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subego · Oct 4, 2011, 06:00 AM

When left to my own devices, it was frozen pizza and cup-o-soup.

Cafeteria food in high school was nominally healthier, but we had easy access to soda.

ghporter · Oct 4, 2011, 07:06 AM

Brown bag, just about every day. We had a school milk program, so for pennies we all got a small carton (1/2 cup? 1 cup) of milk, all the way up through high school. There were vending machines at the high school, but I tended to be short on pocket money most of the time, so I usually stuck with what I brought, and that was just fine.

subego · Oct 4, 2011, 07:57 AM

I'm almost positive that was a bajillion times better than what they were serving in the caf.

osiris · Oct 4, 2011, 09:18 AM

I've brown bagged through high school, crappy bologna sandwiches or PB&J.

Never had a taste for the hot lunches (except grilled cheese & tater tots!!)

MrsLarry · Oct 4, 2011, 09:18 AM

In elementary school, mostly brown bag - bologna and cheese was my fav, and usually a milk. But got "hot lunch" at school maybe once or twice a week. (chicken nugget day wooo!)

High school was mostly buying lunch in the cafeteria - all the cool kids did it - and yes, a soda from the vending machine.

-Q- · Oct 4, 2011, 09:41 AM

Elementary and middle was brown bagging it. Usually a PB&J and fruit or some sort of deli meat and veggies. High school was buying in the cafeteria when I ate lunch. Doubt the lunch at high school was particularly healthy as I seem to recall french fries were the side dish always offered, no matter what the main course was.

Lunch was average, but I do recall a "mexican pizza" that was quite good. Need to see if I can dig up that recipe. It was a spicy tomato sauce and cheese I don't recall. Man, it was good.

andi*pandi · Oct 4, 2011, 11:10 AM

Elementary: mostly hot lunch, which I don't recall being bad. I might have had a packed lunch if it was something I hated, like shepard's pie, and so I could use my awesome Charlie's Angels lunchbox. If you had last lunch you could go up for seconds and kids raced for it. If you forgot your lunch money you got a frozen pb&j or cheese sandwich. Once in first grade when I didn't want to bug my mom for a check I "made my own lunch" and the teachers gave me a frozen sandwich too. Friday pizza day was very popular.

Junior high: Mom delegated lunch-making to me, I had lots of bologna and cheese sandwiches in garfield lunch bags.

High school: I didn't make my own lunch that often, bought hot lunch and shared amongst friends. Senior year I think I even used my own money. We had vending machines but they were for after school.

MrsLarry · Oct 4, 2011, 11:23 AM

Ohh! I just remembered Lunchables... remember those??? The pizza one was the best, but any of them were totally cool.

Paco500 · Oct 4, 2011, 06:33 PM

Elementary and middle school were mostly brown-bagging it for me. I say brown bagging, but I was a child of the 70's and always got a boss new lunchbox every year.

For high-school, I was at a boarding school so it was what every was being served in the dining hall. Seems at least once a week we had mac and cheese and cinnamon bread. That was the best day.

Shaddim · Oct 4, 2011, 08:11 PM

A mix of brown bag and school lunch. When times were really bad for us financially, which was fairly often, I was able to get on the free school lunch program. The food was pretty bad in K-8, but few of us complained because we were just happy to get something to eat. In HS that all changed. I had a job and bought my own lunch at school, and the food was much better. We had salad bars, fresh pizza, grilled burgers and hot dogs, and lasagna 2x /week.

imitchellg5 · 09:55 PM

I had a little tin Star Wars lunchbox that I have to this day. Used it every year between K-6. My school didn't offer any lunch program or anything, so we all had lunches. Generally I had a ham and cheese sandwich and a banana or apple with some juice.

BLAZE_MkIV · Oct 4, 2011, 09:11 PM

Originally Posted by ghporter

Brown bag, just about every day. We had a school milk program, so for pennies we all got a small carton (1/2 cup? 1 cup) of milk, all the way up through high school. There were vending machines at the high school, but I tended to be short on pocket money most of the time, so I usually stuck with what I brought, and that was just fine.

this

Atheist · Oct 4, 2011, 09:26 PM

I always went home for lunch.

subego · Oct 5, 2011, 12:13 AM

Lunchboxes were awesome.

Who remembers shaking their Thermos to make sure it wasn't filled with glass shards?

subego · Oct 5, 2011, 12:15 AM

Originally Posted by Atheist

I always went home for lunch.

I'm jealous.

