Monday 15 March 2010

School Lunches & My So-Called Afterlife

Faye at Summit Musings is hosting the Fun Monday and the topic is School Lunch Memories. I went to a convent from the age of four until I was twelve and to be honest, the worst part of school for me was the school lunches with each meal consisting of a piece of grey, tasteless meat - shiver - and well, yes, grey, tasteless vegetables.

It was such a relief when I was allowed to take my own sandwiches, which were generally a cheese slice between two pieces of white bread. That was it, no fruit, yoghurt, no salad, or health bar like my daughter always takes. In fact, I always wanted to have an Aero sandwich like one of my classmates, but my mother wouldn't hear of it. I can't say I blame her.

Helen at Bookersatz has posted my review of Tamsyn Murray's excellent book, My So-Called Afterlife. If you haven't read it, please go and have a look, it's a great book and well worth reading.

21 comments:

Sandy said...

...and our parents paid to send us to those schools...lol.

Michelle said...

I remember the good, the bad and the ugly from primary school dinners. Good - toffee tart; Bad - fishcakes; Ugly - liver you could resole shoes with ugggh. I also remember less than healthy packed lunches which sometimes included jelly cubes!
M
x

loonyhiker said...

My neighbors went to parochial school and I always wished I could go because I loved their plaid uniforms. Now after hearing about gray tasteless food, I'm thinking I was lucky not to go. LOL

Denise said...

I think the food was OK at my junior school, but it was the enforcement of eating it that scared me! First you had to beg for a small helping, then there were teachers at each table to ensure good manners and that you ate it. Finally you had to run the gauntlet of the dinner lady where you returned your plates. Bones were about all you could leave!

Celeste said...

What was an aero sandwich? It was the grey meat in college taht convinced me to a vegetarian (a behavior change that has lasted 25 years).

Joanne said...

Oh the drama of those school cafeteria lunches! When I went to parochial school for 5 years, we actually lived a block away and walked home for lunch! I don't think schools allow that anymore.

Swampy said...

What is an Aero sandwich ?
My favorite sandwich was a mayonaise sandwich...makes me shiver to even think about it now. AARRGGHH !
Also loved peanut butter and banana sandwiches...Directions: Mash banana into mush...stir, stir, stir in the peanut butter...slather onto a piece of really fresh "white" bread...squeeze sides and let mixture drip onto arms...lick it off...yum.

Troy said...

My school dinners were absolutely awful (late 1960s) but I had lunch at my son's school recently whilst "helping out" and I'd happily go in there everyday for £1.90. Tasty main course, well cooked, and then jam sponge with custard.

Faye said...

Good blogger that you are, Debs, I know you'll let your US friends know what an Aero sandwich is in a followup comment. But you're right about one thing--grey seems to be the default color for school lunch.

I'll be back to check your book review after lunch!

Jan n Jer said...

I will be back to see what an Aero sandwhich is...at first I thought you said an oreo sandwich. I think we all have some stories to tell about shool lunches.

Cait O'Connor said...

I have just been catching up here. Must say I have serious shed envy.

Sayre said...

I'll chime in with the "What's an Aero sandwich" question... Since I see you are from the UK (Garden Shed winner was a dead giveaway), I will say that probably worse than school lunch is a cold cornish pasty served on the trains. I have always had fond memories of those until my last trip where I got it cold and it was the absolute worst thing ever.

Deborah Carr (Debs) said...

sandy - I know, it's shocking really. I also had to do a lot of washing up because I was rather naughty and wouldn't eat my lunch.

michelle - eugh, liver. The thought makes me shudder. Poor you. Thankfully I don't think we had to eat that.

loonyhiker - I think you're right. You didn't miss anything at all.

denise - my second school was like that. We used to have to say, 'Miniscule please, Mr N..." otherwise he would load our bowls with food.

celeste - I'm not surprised you're a vegetarian. I'm very fussy with meat and rarely eat it.

An Aero is a bar of chocolate (lovely) either mint or chocolate flavoured with bubbles in the middle and my schoolmate used to put a bar between two pieces of buttered bread as her sandwich.

joanne - I would have loved to have gone home for lunch. I doubt my mother would have agreed though.

swampy - please see my reply to Celeste's comment above re the Aero sandwich.

I'm not sure about your banana and peanut butter sarnie, I'll have to give that one some thought :)

troy - only £1.90 and it was good! Incredible. I would also go for lunch for that.

faye - thanks, have done so.

Hope you like the review, the book was excellent.

jan n jer - I love Oreos, but we didn't have those over here when I was at school, more's the pity.

cait - thanks. I do enjoy my shed, especially now that the weather is warming up a bit.

sayre - I don't know if I've ever tried a cold Cornish Pasty, but think I'd rather have a hot one like you prefer.

Unknown said...

An Aero sandwich? Wow. Must try that!

School lunches - yuk. Everything was grey. Even the lumps in the 'sauces' were grey.

Jill said...

Ha ! I knew what an Aero bar was because I got one from a vending machine in Canada when I was there for a school conference, however, the one I had was plain, without extra flavorings. Please feel free to visit me at http://lilmouse.blogsite.org

Pamela said...

those gray meats and coagulated gravy stories just turn my gut!

Deborah Carr (Debs) said...

shirley - I hated school lunches so much and still don't like the things I was forced to eat then. Not sure why they bothered?

jill - I love Aeros but haven't tried one in a sandwich yet.

pamela - eugh, I agree.

Flowerpot said...

oh I remmeber those lunches too - VILE!!

Deborah Carr (Debs) said...

flowerpot - I still shudder when I think of them.

Suzanne Ross Jones said...

I'm ashamed to say I've never tried an Aero sandwich - what kind of confession is that for a chocaholic?

Loved the revue.

X

Deborah Carr (Debs) said...

Suzanne - neither have I and I always thought I was the queen of the chocaholics! We must be slipping.