So, what’s for lunch this year?
Kids everywhere will tell you that what you take to school for
lunch is very important. Some prefer the standard
sandwich-and-apple fare. Some like the pre-packaged lunches
purchased at the grocery store. Others have more exotic tastes.
“I like pizza,” says eight-year-old Missy Benson. “When
Mommy and Daddy order a pizza for dinner and there is a piece left
over, that’s my favorite lunch of all.”
Ten-year-old Sally Sorenson prefers, well … sushi.
“My mom buys me this little tray of sushi rolls at the
store,” she explains. “They come with this little thing of
sauce for dipping, and they’re very good.” Her mother said
Sally developed her fondness for sushi about two years ago, when
she tried a bite at a party. She never thought she’d be packing
it in her daughter’s lunch, but it’s healthy and she eats it,
so her mother isn’t complaining.
Adam Daniels, an outspoken 11-year-old, says none of that fancy
stuff for him, thank you very much.
“I only eat peanut butter and jelly,” he said. “And
that’s it. Oh, and with a pudding cup. But only chocolate
pudding. Or maybe an apple. But that’s it.”
Seven-year-old Michael Swenson admits that his mother can get
away with packing him just about anything – as long as she rolls
it into a tortilla.
“I really like those things – I’m not sure how come,”
he said. “Sometimes my mom puts peanut butter on them, sometimes
she puts turkey on them, one time she made one with a pickle and
… that white stuff (cream cheese, his mother explained). That
one was really good.”
Johnny Taylor, who is eight, said overall, he prefers finding
plain old salad in his lunchbox.
“Sometimes it’s the only thing my parents can get me to
eat,” he confesses. “I love salad. Even when we got to a
restaurant, that’s usually what I order. Sometimes a hamburger
or sometimes grilled cheese. But usually salad.”
His parents are aware that this is unusual for a child, but
since Johnny is open to trying different vegetables on his salad,
and always likes it with dressing (for the fat) and crackers (for
the grain), they don’t worry too much about his nutritional
needs.
Seven-year-old Jessica Kester said when it comes to her lunch,
her mom can’t go wrong with finger-foods.
“I like stuff I can eat with my hands,” Jessica explains.
“Sometimes my mom takes toothpicks and puts little marshmallows
and pieces of apple on them. I can’t remember what she calls
them, but they’re VERY yummy. She also sometimes takes my
sandwich and cuts it into a whole bunch of little sandwiches. They
taste better that way.”
Brittany Watson, who is six, said no matter what else her dad
puts in her lunch, she’d better find a thermos of soup.
“Soup is my favorite,” she said. “I like any kind of soup
as long as it has chicken and noodles in it. And those little
pieces of carrots. I like those.”
Although most schools offer a hot-lunch program, many kids said
they actually prefer bringing lunch from home most days.
“Well, it’s like – what if you don’t bring your lunch
and then what they have at school is something you don’t
like?” says seven-year-old Natalie Kellogg. “Then you either
don’t have any lunch or you have to try to eat something that
might make you want to puke. If you bring your lunch from home,
you can always tell your mom not to put something in there that
you don’t like.”
And something that, hopefully, won’t make you want to puke.
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