Roufs |
| School lunches |
 | |  | |  |
| (c) Gretchen Roufs. All rights reserved. |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
My school lunch Holy Trinity, Winsted, Minnesota
by Gretchen Roufs
For 12 years I had the same school lunchroom in the
basement of the high school. We had yellow plastic
trays with compartments – a long skinny one for
silverware and other ones that seemed like the kind
on a TV tray. I don’t remember that they gave us
napkins, but I know we had a metal fork.
To drink: a little carton of milk. Chocolate milk on
Fridays. Some kids brought their own lunches – so
they usually bought the milk only.
by Gretchen Roufs
For 12 years I had the same school lunchroom in the
basement of the high school. We had yellow plastic
trays with compartments – a long skinny one for
silverware and other ones that seemed like the kind
on a TV tray. I don’t remember that they gave us
napkins, but I know we had a metal fork.
To drink: a little carton of milk. Chocolate milk on
Fridays. Some kids brought their own lunches – so
they usually bought the milk only.
From Mary Pat Sterner Giambruno
Holy Trinity, Winsted, Minnesota
February 14, 2008
Dear GRR,
My older sister Kathy passed on your school lunch memories. Very funny.
Jone finally cancelled her Winsted journal a few years ago because the only thing she enjoyed
reading was the school lunch menu and even that lost it's appeal after they added newfangled items
like Italian dunkers.
Remember how ratty the lunch tickets got by the end of the two weeks, and just imagine 10 meals for
$3.00, with virtually everything homemade.
Gretchen surely you must remember the big roaster filled with the flabby low quality hotdogs,
Hamburger potato hotdish, hamburger rice hotdish. And just plain hotdish (hamburger, elbow
macaroni, celery and tomatoes) Italian spaghetti (pronounced Eye- talian spaghetti) Yummy grilled
cheese (oven baked) sandwiches egg salad sandwiches (ish) and minced ham sandwiches (
regular or ground up) the lunch ladies would say over and over 1 or 2, 1 or 2........ and I do believe
"ground up, minced ham" is an oxymoron.
I know you could never forget the oven baked scrambled eggs with pools of melted butter on top, that
were strangely, very good.
My all time favorite dessert was the lemon pie squares with the thick short bread crust and
EVERYBODY loved the fried cinnamon rolls and would beg to no avail for seconds same for the
chocolate chip bars.
Hot lunch was the highlight of my 12 years at HTHS, that and having a little chat with Mixie, and
perhaps catching a glimpse of the dashing Mr Gormley.
Perhaps this will jog your memory, LARGE baking pans approx 4" tall with very wiggly baked
scrambled eggs, it was whispered that they were made out of "powdered eggs". Today one could
possible call them a plain baked frittata or even a soufflé. They were definitely a Friday staple and I
am sure a cooks favorite as they probably required little prep, especially if the powdered egg rumor
was true. For years I was too scared to actually taste them, but when I did I had to admit they were
delicious, especially with the requisite butter sandwich.
Do you remember in grade school how we would "take the tunnel" in the cold winter months and
about half way through you could start to smell the days lunch offering. In high school the smell
would start drifting up the stairs about 10:30. I do believe some lunches produced a large amount of
personal gas around 2:30, thank goodness school was out at 3:15.
A few more things.....
thanks for the memories.
Fondly, mary pat
Holy Trinity, Winsted, Minnesota
February 14, 2008
Dear GRR,
My older sister Kathy passed on your school lunch memories. Very funny.
Jone finally cancelled her Winsted journal a few years ago because the only thing she enjoyed
reading was the school lunch menu and even that lost it's appeal after they added newfangled items
like Italian dunkers.
Remember how ratty the lunch tickets got by the end of the two weeks, and just imagine 10 meals for
$3.00, with virtually everything homemade.
