By Michael Lin, Staff writer.
A healthy body is a healthy mind, and a healthy mind encourages better performance in daily tasks. Since the fall of 2020, California has required its schools to provide free lunches in order to support students from low income families to survive in the face of food insecurity. However, the cafeteria at Mills High School lacks the means to prepare healthy, desirable lunches for all students to eat.
After three long hours of challenging schoolwork, students crave food and the companionship of their fellow classmates. Seniors might want to be saved by the bell and leave school, while other students may ponder on what to eat instead of what questions they should be working on. Brendon Phimsoutham (12), a senior at Mills, comments, “Oh it’s great, it takes a lot off my shoulders, so that I can eat in the comfort of my own home, instead of waiting for my next class” . He equates the lunch line to a battlefield which he is exempt from facing due to his shorter schedule at school. But alas, some could wait for the entire lunch period and receive little more than snacks by the time he or she reaches the counter. The wait for a ringing bell as stated earlier is a painstaking exercise of patience. “They only gave me tater tots because they ran out of other options” According to Daniel Gao (12) a senior at Mills High School, he faces the disadvantages of not only a long line, but the distance and clustered mass of students between class and the cafeteria.
Furthermore, some students are unable to hold a spot in the tedious line directing them to food. “I like going to the cafeteria because they have a larger selection of food, but I get there too slow and the line is like 100 people, and I have to resort to the snack bag that no one wants.” Jeremy Pan (12) has been a long time patron of school lunch, and even in his current position as a senior, he is not immune to the fate of consuming scooby snacks in a dark isolated corner. “I got a cheeseburger; the bread was hard as a rock, the patty was dry, and the cheese looked like plastic stuck on a tin foil, and I had to wash it down with water.” The moment Hanson Han (12) found his place in the cafeteria counter, all that remained was unsatisfactory leftovers. And while he ate his burger, Hanson could do nothing but watch those with better lunch and weep internally as they gorged themselves.
When it comes to school lunch, there is much room for improvement. Last Fall, the Los Angeles Unified School District announced a new menu that includes egg white breakfast wraps, vegetarian ramen, gumbo, glazed carrots organic cheeseburgers, kung pao chicken with honey glaze and brown rice and broccoli, cinnamon rolls, ramen bowls, smoothies, and yogurt and fruit breakfast bowls. The superintendent in Los Angeles claims Federal and State fundings are paying for these delicacies. Taking into consideration that the San Mateo Union High School district is one of the wealthiest in the country, why is our menu still so dismal?
True, this Michelin-inspired menu is supposed to cater to low-income students, but how can that differentiation be made in the line for school lunch? The truth is that everyone– rich or poor– ends up short in the line of the cafeteria. The sun shines equally on all the hungry ones.
Congressional Democrats in Washington DC are aiming at expanding free lunch with a bill entitled “Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids Act,” which partners schools with farms for fresh produce. Unfortunately, the bill did not pass.
What can be hoped is that the school uniforms the menu so that all students have access to the same quality and level of food.
After visiting the San Mateo Union High School District website, I realized that there are options for parents to guarantee their child’s lunch. Parents can pre-pay online, so that their child can have their food saved. This might be a great idea for parents who are reluctant to send out their children with cash, which could be led astray with promises of hot Cheetos and candy. Students can also opt to provide proof of low income, which guarantees them free lunch, but not which free lunch. It must be mentioned that a problem with this approach is that many falsify their documents and defraud the government out of this right. It would be hoped that free lunch is a luxury guaranteed only to those who indeed need it. It can hardly be expected that the denizens of Millbrae constitute recipients of EBT.
Some students like those who work at the cafeteria provide optimistic suggestions “It’s not as fancy as the ones we see on TikTok in Korea or Japan, but it’s not that bad. Pizza is definitely the safest option, in my opinion. And there are a variety of options to suit your taste buds.” Natalie Yeung (12) Without being critical about the quality of school lunches Natalie suggested a neutral, yet rather pragmatic description of food quality.
Overall, Mills High School must create a uniform school lunch so that all students can have access to the same food. Students could be able to make their selection at home as well. This would allow students with allergies to make adjustments, like on a flight. Food is important for a well functioning brain, so all students should be able to access a healthy and tasty meal.
