Mary's Menu
By Mary Crowley
Disclaimer: I want to preface this by saying how much I, along with the rest of Littleton Public Schools, immensely appreciate the work our lunch staff do. They are responsible for feeding hundreds of children nutritious, full meals every day and do always do so cheerfully. This column is not intended to berate them for their work but instead commentate on the products they are given by our government and are forced to make appetizing. We must also understand we are getting meals for free this year so they are not expected to be the best quality in the world.
Thursday November 4th - Pancake Egg & Cheese Sandwich
Any seasoned Littleton High School lunch enthusiast knows well enough to avoid the pancake sandwich: the crunchy whole-wheat pancakes, bland egg, and liquid-y cheese tend to turn people away. However, this particular breakfast is usually salvaged by the delectable sausage patties and hash browns that accompany it. Unfortunately, today that was not the case. Students like myself were heartbroken to see a complete lack of the crispy fried potato treats on our trays. As if the situation could not get more bleak, disaster struck: we took bites of our sausage patties and discovered pink inside (it looked more intense IRL than in the picture included below). Now, don’t get me wrong, this could have just been a fluke; perhaps only our sausages were undercooked and the rest of the student body had their normally porky experience. But it was disheartening to our small group nonetheless.
Tuesday November 16th - Chicken and Dutch Waffles
This meal was a welcome breath of fresh air in light of recent disappointment. The chicken was crispy and as real as it gets in this school and the “dutch waffles” (which are more like funnel cakes but whatever) provide a solid foundation. Smothering the whole meal in maple syrup really created an experience like no other meal can. The only downside of this lunch is the funnel cakes often have a very hard exterior, but that may be a personal preference issue and other students may actually enjoy it.
Thursday November 18th - Early Thanksgiving Dinner: Sliced Turkey Breast, Mashed Potatoes, Stuffing, and Cranberry Sauce
This meal broke my heart. I am generally a fan of Thanksgiving dinners, and I was excited to try ours. The second I looked at the seemingly grey meat my hopes were shattered, and the taste of it only further supported my disappointment. It was indescribable: the mixture of the flavorless and sad topping and protein both puzzled and deterred me, and it melted in the mouth in the worst way imaginable. To top this off, one of my friends grimaced and remarked “why is it gelatinous???” after taking only one bite, and another, rather overdramatically, exclaimed later that their stomach hurt for hours as a result of the entrée. The mashed potatoes, covered in that same sauce, were equally as disappointing in my opinion, but I just don’t like mashed potatoes so that may just be a me thing. The cranberry sauce also confused me, somehow becoming separated into pure juice and chunks within the container. The stuffing, which we happily devoured, was the one saving grace of this meal, but it was overall a traumatizing experience.
