Red Apple
by Catherine Haug, June 27, 2015 (Photo, right, from Wikimedia Commons)
I don’t pretend to be an expert on our national school lunch program, nor even what is served at our own local Bigfork Schools today. I do remember what was served when I was in school.
It seems that in New York City, things are much worse than what I experienced in 1950s-60s Bigfork Schools’ lunch room. Check out this entertaining 20 minute video by 4th grader Zachary Maxwell.
Bigfork School Lunches in 1950s-60s
Our lunches were served on reusable plastic trays. Most of our food came from the government’s food surplus program, which typically included ingredients like canned vegetables, American cheese (or occasionally a waxed block of real cheddar), rancid flour, and canned meats. We also got a half-pint carton of milk if we paid extra for that. Sometimes a local orchard would donate surplus fruit. Our cook did her best with what we got, but it generally was not that tasty nor nutritious (Sloppy Joes being an exception).
Our best lunch meal was the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, when we were served real roast turkey with dressing and gravy (along with the surplus canned veggies). I know she started with a whole bird because she saved the neck piece for me, but I don’t know where the bird came from.
“Yuck,” the documentary by 4th Grader, Zachary Maxwell
Here’s the 1 minute trailer (if the player doesn’t appear, you can view it on the YouTube page: youtube.com/watch?v=JQo1D3v8Y98
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQo1D3v8Y98
And here’s the full 20 minute film on Vimeo. If the player doesn’t appear, you can view it on the Vimeo website: vimeo.com/43793321
ABC News interviews Zachary and his father: ABC News interviews Zachary Maxell