School Lunch Rant

I have spring break this week, but I’m blogging about… school. I know, what a shocker.  

Anyway, a school in Chicago banned students from bringing in their own, homemade lunches. This is ridiculous. They claim they’re doing it because homemade lunches are only Cokes and other junk foods, as opposed to the wonderful healthy foods they serve. What. I’m sorry, but that’s just bullshit.

Sure, I know some kids whose parents forgot to give them money that morning so they usually just go to a drive-through that morning and get something off a dollar menu. I know people who bring Cokes as their own lunch. Heck, my own lunch consists of a bagel with cream cheese, iced tea or some other juice box, and a ‘dessert’ thing like peanut butter crackers, a muffin, cookie, Ritz crackers, and so on. I know, I’m spoiled. But yeah. Sure, some meals are unhealthy, but it’s not as bad as what schools serve, and some people bring in healthy food.

In my high school, seniors are allowed to go out for lunch. We have a lot of restaurants in the area, so they just order To Go then they eat it at school. Most people go to fast food places, but I see some healthier options, occasionally.

That ban is just a scam, in my opinion. At my friend ‘Ashley’s school, the freshmen aren’t allowed to eat out because Ashley’s school’s lunches are so horrible that if they offer people to go out, nobody would eat at the school and they’d lose money, so freshmen have to eat at the school. My friend ‘Clare’ also went to Ashley’s school, but Clare was a senior, so she went out to eat everyday. So, yeah. Ashley’s school forced freshman to stay in for lunch just so they could make money. And I know from an animal welfare club I’m in at school, we’re not allowed to sell stuff or offer food during lunch because it might take away business from the lunch people.

So… yeah. It’s stupid that they’re forcing kids to eat chemicals and other horrible stuff (Although kids with allergies get to bring their own lunches in) just for money. And I heard that Red Dye 40 makes kids hyperactive, so if they’re making kids hyperactive, then punishing them for being hyperactive… yeah.

Then there’s the costs. I know homemade lunches are sometimes expensive (Not like buying a new car expensive but compared to lunches), but I’ve seen people eat leftovers from the night before, which would be way cheaper than at least an additional 2 dollars a day. And just because the daily lunch is 2.70 or something (In my school), doesn’t mean people won’t buy additional stuff like mozzarella sticks (1 or 2 dollars), cookies (.50 cents each), drinks (1 dollar at least) and vending machine stuff (at least 1 dollar). Sure, these prices are for my school alone, but someone could hypothetically eat 5 dollars of food in one day, as opposed to leftovers from last night’s dinner or PB&J or something.

Banning homemade lunch is like turning off sinks and water fountains and plumbing in general during lunch because it’s competition to the overpriced and crappy water bottles they sell in the cafeteria. And what, are they going to convert 50 students to school lunch buyers? Is 100 dollars a day going to add up for the expenses of hiring the food provider people? :/ And are they going to walk up to people who bring their lunch and say ‘no, you can’t have that!’ and take it away?

And a last note, which is paraphrased from a comment I read on the Yahoo! article: Does this apply to teachers and principals, too?

Side note: I’m craving fast food now. xD But for Lent, I gave up McDonalds and Chinese food (In addition to Dove Chocolates) so I have to wait another two weeks. The Subway workers memorized my order because I only go there now. So… new restaurant time.