My closest school was at least a half-hour away. My high school was an hour.

calverson · Oct 5, 2011, 12:31 AM

School lunches in England... Horrible.

subego · Oct 5, 2011, 12:43 AM

Meals and "in England" rarely turns out for the best.

calverson · Oct 5, 2011, 12:48 AM

Some of the best seafood I have had has been in small, smoky, jazz-bars off of the coast of Portsmouth. There was a restaurant that was entirely in a wine-cellar, and had some of the best crab I have ever had. (and I have been all over Europe and the West Coast of the States, including San Fran)

But yes, the general quality of meal in England is ugh... in the USA it's meh, in Italy it's WIN!!111

subego · Oct 5, 2011, 01:10 AM

No disagreement about Italy.

I never been thrilled with West Coast food, the exceptions being seafood and Mexican.

calverson · Oct 5, 2011, 01:20 AM

I am yet to sample East Coast Cuisine. I heard there are some amazing delis in NY, as well as great pizza.

Having had pizza in Italy, though, am I going to find anything in the States that even compares?

calverson · Oct 5, 2011, 01:21 AM

Originally Posted by subego

I never been thrilled with West Coast food, the exceptions being seafood and Mexican.

And In-n-Out

besson3c · Oct 5, 2011, 01:28 AM

Originally Posted by calverson

And In-n-Out

Five Guys > In-n-Out

calverson · Oct 5, 2011, 01:35 AM

Not this again

subego · Oct 5, 2011, 02:03 AM

Definitely Five Guys.

Brien · Oct 5, 2011, 03:08 AM

Nah, In N' Out.

subego · Oct 5, 2011, 03:32 AM

Why?

Defend your claim, Sir!

Athens · Oct 5, 2011, 03:44 AM

Packed lunch i hardly ate from grade what ever to 7, didn't each lunch from 8-12

Madison · Oct 5, 2011, 05:02 AM

I brown bagged it approx. 99% of the time from Kindergarten through 12th grade. Mom always made me a good lunch, and I got a milk at school for some ridiculously low price every day. About the only part of school I recall fondly.

osiris · Oct 5, 2011, 09:49 AM

Originally Posted by calverson

Having had pizza in Italy, though, am I going to find anything in the States that even compares?

Oh yes, Numero 28 Welcome Numero 28 pizzeria
has become my favorite pizza place on the east coast. Italian through and through.

There are 3 other pizza joints nearby - John's of Bleecker St, Joe's, and another place not worth mentioning.

John's and Joe's are now well known tourist places, and the quality seems to fluctuate wildly. Try Numero 28 if you're here.

calverson · Oct 5, 2011, 12:40 PM

I will sir–thank you very much!

sek929 · Oct 5, 2011, 03:10 PM

Brown bag from Kindergarten to Senior year of HS, though by then I was so ravenously hungry I'd usually buy a slice of pizza too.

Person Man · Oct 5, 2011, 05:15 PM

Originally Posted by calverson

But yes, the general quality of meal in England is ugh... in the USA it's meh, in Italy it's WIN!!111

Food in Greece is pretty WIN!!!111 too.

As for me... I got lunch at school from elementary school through high school.

In elementary school and middle school we had the typical "school lunch variety."

High school was a different story. It started out as the usual variety but they always had pizza and french fries, which is what most kids got. I only resorted to it if the other stuff wasn't very appealing. Then, the last two years (this was 1991-1993) the fast food places made a big push into the schools. So, we had Pizza Hut on Mondays, Domino's on Thursdays, and Taco Bell on Fridays. Tuesdays and Wednesdays were... yup, you guessed it... school pizza and french fries.

Speaking of school pizza... why was it always that 5 x 7 inch rectangular cardboard with government cheese and little "bacon bits" they claimed were either sausage or pepperoni?

subego · Oct 5, 2011, 05:45 PM

Originally Posted by calverson

Having had pizza in Italy, though, am I going to find anything in the States that even compares?

They're really apples and oranges.

A proper East Coast pizza is pretty oily, which sinks through the crust and makes it floppy. You often have to fold it to maintain structural integrity (or eat it with a fork).

Genuine Italian pizza would be considered a flatbread, unless it's made by genuine Italians from Italy (or people putting on airs), who call it a pizza.

SpaceMonkey · Oct 5, 2011, 06:07 PM

And then of course there is Chicago style.

subego · Oct 5, 2011, 06:10 PM

Which, speaking as a native, I can say is rarely done well. Lots of places have slid since the heyday.

