealing even in great lighting. My kids would probably have eaten the bun and maybe the corn (which I thought were chopped up green beans before I read what it was - picture quality really matters). They would probably not have touched the fish, but, then and again, they would not have ordered the fish.

 

I've never worked in food service, but had to answer the question to vote, so I voted maybe. I'd imagine that most people working in food service probably serve what they're told to serve. It doesn't look bad enough to quit your job over or anything. I'm also wondering about the rice/bun issue, and the missing fruit or w/e, but I can't comment on that unless I know what happened.

[luuknam]

As an adult, I would eat it if I had no other choice. As a teen, I would have bought a Snickers instead.

 

I don't know about this school, but our elementary/middle school does not have vending machines. Good luck finding a Snickers, unless you have friends who are dealers (I don't know about the local high school, but I think the entire district doesn't have vending machines).

[Loowit]

I wouldn't eat it and neither would my children.  None of my kids eat fish.  If the roll hadn't touched the fish they would have eaten it, although youngest would have to check for cross-contamination for allergens..  I doubt that they would eat the corn; it looks wrinkly and not appetizing.

[idnib]

I don't know about this school, but our elementary/middle school does not have vending machines. Good luck finding a Snickers, unless you have friends who are dealers (I don't know about the local high school, but I think the entire district doesn't have vending machines).

 

 

Yes, we didn't have vending machines in any of my schools. In elementary and middle, I would have brought food from home if the OP was the provided lunch. In high school we had an open campus at lunch so I could have gone to the store. As an adult, I would probably eat the provided food.

[Jean in Newcastle]

That is CORN?  I thought it was hamster pellet food.  Yuck. 

 

If they turned the piece of fish over to the "good" side rather than serving it scale-side-up it would have been a bit more appealing.  Not sure how it is supposed to fit in the bun, or is that a roll?

 

I find the appearance unappetizing, that's for sure. 

 

ETA:

 

Where are the other things listed on the menu?  The rice that is supposed to come with the fish, the carrots, the orange or fruit?

Because of the extremely poor picture quality and the fact that half of the things listed on the actual menu were missing, I don't trust the picture as a good source of what was actually provided.  In fact, I don't think the roll was even listed but rice was.  So where was the rice and where did the roll come from?  I think if we saw a menu of rice, fish, carrots, orange, milk and corn on a foreign lunch menu we would be praising many of the choices provided (except perhaps the corn).  

[Heatherwith4]

H to the no. Blech. And I am far from a picky eater.

[Amy in NH]

The corn looks dried out and awful, so none of us is likely to eat that, but the fish looks like a good, healthy choice.  We would probably be concerned about it being overcooked, and prefer to eat it with some sort of sauce like tartar to fix that.  We'd also prefer it with the rice originally listed on the menu.  Confused about where the rice is and where the roll came from? 

[Cinder]

IMO, it really doesn't matter how "healthy" it is if it is so unappealing looking no one eats it.

 

This. I wouldn't eat it mainly because it was unappealing. The fish looks dried out, the corn looks dead. School lunch platters should *not* be yellow. lol. If the fish looked better I'd be more interested in eating it.

 

My dc would not eat. None of them. Not even the ones that like fish. The presentation would put them off.

 

I've not worked in food service unless you count 4th-6th grade where each student took a turn working in the cafeteria. 4th-5th graders served, usually the fruit or veg; 6th graders collected the money. Do kids even do that anymore?

[Mandylubug]

Looked like baked fish, a wheat roll and canned corn. While it does not look tasty, I'd eat it if hungry and no other option and I know at least one of my kids would. Would I serve it? Probably not.

[Butter]

The corn looks dried out and awful, so none of us is likely to eat that, but the fish looks like a good, healthy choice.  We would probably be concerned about it being overcooked, and prefer to eat it with some sort of sauce like tartar to fix that.  We'd also prefer it with the rice originally listed on the menu.  Confused about where the rice is and where the roll came from? 

 

I wonder if they ran out and subbed the roll.

[SparklyUnicorn]

 

I've not worked in food service unless you count 4th-6th grade where each student took a turn working in the cafeteria. 4th-5th graders served, usually the fruit or veg; 6th graders collected the money. Do kids even do that anymore?

interesting.  Never heard of such a thing.

 

 

[ThisIsTheDay]

I couldn't vote, as I got the error that I needed to register with the site first. lol

 

But no, I would not eat it. My children would not eat it. 

 

I saw this picture and article yesterday, and I said that I would not feed it to my dog.  It is entirely repulsive.

[Bluegoat]

If I were going to serve those things, I think I would cook the fish with some lemon and a little cornmeal, and serve it IN the bun with some tartar sauce and maby romain leaves.  It might be a lot more appealing to the kids, and still pretty healthy.

[Annie G]

My sister is cafeteria manager at a large elementary school in Georgia. They have strict guidelines and there's no way a kid in her school would walk away with this lunch. The kids are required to choose at least three of the five offered items, plus milk.  If the rice was gone, I can imagine they might be allowed to sub the roll. But that lunch plate is incomplete, even for an elementary student. 

 

There are no vending machines at the school she works at, and although she is allowed to serve flavored milk, she has chosen to offer that only one day a week.  A couple of days a month the kids are allowed to buy ice cream but they have to eat lunch before they can do that.  They have fresh fruit and veg offered every day, some from their own garden.  This school has mostly poor kids- over 65% qualify for free or reduced lunch.

 

Having said that, school lunches are nothing like they were 25 years ago when she started. They used to cook everything from scratch. 

 

It might be that this story is totally legit, and tells an accurate story of what that school is like. But it's not at all like the school food in our town or where my sister works, and I think the appalling meal is the exception, not the norm. At least I hope so!

