Kay, so to start this off, I went to school on Tuesday last week. It was great to see everyone back and see if they have changed a lot, or not that much. It was fun to meet new teachers and make new friends. But, with a new school year comes new responsibilities, differences, and a lot more.
Let's start with differences. The obvious: teachers are different, homework is different, and people are different However, there was one difference that really stood out to me and everyone else. Our lunches have changed. There's no more sloppy-joes in the cafeteria; now, it's more of a "food court" themed lunch period. It looked and seemed really cool to everyone at first! Y'know, restaurant signs, different menus, new flavors, many food options, etc.. But frankly, that was all just a hoax. Everyone had their first meal that first day of school, and everyone was very angry. I know what you're thinking, it's only been one day, how bad could it be? Well, let me tell you... Our lunches last year did not require us to take a FRUIT or a VEGETABLE when we ordered. Our portions last year were much LARGER last year than this year. There was a FLY in the salad of one of my classmate's lunches.
It was ridiculous. I mean, you could decide what you wanted last year from a small menu, but it worked for us! All of the students adapted to the lunch menu and we appreciated it! Obviously, lunches aren't the healthiest of food, but that's the way it's meant to be! Not that healthy! It is now a law in my state that everyone is required to take a fruit or a vegetable with their lunch. I believe that parents should be teaching their kids that they should be taking responsibility and maintain healthy habits by eating a fruit or a vegetable at lunch. I always take what they offer for three distinct reasons: 1. I'm getting what my parents are paying for, 2. Most of the time, the fruits and vegetables tasted pretty good, and 3. I'm always starving at that time of day. Other kids are frequently thinking, "meh, I don't need a fruit or vegetable." To me, I would blame the parents. Like I said earlier, its partially their responsibility to teach their kids healthy habits. Now, because of the failure to get fruits and vegetables, we are receiving a new lunch menu which is supposedly healthier and we are now required to take fruits and vegetables.
Another thing is the fruit. They have a fruit bowl filled with the same things every day. Plums, apples, and another undefined fruit. This undefined fruit is supposed to be an orange, but it is more of a lemon-lime-orange. I mean, It's green, yellow, and orange all in one fruit. I couldn't even decipher what fruit it was! I tried a plum the next day, but it was completely sour and underripe and if you ask me, I think we're just doing the school a favor by throwing the fruits away for them.
What mostly shocked me was that I heard that these new lunches were actually CHEAPER for the taxpayers. It didn't make sense. We previously had a somewhat large size lunch portion last year with the old menu, the old menu was very limited, and you could take what you wanted. This year's menus consists of a very small portioned lunch for the same price as last time, a large seleciton of food choices, and we are forced to take a fruit every single day. How the heck is this cheaper? I have no idea.
I think it is crazy how we are required to take a fruit, half the lunch options aren't even great in taste, and this new lunch system is cheaper for taxpayers. I hope you're just as confused as I am.
My question for the week is...
What do you think of this whole situation?
