The New Lunches Need More Variety

AMANDA TANG Staff Writer

As the new school year unfolds, the district has begun offering new options for school lunches that are meant to represent culture in our community. 

Starting in the beginning of the 2019 school year, students will have new food options such as Nachos on Mondays and Thursdays, Pho on Tuesdays and Fridays and Ramen on Wednesdays. With these new food items there is more variety to the school lunches. 

Although people may be excited for the the new food. the same three meals rotate within different days every week, it is safe to question whether or not students at AHS will grow tired of these dishes over time. In other words, this rotation of food will seem boring to many consumers on campus. 

Another concern is the factor of flavor. Most school lunches lack depth of flavor due to the budgeting issues. Saving money, not adding flavor may be the top priority for the district. Week by week, students’ interest in the new offering may begin to wane and they may stop ordering the new options altogether.

 There could be different improvements to these foods if certain aspects in the foods were formatted to change over time to benefit students’ changing pallettes. Currently, the nacho bar usually offers beef, cheese, scallions, salsa and sour cream. This basic menu can get tired quickly. Maybe different toppings such as guacamole, fresh lettuce, grilled onions or olives could be introduced.

This can be done the same toward the Pho and Ramen, swapping out different meats that go along with different types of soup bases, such as tomato, to keep the meals delicious but also still fresh in variety. These small changes could go a long way toward keeping students from getting tired of the options.

 Another solution is to simply swap out the meals overall. In reality, different cultures contain food diversity and the district can promote this even further if there was a change in the meals. Every culture holds different dishes that still release abundant amounts of flavor. Introducing new dishes could also expose students to new types of foods they have never tried before. It would allow students to experiment and see what flavors they prefer.

 If the district did agree to pack in more diverse lunch meals, it would not only bring more students to be fascinated by the choices of meals, but it could also bring appreciation of food from different backgrounds. This new change could bring more knowledge to students about various food items, something that would change a lot of perspectives about different cultures in general. 

The new additions of meals involving culture appreciation is something most students enjoy, but there are definitely ways to improve the satisfaction of students who eat in the cafeteria. With a few more changes, fresh, new meals will keep everyone wanting more.