To eat or not to eat. . .

    School lunches have always been the center of jokes, but our school's lunches bring these jokes to a whole new level. Our school specializes in month-old chili, rock hard buns, crunchy cinnamon rolls and, my personal favorite, rubbery salisbury steak.

    Usually, I refuse to eat anything "cooked" by the school, only because I want to know for sure what I am eating is indeed, edible. I try not to eat anything that isn't served to me in a package.

    My daily diet consists of a ham sandwhich, Aunt Vickie's Jalapeno Chips and a Red Diamond Iced Tea.

    I don't get adventurous when it comes to school lunches. I'm too afraid.

    Another thing I do do not understand is why I'm charged almost a dollar more if I pay with cash. Most places encourage you to pay with cash and give you a discount if you do so.

    It costs the same amount of money to make the lunch regarless if you use your lunch card or pay with cash.

    Supposedly, the state gives the school a certain percentage of money back if the students use their lunch cards. If I was to pay with cash, I should not be discriminated against for it.

    My biggest problem is with the rude service I get everyday.

    I have been "harassed" numerous times by the lunch staff about small issues like bying a milk separate and asking for exttra mustard.

    When I was in line for lunch one day, one of the many new teachers at El Dorado High School was trying to pay for his lunch with cash. THe cashier wouldn't allow him to pay because she didn't have enough change. So he offered to use his card, but he was $5 negative so she wouldn't allow him to use it. I could not believe it, he is a teacher! It is not like he will never pay them back. Plus, they know where to find him.

    I have noticed more and more people have stopped eating the school lunches and the reasons are more than abvious in my opinion.

    Fortunately, when the new lunch room and kitchen are built all the former "a la carte" items will be added back to the menu along with a few new things. Until then, it seems that we ahve two choices; eat or starve. Personally, I choose to starve.