"I Still Crave It": 19 School Lunches That Were Straight-Up Gourmet To Our 10-Year-Old Brains
"It was so flavorful and fall-off-the-bone tender. I've still never had one as good as that one."
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1. "I loved it when they served mashed potatoes and gravy. I would eat the inside out of the dinner roll/bun and then shove all the mashed potatoes and gravy into it and make a sandwich pocket out of it. It was so delicious!"
2. "I loved the rectangular cardboard-crust pizza. LOVED it. I would always ask my mom for extra money so I could get two pieces."
3. "Custard tart."
4. "The chicken tenders were hitting."
5. "I hated cafeteria food. Except for the soft shortbread cookies the lunch ladies made with that government butter."
6. "Before Thanksgiving break, they gave us a Thanksgiving dinner, which included turkey, dressing, green beans, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie. It was such a great way to kick off the holiday week."
—Rebecca, 37, Texas
7. "I really enjoyed my school's mac 'n' cheese. While on the milky side, it was a great lunch that I loved eating."
8. "Sloppy joes! I made some a few years ago and tasted the nostalgia. Also, the TOTS. To die for…"
9. "Vegetable soup with grilled cheese! I still crave it!"
—Anonymous
10. "Twinkies. They were the snacks given with your hot lunch. Looked most forward to those."
11. "My high school called them 'walking tacos'. They were a bag of Fritos, taco meat, sour cream, and taco cheese. Did anyone else have those?"
12. "My elementary school had these delicious lemon pepper chicken wings they would serve once a month or so, and I still think about them from time to time."
—Anonymous
13. "Smiley fries!"
14. "Orange chicken!"
—Benjamin, 12, Wisconsin
15. "Teriyaki chicken. It was so flavorful and fall-off-the-bone tender. I've still never had teriyaki as good as that one."
16. "They used to sell $2 cookies — they were sooo huge, and sooo good."
17. "I went to grade school in the '60s, where the food was bomb-shelter quality (everything from a can). But every once in a while, maybe once every two months, the cafeteria ladies would lay out white bread slices with a generous schmear of peanut butter. FOR FREE! Unbeatable."
—Nettie, 67, New York
18. "Italian dunkers!"
—Anonymous
19. "I grew up in the '90s/early 2000s. The salad bar at my elementary school was awesome and had amazing ranch dressing!"
What school cafeteria food makes you super nostalgic? Let me know in the comments!
Craving a sloppy joe? Maybe some square pizza? Download the free Tasty app to find all of your school cafeteria favorites — no subscription required.
