The “Not So Great” School Lunch Items from Back In the Day

A recent content post by colleague, Tommy O, unveiled the top 5 school lunch items that many of us miss. It was a great article about the processed cheese that was like gold to children and the hot lunch pizza that some kids pocketed for a snack after school. However, what about the top 5 foods on school lunch menus from yesteryear that should have never seen the light of day? Although, the lunch peeps served up some decent goodies, here's what I recall from the school lunch menu that wasn't so cool. What do you think?

Soggy Fish Sticks - There are fish sticks, then there are soggy fish sticks. You know the kind. The ones that sat in a hot serving pan as steam practically wilted them. By the time they hit my lunch tray, the life had been knocked right out of them. If such a thing occurred, the trick was to guzzle your milk first so that you could stick the limp fish sticks in the carton, hoping the 6th-grade lunch monitor didn't see you do it. Yes, the same guy who would make you pull your half-empty milk carton out of the garbage and drink the rest of it in front of him. So, regardless, it was a gamble. Either get busted with food in your milk carton or scolded for not drinking your calcium.

Liverwurst Sandwiches - Well, the name says it all. "Liver" is not a favorite for youngsters at dinner time and "wurst" because these babies were the worst. I had never laid my eyes on liverwurst until that fateful day it was tossed on my tray in the cafeteria. I wanted to like these sandwiches because some of my friends at school were all about them. Hey, if they were willing to jump off a cliff, so was I. As much as I tried, I couldn't get myself to endure them—sorry, liverwurst.

Lima Beans - They weren't always on the grade school lunch menu, but boy, do I recall their existence. Basically, a waxy bean with a rubbery shell. That's how I remember them, but the biggest question is why they were being served to kids in the first place. It was definitely a texture thing for me, so yeah, I guess you could call me a legume snob from a young age.

Tuna Casserole -  For this 10-year-old kid, I couldn't get past the tuna concept, let alone it being served in a casserole. I mean, what was in that casserole in the first place? The smell and the fact that the ingredients were somewhat of a mystery steered me from ever enjoying it. However, I became a fan of tuna melts and tuna salads by high school, so in this case, I ended my uppity take on an excellent source of protein and B12 early enough in life.

Having to choose whole white milk because the 6th graders took all the chocolate milk - This was a real thing and something that could ruin a grade schooler's day in a heartbeat. If you already had a tough morning with teachers telling you to stop talking in class, chocolate milk at lunchtime would solve everything and ease your weary day. My family was big on drinking whole white dairy every day and on occasion, we were allowed to use chocolate, Nestle Quik. It sounds like I needed to stash some of that at school on the days the 6th graders deprived the younger, more innocent children of that sweet beverage loaded with sugar. So, what were some dandies you remember from the school cafeteria? Looking forward to your answers!