Uno's is our big franchise export, and it's garbage.

subego · Oct 5, 2011, 06:19 PM

Chicago hot dogs have likewise slid since Dave Berg sold out.

It is still the case however that "everything" does not include ketchup, and if you ask for ketchup on it, the guy at the counter will scowl and hand you a bottle rather than putting it on themselves.

One place will then take your picture and put it on a "Wall of Shame".

Person Man · Oct 5, 2011, 06:38 PM

Originally Posted by subego

Uno's is our big franchise export, and it's garbage.

Slightly off topic, but I'll ask anyways. I'm going to be in Chicago next weekend for a meetup of a group of people from another forum I participate on. One of the things we are going to do as a group is go to Lou Malnati's Pizzeria for "authentic Chicago style" pizza.

So, how "authentic" is Lou Malnati's?

subego · Oct 5, 2011, 06:51 PM

I was going to recommend Lou's as an example of the real thing, but I thought it wouldn't be useful.

Be sure to get the buttercrust.

The sausage is good, but they use enormous amounts, which can be off-putting. I'm happy with cheese and buttercrust.

If you're in the city proper, the one that's downtown on Wells street is better than the one in Lincoln Park. Both in quality and atmosphere.

tightsocks · Oct 6, 2011, 01:52 PM

Middle school through 10th grade:

White bag (with my name imprinted on it)
Cheese, chicken loaf, or lebanon bologna sandwich
veggies: usually slices of bell pepper
fruit: typically kiwi or carambola (star fruit)
Libby's Juicy Juice juice box
cookies.

subego · Oct 6, 2011, 04:16 PM

What is the difference between Lebanon bologna and bologna bologna?

Shaddim · Oct 6, 2011, 04:19 PM

Lebanon bologna is more like salami.

subego · Oct 6, 2011, 04:21 PM

What kind? A soft, bologna-like salami?

Shaddim · Oct 6, 2011, 04:22 PM

It varies.

subego · 05:48 PM

Ahhh... Pennsylvania Dutch Lebanon. Not Lebanon Lebanese Lebanon.

Shaddim · Oct 6, 2011, 05:25 PM

Our local deli sells it and I grab a 1/2lb every now and then. It's fantastic with Cuban crackers, sharp cheddar, and a cafe con leche.

subego · Oct 6, 2011, 05:47 PM

How hard is it?

I like my salami like I like my men: hard and encased in intestines.

Shaddim · Oct 6, 2011, 05:52 PM

It's not like a hard salami, but harder than regular bologna and has a more coarse texture.

subego · Oct 6, 2011, 06:08 PM

Hmmm... I'll try a slice if I get a chance, but it doesn't seem like my thing. I'd rather have a hunter sausage/landjaeger sort of deal.

turtle777 · Oct 6, 2011, 06:17 PM

Originally Posted by Person Man

Slightly off topic, but I'll ask anyways. I'm going to be in Chicago next weekend for a meetup of a group of people from another forum I participate on. One of the things we are going to do as a group is go to Lou Malnati's Pizzeria for "authentic Chicago style" pizza.

So, how "authentic" is Lou Malnati's?

Yeah, most people in Chicago agree that Lou's pretty good.

Personally, I think all Chicago style pizza is vastly overrated. I tried Lou's and others a couple of times, but I will never like it as much
as original italian pizza, or a NY pie in lieu of the real deal.

Canta Napoli Pizzeria in Mount Prospect comes very close to an original italian pizza.

-t

subego · Oct 6, 2011, 07:06 PM

Originally Posted by turtle777

Yeah, most people in Chicago agree that Lou's pretty good.

Personally, I think all Chicago style pizza is vastly overrated. I tried Lou's and others a couple of times, but I will never like it as much
as original italian pizza, or a NY pie in lieu of the real deal.

Canta Napoli Pizzeria in Mount Prospect comes very close to an original italian pizza.

-t

I wouldn't say "go to Lou's" if you want pizza, you have to want Lou's. They actually do have a really good, unique, thin crust, but the problem is you just don't go to Lou's for thin crust.

Have you tried Cafe Luigi on Clark? They do a decent NY style. It congeals fast though, so delivery can be hit or miss.

As for pizza in general, the 70s was when it was worth having. Giordano's was good before it franchised. Gino's Pizza was fantastic before the same thing happened. The classic was My π, which was nasty by the 90s, and is now gone.

It's been awhile since I've had it, but Bacino's more or less kept up a good example of Chicago's pizza heyday.