A Mom Is Not Surprised Her Son Refuses To Eat His School Lunch After Seeing What's On His Tray
Unfortunately, school lunches remain unappetizing for kids.
New Africa | Shutterstock No matter how old you are or how long it's been since you were last in school, you likely remember the tasteless and unsatisfying lunch options served in the cafeteria. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem as if school lunches have gotten any better over the years.
Carolina, a mom on TikTok, was told by school administration that her son wasn't eating the provided lunch. One look at his tray made it quite clear why he was avoiding the meal altogether.
After seeing what was on his tray, the mom admitted she was not surprised that her son was refusing to eat school lunch.
"We got a call from the school that our son isn't eating the lunch," Carolina shared on TikTok, explaining that she and her husband asked the school to put aside the lunch so they could bring it home and practice with their child.
While recording, the mom removed the tray's cover, revealing the lunch her child was served and chose not to eat. After seeing the sorry excuse for a meal, no one — including the boy's parents — could blame him for choosing to starve until he got home.
The lunch consisted of beans and noodles with no sauce, cold and soggy frozen broccoli, and a couple of pieces of carrots that looked as if they'd seen better days.
None of the food appeared to be seasoned, either.
Carolina and her husband acknowledged that the lunch was clearly inedible and didn't blame their son for turning his nose up at it. In fact, the pair admitted they wouldn't want to eat the meal either.
"I don't want him turning his nose about any food, so this is by no means meant to be disrespectful," the mom said. "Let's just be realistic; if this is the only thing to give the kids, he's not gonna eat that."
To make matters worse, Carolina's husband pointed out that this type of nearly inedible school lunch is something they actually paid money for.
A majority of kids find their school lunches to be 'unappetizing.'
During an episode of "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver," the comedian heavily criticized school lunches and highlighted the National School Lunch Program, a federally subsidized program that provides school lunches to 90% of public schools across the country.
When students were asked to rate their school lunches, many of them admitted that the food they were served in the cafeteria was quite terrible.
Some of the words they used were "weird," "rancid," "raw," and "unappetizing."
This is not to say that public schools should serve gourmet lunches made by 5-star chefs because, let's face it, many schools can't even afford to pay their teachers. However, more care should definitely be taken when selecting the type of lunches that are being served, both in terms of taste and nutritional value.
Cold and soggy lunches aren't going to be eaten by students, and when kids don't eat lunch, they struggle to focus in class.
It's a damaging cycle. Young kids especially need food that will sustain them until they leave at the end of the school day, and the current meals clearly aren't cutting it.
As for Carolina's son, he will be getting packed lunches going forward.
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.