 

 

[imagine.more]

I wouldn't eat it, and I love fish and corn. The fish looks funky and dry, why is the roll on top of it??, and the corn looks overcooked or something. 

 

When I was in elementary school I did not eat lunch from 4th-5th grade at all. 2 years without lunch, my mom sent money and I bought the lunch because I was required to but never ate it. In middle school (6th-8th) I ate select portions, mostly just drank the milk. In high school I brought my own or skipped lunch altogether. My mom refused to make us packed lunches so I had to wait until high school when I was allowed to make what I wanted myself or bring my own money for a pop-tart from the vending machine. 

 

If my kids ever go to school they will not eat school lunch. DD13 did it as our foster child and gained 5 lbs in one month when she was already technically obese, ugh! Adopted her and started homeschooling her 6 months ago, put her in swim team, and for the first time since she was 8 she is in the healthy BMI range. We did not do anything crazy at home, just don't offer the fatty gross food like schools do and brought her to swim practice 3x a week as required by the team.

[Jasperstone]

That looks so unappetizing! Yuk!!!

 

I wouldn't eat it for $100, though I would for $1000. ;-)

[Orthodox6]

Nobody bothered to skin the fish?!

The southeast corner of the fish section looked almost as if part of the head still was attached.

That dark blob is a bun?? I thought it was a brownie.

As for the corn which looks like some moldy pebbles. . .

 

No wonder kids gravitate toward colourful, greasy pizza instead.

[Rosie_0801]

I'd have to be pretty desperate. It looks miserable.

[Arcadia]

The menu options for the day:

 

• Spicy Cajun Fish w/Brown Rice
• Cold Cut Turkey Sub (w/g)
• Assorted Chef Salad (Croutons & Crackers)
• Steamed Carrots & Side Salad
• Fresh Orange or Canned Fruit
• 1% & Skim Milk

The meal was served at a elementary school.

I would take the spicy Cajun fish but would be too full to eat the brown rice unless they allow me to brown bag the rice. I won't eat the bun in the photo unless it comes with a prepackaged small serving of butter.

 

My boys would have opt for the milk. In fact my older had milk for lunch daily when he was in B&M because that is what he like. He has a full lunch when we reach home at about 2:30pm.

 

Even now for full day activities, he ask me to pack milk for his lunch and recess/breaks.

[katilac]

It doesn't look great, but I think it's a bit of an unfair representation.

 

• Cafeteria lighting is even worse than cafeteria food; the pic (probably taken with a phone) is probably not doing it any favors. There's a reason the food used in advertisements is not actual food. 
• We don't know what items the student may have declined, we don't know who put the bun on the fish. 
• Nobody had to eat it; there were several choices. 
• I have eaten at 6+ universities over the last few months, two of them expensive private schools, and it has reminded me that cafeteria food is just not that great in general. It's not like home cooking or even ordering from a restaurant. 

I probably wouldn't eat it, but that's because I only eat fish from a few places. Cafeteria fish does not appeal, but I actually do not think the food looks that bad. 

 

[Farrar]

Would I eat a piece of fish, a whole wheat roll, and a pile of cut corn as a meal? Yeah, sure. I wouldn't have put it together quite like that, but whatever. Both my kids would eat it too.

 

Would any of us eat fish and corn (the roll just looks like a plain roll) that were really dry and weird looking? Probably not. But, I can't judge from this photo if it was really as dire as the photo makes it seem. The lighting is terrible. I mean, epically terrible. And I don't know how long they let it sit on the tray before snapping the photo. It's just so out of context and poorly done to know for sure.

 

I have worked in food service. When I worked in food service, I was still crazy picky. I wouldn't eat anything back then. And I served all kinds of things I wouldn't eat so I don't feel like I can judge.

[PhotoGal]

No. Never! I'd rather go hungry. 

[SKL]

I don't eat fish unless I am 100% sure it is fresh enough.  :P

 

I love bread but they should have put it in its own section.

 

The corn looks gross.  How hard is it to get canned corn right?

[T'smom]

I wouldn't. My kids sure as heck wouldn't. But if I worked in food service, I would serve what I was told to serve. Only the person at the top has any say in that.

[Mergath]

Sure. The fish looks a bit dried out, but otherwise fine if you ignore the awful lighting. And canned corn usually looks not so great but tastes okay.

 

How lucky we are in this country to be able to turn down relatively healthy food simply because it doesn't look pretty. :(

[ChocolateReignRemix]

Sure. The fish looks a bit dried out, but otherwise fine if you ignore the awful lighting. And canned corn usually looks not so great but tastes okay.

 

How lucky we are in this country to be able to turn down relatively healthy food simply because it doesn't look pretty. :(

 

I find it incredibly amusing there is so much angst over school lunches now.  Anyone ever look at what was served in the 80s? 

[luuknam]

Just for fun, I'd like to suggest the people saying they wouldn't eat this take a picture of their food tomorrow (with a cell phone or something), and compare how the picture looks with how the actual food looks. If you've never done it before, you might be surprised.

[unsinkable]

Sure. The fish looks a bit dried out, but otherwise fine if you ignore the awful lighting. And canned corn usually looks not so great but tastes okay.

 

How lucky we are in this country to be able to turn down relatively healthy food simply because it doesn't look pretty. :(

:rolleyes:

[abacus2]

I didn't answer the poll. My kids never eat anything different. They might eat the roll. I would at least try the fish and roll, but there is no way I would eat the corn, it looks nasty.

 

ETA: I am so glad I don't have to eat school lunches now. The worst to me is the chocolate milk restrictions though. I like milk, but the white milk in cartons always taste wrong to me, so I was grateful for the chocolate milk option.