20 School Cafeteria Foods Every Millennial Grew Up On
The Foods That Fueled Us
When thinking back to the foods that we were fed each day at lunchtime by our educational institutions, it's astonishing that we grew up healthy and strong. From Sloppy Joes to corn dogs, we wonder who deemed these dishes appropriate fuel for children, but nevertheless, they'll never fail to fill us with nostalgia for school lunch days. Here are 10 school cafeteria foods every Millennial grew up on.
1. Rectangle Pizza
Remember when Congress classified pizza as a vegetable in the context of school lunch programs so they could continue serving it in cafeterias? That shows just how integral pizza is to the school lunch rotation. It was always cooked on a rectangular sheet pan with the most basic toppings.
2. Tater Tots
Remember that scene from Napoleon Dynamite where he starts snacking on tater tots he has stored in his pockets? That was all of us Millennials in high school.
3. Chocolate Milk Cartons
There was only one place where we would have those tiny milk cartons that consisted of two teenager-sized gulps of milk, and that was at the school cafeteria. Those little brown cartons full of sugar and dairy fueled our childhoods.
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4. Sloppy Joes
We're not sure who decided it would be a good idea to feed children with the messiest sandwich ever made. Lunch cafeteria sloppy joes are to blame for all those stained clothes and red Joker smiles.
5. Jell-O Cubes
It was always a bit of a disappointment when the dessert of the day was Jell-O cubes and not brownies or cookies. Countless of these squiggly side dishes ended up in the garbage.
6. Corn Dogs
It's a wonder we have made it this far after regularly being fed breaded and fried processed meat on a stick for lunch. Corn dogs aren't healthy, but they are delicious.
7. Mashed Potatoes With Gravy
Instant mashed potatoes served onto our tray with an ice cream scoop somehow counted as a side of vegetables. That weird gray-colored gravy, which no doubt also came from a package that was globbed on top with a soup spoon, made them slightly more palatable but no more healthy or sophisticated.
8. Mac And Cheese
We have fond memories of the mac and cheese served at school, though it was suspiciously neon. It was the ultimate comfort food on a lunch tray.
9. Nachos
The nachos served at school were hardly equivalent to what you get at restaurants. They usually consisted of neon orange processed cheese ladled on top of overly salty circular tortilla chips with maybe some ground beef. There's no way you could pass this off as anything but junk food.
10. Dinner Rolls
The dinner rolls served at school had a very specific flavor that you would get nowhere else. Packed with sugar, refined carbs, and preservatives, they were everyone's favorite part of lunch.
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11. Ice Cream Sandwiches
We remember very fondly being treated to ice cream on Fridays. Everyone's favorite was ice cream sandwiches, which, when given to children, always ended up melting everywhere.
12. Rainbow Sherbet
For the fruitier kids, Friday ice cream days meant rainbow sorbet. The colorful concoction was orange, lime, and raspberry flavored sherbets lined up next to each other, served in a tiny cup with a little wooden spoon.
13. Salad With Ranch Dressing
Side salads at school were really just iceberg lettuce and maybe one other vegetable, like a slice of sandy tomato, served with ranch dressing. We don't feel too bad about the fact that these salads mostly ended up in the garbage, as they were essentially void of nutrients anyway.
14. Spaghetti
Spaghetti is one of the easiest things to feed a lot of kids with. However, it was hit or miss as some portions got all the sauce and others got practically none.
15. Fish Sticks
The rectangular pieces of breaded and fried white fish were a convenient source of protein fit for even the most picky children. Seeing the little golden rectangles in the frozen food aisle at the supermarket still fills us with nostalgia, though we feel no need to purchase them.
16. Chicken-Fried Steak
Chicken-fried steak was a dish created to make the tough, subpar quality cuts of beef palatable. The steak was breaded, fried, and smothered in gravy to where it became actually pretty tasty.
17. Pigs In A Blanket
Pigs in a blanket were essentially hot dogs wrapped in pastry dough and baked. Needless to say, they were every kid's favorite lunch main course.
18. Green Beans
Served alongside the chicken-fried steak or turkey dinner were always some soggy green beans, straight from a can. No wonder they ended up lining trash cans instead of our stomachs.
19. Half A Red Delicious Apple
Not once have we bought red delicious apples as adults, as they're clearly the most inferior type of apple. Nevertheless, they always showed up on our lunch tray, but were cut in half to quickly brown.
20. Chicken Nuggets
Chicken nuggets were questionable pieces of spongy mystery meat, breaded and fried. Served with an unhealthy amount of ketchup packets, they tasted delicious to us as children.
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