Adventures in the school lunchroom...1

The jelly doughnuts for lunch was one thing, but the second strange lunch in a week calls for a blog entry devoted entirely to the school-lunch experience.

So what could we be served that would stand with jelly doughnuts as the odd and unexpected lunch of the week? What could match the jelly doughnuts in carbs, fat and lack of nutritional value?
Pasta. Thick pasta topped with cold shredded cheese and sour cream. Not a dollop of sour cream for garnish, I'm talkin' like half a cup of sour cream. The cheap/lazy man's Alfredo sauce maybe? only cold and not mixed? Who knows but it followed a cream of potato soup with ham (the ham being the only thing on the tray that wasn't white).

Now, let me back up and explain the entire process of lunch here at Arány János Primary School. First, we get a menu every week with the days of the week and two main course choices for each day and then we choose which one we want (this is always one week ahead). The other English teachers help me but most of the menu doesn't translate and comes down to "meat with sauce and rice or a different meat with sauce and noodles" so I don't usually know what is coming even if I could remember back to what I read when we are served it a week later.

Next comes the part of actually going to get lunch. Lunch is served from 11:30 to 1:30 and I think the students are somehow staggered into this schedule but it is somewhat unclear, people seem to go when they want. You grab your tray (usually wet) your fork, knife and spoon (always wet) and a piece of bread (which you hope doesn't soak up all of the tray water before you get your plate.) Next you get to the little window. LITTLE window. They have the kitchen built low so that the window and the eye-level of the servers is the same as the students' (who are 8-13 years old) which means that I have to crouch down to see into it and hand the lady my ticket, hold my breath, and wait to see what comes out.

There is usually a long line of students waiting for lunch and teachers are supposed to, expected to, cut to the front. I still feel weird about this but after getting yelled at by everyone when I waited behind even 3 students in line instead of going to the front I have learned just to push my way in and grab a tray or go when I know that there aren't many students so there won't be a line I have to jump. Teachers also have special rules when it comes to getting your food. The servers always line up the bowls of soup and plates of meat-sauce-starch on the counter in the window and you take one. Except for teachers. Teachers must wait for a fresh, fuller bowl to be poured and a fresh larger plate to be made. At first I tried taking the kids portions (which with both courses could still feed two people) but no, not ok- I must be served my bigger "teacher's portion" even if I never finish it.

I like the lunchroom though, It is a great place to see how the students interact with each other, what the classroom dynamics are that don't show themselves in class. For example who knew that Anikő from 7b and Marcí from 7a were a couple? apparently this month they are. And quiet Diana from 8a is actually joined at the hip with the won't-shut-her-mouth Ms. Popular Petra in 8b.

All for now, it's lunchtime...soup perhaps? and meat? with sauce and mushy rice? or maybe chocolate cake? You never know.