Cafeteria Memories: National School Lunch Week!

I think the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is one of the government's most effective use of our taxes.  

The NSLP is a government funded lunch program for school children.  Lunches (and even breakfasts) are offered daily to children at full price, reduced price or no cost depending on income status.  All meals are nutritionally compliant with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.  It was created in 1962 and has been providing millions of lunches to children since then.  

Growing up I had varying affection for my elementary school cafeterias.  I rarely bought school lunch.  Some days I would walk by the "meatloaf" and canned peaches, then thankfully retreat to my home-packed PB and J.  Other days I was envious of the large square-cut pizza.  I remember one joyful day in 5th grade when my friend and I donned hairnets and aprons for our alloted monthly cafeteria duty.  After serving the food we got to take all the leftover packaged cookies.  We stashed them in our desks, and proceeded to discreetly eat them throughout the afternoon.  I think the steady crinkling of plastic wrappers gave us away.

Nonetheless, I never fully appreciated the policy behind the NSLP until college.  In my undergraduate food service class I spent time in the Davis Joint Unified School District kitchen.  There I saw the school recipe database and analyzed the nutritional components of the NSLP.  It's complicated!

My point: Did you know this week is National School Lunch Week?

October 11-17th.  Check out the USDA blog and President Obama's proclamation.

Kind-of cool!  

Yay for school cafeterias and those cafeteria ladies across the nation!  
Oh, the memories.  : )