Gretchen surely you must remember the big roaster filled with the flabby low quality hotdogs,
Hamburger potato hotdish, hamburger rice hotdish. And just plain hotdish (hamburger, elbow
macaroni, celery and tomatoes) Italian spaghetti (pronounced Eye- talian spaghetti) Yummy grilled
cheese (oven baked) sandwiches egg salad sandwiches (ish) and minced ham sandwiches (
regular or ground up) the lunch ladies would say over and over 1 or 2, 1 or 2........ and I do believe
"ground up, minced ham" is an oxymoron.
I know you could never forget the oven baked scrambled eggs with pools of melted butter on top, that
were strangely, very good.
My all time favorite dessert was the lemon pie squares with the thick short bread crust and
EVERYBODY loved the fried cinnamon rolls and would beg to no avail for seconds same for the
chocolate chip bars.
Hot lunch was the highlight of my 12 years at HTHS, that and having a little chat with Mixie, and
perhaps catching a glimpse of the dashing Mr Gormley.
Perhaps this will jog your memory, LARGE baking pans approx 4" tall with very wiggly baked
scrambled eggs, it was whispered that they were made out of "powdered eggs". Today one could
possible call them a plain baked frittata or even a soufflé. They were definitely a Friday staple and I
am sure a cooks favorite as they probably required little prep, especially if the powdered egg rumor
was true. For years I was too scared to actually taste them, but when I did I had to admit they were
delicious, especially with the requisite butter sandwich.
Do you remember in grade school how we would "take the tunnel" in the cold winter months and
about half way through you could start to smell the days lunch offering. In high school the smell
would start drifting up the stairs about 10:30. I do believe some lunches produced a large amount of
personal gas around 2:30, thank goodness school was out at 3:15.
A few more things.....
- chow mein with Bartlett pear sauce
- vanilla cake with mini choc chips and white sugar on top
- brownies with powdered sugar
- porcupine meatballs with mashed potatoes
- deviled egg
- chili (lots of celery)
- THE PRUNES
- peach halves in heavy syrup
- wiener winks with catsup ....not ketchup
- and another Friday winner mac and cheese
- chicken gravy over mashed potatoes
- peanut butter cookies with the forkmarks
- chow mein noodle cookies
- getting hungry!!!!!!!!
- Valentine's Day would have been a chocolate sheet cake with a nice squirt of whipped cream
and a jauntily positioned conversation heart. - fruit cocktail with the bloated green grapes
thanks for the memories.
Fondly, mary pat
We had optional sandwiches daily. Jam, or peanut butter, or butter, but not mixed. We had a big
spoonful of raisins daily (my friends used to laugh about how I picked them up) and we also had
slices of cheese. We could have as many sandwiches and raisins and as much cheese as we
wanted.
I think it started out at 25 cents and then went to 35 cents. Because I wore a uniform, I kept my lunch
ticket (good for 2 weeks) in the pocket of the navy blue sweater or blazer.
The kids sat at tables – mostly by class but you could, I think, sit where you wanted. The teachers sat
together at a special long table. We didn’t have supervisors or bosses in the cafeteria. Tilly was the
one who punched our tickets and she pretty much kept an eye on things, while the lunch ladies
served us and one was in charge of the dishwasher. Usually with a boy or two (I think, maybe, 8th
graders) to help. All age groups were there together from 1st grade through 12th.
When Mr. Wright or Mr. Mahoney would walk into the lunchroom with their trays, the high school boys
would sing funny songs using their names. For Mr. Wright it was “Denny Wright, Denny Wright, we
think you’re out of sight” to the tune of the Mexican Hat Dance. To Mr. Mahoney it was “Jerry Mahoney,
Jerry Mahoney, “ to the tune of “K-K-K Katy”.
In grade school, there was always a recess tacked on at the end of lunch.
We would have hamburger gravy over mashed potatoes. Sloppy joes. Fish sticks (on Fridays, of
course). Tuna hotdish. Tuna burgers – these open-faced things with a little cheese on the top.
Pizzaburgers. Same concept as the tuna, but with pizza. Spaghetti. Green salad with white shiny
dressing (on the side, not an entrée). Vegetables, but usually one at a time, not mixed. Tacos (but I
don’t think limited to Wednesdays). Turkey (on special occasions – like around holiday time). Jello.
