Are school lunches really that bad? As a student who eats school lunches every day and a picky eater, I would say that while some days the food is great, other days, it’s unpalatable. Here are some of my ratings for school food in the last two weeks.
The vegetarian pizza was okay, although it was pretty dry. I’d rate it a 4/5 because I’m a lover of pizza, and it tasted like New York Pizza, but it was still too dry.
Today’s lunch was different from the sandwiches, salads, and other typical dishes that M-A usually serves. I liked the mashed potatoes but would give the overall meal a 3/5 as the beef was a bit tasteless.
Junior Jace Furman said, “I think the school lunches are probably a lot higher quality than other schools might have, but they definitely have a long ways to go in terms of improvement. A lot of their food is low quality. I would rate today’s lunch a 2/5 or 3/5.”
The chicken quesadilla was very dry and had a funny taste, as the cheese tasted off. The vegetables were okay but unextraordinary. I would rate this lunch a 2/5. This lunch was not very filling, and I don’t think it was enough food for a high schooler. The burritos also weren’t great and tasted greasy. I rate today’s lunch a 1/5.
Senior Eden Fisher said, “ This lunch is alright. It’s pretty good for school lunches, but I do think it could be better quality, especially when some of the batches are older, or don’t taste as fresh. But, they are good quality for school lunches and they’re free. I would rate it a 2/5.”
Junior Landon Picard said, “I thought the lunches were pretty dry, not too good. The pizza was, it wasn’t so pizza-y and I would rate it a 2/5.”
I’m not sure what makes a pizza not “pizza-y,” but I think today’s lunch was a bit flavorless. I’d give it a 3/5. 
The spaghetti was not bad, though it was cold by the time I got my food. I thought the stuffed cheese bread was dry and I wasn’t a fan, although I know it’s a favorite of some other students. I give this lunch a 3/5.
Senior Alex Fraser said some interesting things: “We had a choice of spaghetti or spaghetti with cheese. I took spaghetti with cheese. I thought it was gonna be hot because it had insulation on it, but it wasn’t even warm. It was cold. I did like the meat in the tomatoes, but it was not well-seasoned. Other than that, I would rate it a 4/5.” I wasn’t a huge fan of the jalapeño on a cheeseburger, and I generally don’t like spicy food anyway. However, it did make the burger more flavorful and interesting. I’d rate this as one of the better lunches, at 4/5.
Sophomore Bruce Klingspor said, “In general, school lunches are not the most diverse food options, and I wouldn’t say they’re the highest quality, but they’re not inedible. For today’s lunch, I give it a 2/5.” 
I think this was my first time trying jícama, and I thought it was a bit flavorless and dry. The broccoli was well-cooked, and the rice and beef were good too, especially together. I’d give this lunch a 4/5.
Junior Maeko Solomon, who chose a different lunch for the day, said, “I had a burger, and it was pretty good. It’s usually kind of dry, so I had to put a bunch of ketchup on it. I would rate it a 5/5. The quality was good but it probably could be better.” For someone who’s not big on sandwiches, particularly ones that only have meat in them, I did not love the meat lovers’ sandwich. It was just bread with pork, nothing else with it, and it was a bit boring. Unfortunately this lunch gets a 1/5, and I didn’t even want to finish it.
Senior Kiely Tabaldo chose the other lunch option of the day, and enjoyed it much more. Tabaldo said, “I had a burger and celery sticks. It was good, and I’d rate it 5/5. The quality was great, and I know there was blood, sweat, and tears put into that burger.” Overall, school lunches have their ups and downs. While I didn’t like some of the meals, they were mostly alright, especially for being free.
