Do You Remember: School Diners ?

Diner time bell rings students put their work away

Leave the classroom to collect outdoor clothes

Line up to march - well walk in line two abreast

Along the road to the newly erected dining hall

With its own catering facilities

 

Previously the food came in containers from a central kitchen

Which sent food to all the schools in town 

Cold brown gravy, soggy cabbage, cold meat

Or Fridays cold fish and chips

Eaten in the classroom

The smell of dinner all afternoon

 

Now we get warm food

Still the thick brown gravy and soggy cabbage

Stiff rice pudding or custard

Classroom smells sweeter after lunch

We get wet on rainy days

Or in the snow

 

We don't pay

Every child qualifies for free school dinners

For some the only warm meal each day

A few the only meal

Reviews

[barleygirl]

After my mom was a hairdresser for 50-odd years, she "retired" & worked in a school cafeteria for another decade & loved it. I love the scene your poem presents with vivid details, but I'm not sure you've done a very distinct job of differentiating between the way it was before & the way it became. I understand the details of the difference (which you show fully) but I just don't see why it makes any difference whether students eat in a cafeteria or at their desks? Hot food? Cafeteria food is never hot when the kid begins to eat it, so that's not convincing to me. I don't feel convinced that this was a major improvement or that kids even cared about it. SHOW me that! SHOW me the kids loving this more than the old way. Convince me! (((HUGS))) Fondly, Margie

[Wild Rose]

maybe a rewrite and add in the meal eaten at their desks before the new building where their were long tables and bench seats > As you say the kids (we) were being fed. For some (as now) the only meal of the day - even the 'rag mans' kids were well fed at home > Aye lass 'keep yersell warm an dry. an a good meal inside yer belly an you won't (Weant gaa) go wrong'
You got kids say "I don't like this green stuff (cabbage), this white stuff (Cold rice pudding) - they never saw such 'stuff' at home (Just bread & jam)

[barleygirl]

Good point! The sight of food was usually the only thing a kid cared about . . . who cares if we ate at a desk or a table? It's all the same to a kid. It's all about the FOOD!!!! (((HUGS)))

[Katrina Mckeown]

I remember school dinners, I quite liked the deserts the stodgy rice pudding or cake and custard and if we were lucky at my school if you were quick to finish and any was left you could help yourselves to another plateful lol I often did! Yum lol wonderful memories.

[Wild Rose]

We had to collect 'seconds' you took your dish to the lady > dolp of cake or milk pud > with milk pud I had often had some other kids pud "I don't like this" "Give it here" > You got told off if you didn't eat all your meal
Those who didn't like stuff were often from families where they got jam & bread & School dinners were the only real meal they had

[Katrina Mckeown]

Yes that is so sad 😞 and true and it is still true today, unfortunately. 😞

[Wild Rose]

One of the girls in my class said to my mum after we had left school when asked if she liked her job
"Best thing is I can have an egg and some bacon now i'm working