Pie served in squares. Cake. Ice cream in a little cup with a cover (but rarely). You had to take
everything, and while I don’t remember having supervisors, I do remember feeling very badly if I didn’t
eat something (and not too many kids left anything on their plate). Oh yeah – I can see the perfectly
square pieces of gingerbread with the dollop of whipped topping.
I think I might need to talk with my friend Mary Jo, whose mom was a cook, and get more details. I’m
concerned right now that I can’t remember more of the entrees (or, I suppose, I could go on line to my
local newspaper, where the menus were published weekly).
We had to take our trays to the counter when we were done. Use the forks to scrape them, throw the
milk cartons in another garbage can, and stack the trays on the stainless steel counter where they
grabbed them and popped them (seemed noisy, as I remember) in the dishwasher.
The biggest deal is that when I started to think about my school lunch, the first thing that came to
mind is the time I was caught shooting green peas at another kid. My cousin Keith (6 or 8 years older
than I was) swooped into the cafeteria and saw me standing in the corner. He used his connections
with the nuns and got me released from captivity. I think it was the last time I threw food.
spoonful of raisins daily (my friends used to laugh about how I picked them up) and we also had
slices of cheese. We could have as many sandwiches and raisins and as much cheese as we
wanted.
I think it started out at 25 cents and then went to 35 cents. Because I wore a uniform, I kept my lunch
ticket (good for 2 weeks) in the pocket of the navy blue sweater or blazer.
The kids sat at tables – mostly by class but you could, I think, sit where you wanted. The teachers sat
together at a special long table. We didn’t have supervisors or bosses in the cafeteria. Tilly was the
one who punched our tickets and she pretty much kept an eye on things, while the lunch ladies
served us and one was in charge of the dishwasher. Usually with a boy or two (I think, maybe, 8th
graders) to help. All age groups were there together from 1st grade through 12th.
When Mr. Wright or Mr. Mahoney would walk into the lunchroom with their trays, the high school boys
would sing funny songs using their names. For Mr. Wright it was “Denny Wright, Denny Wright, we
think you’re out of sight” to the tune of the Mexican Hat Dance. To Mr. Mahoney it was “Jerry Mahoney,
Jerry Mahoney, “ to the tune of “K-K-K Katy”.
In grade school, there was always a recess tacked on at the end of lunch.
We would have hamburger gravy over mashed potatoes. Sloppy joes. Fish sticks (on Fridays, of
course). Tuna hotdish. Tuna burgers – these open-faced things with a little cheese on the top.
Pizzaburgers. Same concept as the tuna, but with pizza. Spaghetti. Green salad with white shiny
dressing (on the side, not an entrée). Vegetables, but usually one at a time, not mixed. Tacos (but I
don’t think limited to Wednesdays). Turkey (on special occasions – like around holiday time). Jello.
Pie served in squares. Cake. Ice cream in a little cup with a cover (but rarely). You had to take
everything, and while I don’t remember having supervisors, I do remember feeling very badly if I didn’t
eat something (and not too many kids left anything on their plate). Oh yeah – I can see the perfectly
square pieces of gingerbread with the dollop of whipped topping.
I think I might need to talk with my friend Mary Jo, whose mom was a cook, and get more details. I’m
concerned right now that I can’t remember more of the entrees (or, I suppose, I could go on line to my
local newspaper, where the menus were published weekly).
We had to take our trays to the counter when we were done. Use the forks to scrape them, throw the
milk cartons in another garbage can, and stack the trays on the stainless steel counter where they
grabbed them and popped them (seemed noisy, as I remember) in the dishwasher.
The biggest deal is that when I started to think about my school lunch, the first thing that came to
mind is the time I was caught shooting green peas at another kid. My cousin Keith (6 or 8 years older
than I was) swooped into the cafeteria and saw me standing in the corner. He used his connections
with the nuns and got me released from captivity. I think it was the last time I threw food.
| So... why the "School lunches" page? Well, it's a good icebreaker Plus, it's nostalgia...and ... why not? There IS a longer backstory here, however, as you might guess. |