The lunch bell rings, and hungry students pour out of their classes, unpacking homemade lunches, heading off-campus to grab a quick bite, or going to the University High School Cafeteria, where opinions on the best lunch choices are controversial. With mixed views, frequent cafeteria goers discussed their favorites and warned about the occasionally questionable ingredients.
Freshman Leyla Bashirova, one of the hundreds of students visiting the cafeteria daily, had a more neutral opinion on school lunches than other students.
“Sometimes, it’s good [and] sometimes, it’s bad,” Bashirova said. “The problem is: they run out a lot.”
Bashirova usually snags a pack of sandwiches, which she considers one of the healthiest options or the mac-and-cheese. All students receive free lunches at UHS, following state law. However, the free lunches exclude second meals and à la carte items like chips and smoothies. Bashirova noted that she has seen many UHS students attempt to cut in line and steal extra lunch items.
Sophomore Shiraz Tebyani has more extreme views on cafeteria lunches than Bashirova. She especially dislikes cafeteria pizza, which she views as lacking flavor.
“I can no longer eat [any] pizza due to how traumatized the school pizza made me,” Tebyani said. “There’s no sauce [and] all you can taste is plastic-tasting cheese, like a rubbery-tasting cheese.”
Tebyani usually picks the baked potatoes drenched with chili and occasionally goes for salads when her options run out. When she has time, she avoids the cafeteria lunch altogether and makes a quick Starbucks run instead. In contrast, sophomore Hannah Ke has a relatively positive attitude toward school lunches. She appreciates the variety, flavor and freshness of the cafeteria meals. Her go-to choice is a turkey or bacon wrap with avocado spread.
“In my opinion, it [the cafeteria food] is quite good . . . [and] tastes very fresh,” Ke said.
Ke believes that UHS is generally successful at managing and keeping the long cafeteria lines orderly. Staff place yellow barriers around the school line to guide traffic flow, and supervisors often show up to offer assistance.
“I think the lines get pretty long, but they’re well managed,” Ke said. “[There’s not] extra crowding [and] they manage it pretty well, so it’s relatively efficient.”
Trojans can enjoy their lunches in various areas on campus, including the theater steps, the locker courtyards and the crossroads. Despite diverse opinions regarding which cafeteria foods are the best, UHS students are incredibly grateful to the cafeteria staff and appreciate the fact that UHS offers free school lunches to all students.
“I think school lunches are a really helpful policy for every school everywhere because some people may not have super great at-home lunches, or just because free food [is great],” Ke said.
