My father was a mess-sergeant in the National Guard. My grandmother was the school cook at the little parochial grade school I attended. Feeding other people is evidently in my blood.
I’m not sure why I didn’t realize this sooner in life—so much else to be drawn to, I guess. But as the years go by, one’s essence gets pared down a little, and I think, that’s a good thing.
It was, as you can imagine, highly comforting to have one’s grandma in the kitchen at school. If my tooth was loose & needed a brave tug, I could run down and see Grandma. If the buckle on my overalls was stuck and I had to pee desperately, I could run down and see Grandma. She frequently made rice pudding, because she knew that was my favorite, and she was never too stern with me if I couldn’t eat everything on my tray (like the goulash, which was definitely not my favorite).
Do the children at school cafeterias today line up for second and third helpings? I remember how the boys at our school adored my Grandma—and her pizza, her tacos, her lasagna, her sloppy joes. (Do I long to be adored in the same way? Yes.) Can children nowadays go back for second and third helpings even if they wanted to? I don’t know.
There are no hot lunches served at St. John’s Lutheran School anymore. Students have to bring their own, and a few times a week sandwiches are imported from two local fast food restaurants.
My uncle who is on the schoolboard informed me that the city is even harrassing them about serving milk, telling them they need to buy a $250 permit to do so, just like the restaurants do. $250 is no small chunk of change for a tiny school and since when is a school a restaurant?
What should they offer instead? Pop?
When I look at my little boy, every day I think, what can I feed him that will make his brain synapses fire? That will strengthen his bones and add muscle on top? What can I feed him that will make him happy and calm, his eyes bright and his teeth strong?
If only we had a government that would do the same for its nation's children.
9:21:58 AM 
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