School lunch here is great: it’s free, over 32% of food purchases are local, meals cover all bases of nutrition, and while it’s not the fanciest, it really isn’t meant to be. After all, schools have a limited budget and are reimbursed a certain dollar amount for every lunch given.
At our school, students sort themselves out into four lines. Every line has its pros and cons, and objectively, not one line is superior to another. This is a review of those four lines.
Line 1: Pizza
School pizza comes in several flavors, including but not limited to pepperoni and cheese. Freshman year, the first lunch line I had ever lined up in was the pizza line. I remember lining up all the way past the auditorium. I also remember somebody lamenting, “It tastes like cardboard,” but in all seriousness, it isn’t that bad (maybe it’s changed, and I’m just going based on my most recent experience, but regardless, the present pizza is alright).
While not my first choice, it’s a solid, reliable, and fast option. This is especially important if you have a club meeting during lunch and the lunch lines already reach the tables by the time you get there. This is also the only line through which you go through a door, which is nice because the lines don’t get as wide as the burrito lines.
For all of these reasons, I give it a 7/10.
Line 2: The “Mystery”
A substitute teacher of mine, who was a former student here, once said her favorite lunch line was the middle line because it was a “mystery” what there was that day. I’d agree with this, with one important caveat: the lunch menu is published online on the PPS website. But there’s a limitation with that too: it isn’t always accurate (although it usually is). Depending on your perspective, that can be seen as a red flag–you might wait for a long time only to get something you don’t like–or a green flag–a fun mystery.
The variety ranges from mozzarella breadsticks to birria and cheese pupusa to chicken tenders with onion rings. There is also the second section of the line that is less of a mystery. Typically, it’s a PB&J sandwich or yogurt with accompanying snacks, including cheese. I think the cheese is really good, perhaps because of the light saltiness, although I concur it is not very stringy, which some people might enjoy more.
Still, I like getting what I waited for, especially considering the long wait time at our school, so I only dive in if I see the people walking out with something I want to get. But I also really like the variance in it: having burritos or pizza every day does not seem fun.
So for me, it’s an 8/10.
Line 3: Inner Burrito Bar
This is the most underrated line in my opinion. I find that because of convenience, people tend to prefer lining up at the Outer Burrito Bar. Now, early on into lunchtime, this doesn’t tend to be true because every line is equally as convenient to access, but it is true later on when the lines become longer, and it becomes increasingly unclear where the Inner Burrito line begins. This is because it is more convenient to access the outer lines, line one, and line four.
To get to the middle lines, you have to propel yourself through the outer lines, saying “excuse me” as you go, or work your way through the maze of round tables and red chairs, which is more difficult.
But when you do make it, you are rewarded with a shorter line and a shorter wait.
Of course, this is only true if both burrito lines are equally staffed. Once, I lined up at the inner line because it was shorter, but when I looked over to the outer line, it had gotten a lot shorter. Of course, I had fallen prey to sunk cost fallacy (when you are reluctant to abandon the effort you already put into something, even if abandonment could be more beneficial), so I stayed.
And of course, the burritos here are really tasty. Years ago, when a few McDaniel students came to my middle school to give a talk about what high school is like, they raved about how tasty the burritos were. And I’d agree, they’re pretty tasty with offerings of chips, tortillas, chicken, beef, cheese, and lettuce.
For all of these reasons, I give it a 7.8/10.
Line 4: Outer Burrito Bar
By outer burrito bar, I’m referring to the fourth line, closest to the front office and the stairwell to the second-floor red halls. As mentioned earlier, it is one of the more convenient lines in my opinion.
To me, it is the most convenient line because it is close to two staircases, while the pizza line is only close to the one big staircase (which tends to get packed as lunch comes to an end). This means I can get to class more easily, and it’s more versatile in terms of switching between A and B days when your classes are (probably) in different places.
Therefore, in my eyes, this line is easily 8.5/10.
As you might tell, I haven’t rated any of the lines 9 or higher, and there’s a reason for this: all the lunch lines are long, and if you don’t get there quickly, waiting can take up to half of the lunch period. This is up to half of the time you hang out with friends, spend at a club, or rush to finish an assignment at the last minute.
Of course, there is also the method of waiting until near the end of lunch to get your lunch, when the lines are mostly dwindling out, but then you’d have less time to eat and potentially have to eat during class. This cuts into instructional time.
Still, this makes sense because ultimately, lunch is nutritious and we are fortunate to have it for free.
