By Qu’Chae Madison

Everyone has different opinions when it comes to Patterson’s school lunch. Some like it, but many do not. I got the honest opinions of some Patterson students and recent graduates via Facebook. In response to my question, “Does anyone like Patterson’s school lunch?”, senior Allyce  Black said,”It’s dehydrated, and not flavorful. They put it in the microwave to make it bigger”. Former Patterson student Shannon K. declared,”I hated it,it tasted like cardboard”. Raymond Partee, another former Patterson student, stated, “I won’t lie–some of it was good, and some of it tasted like straight crap”.

It is clear to me that the quality of our school lunch is simply unacceptable and changes should be made as soon as possible. The new salad bar will be a step in the right direction, but there is much more that needs to be done. One  way I believe we can improve school lunch is to persuade the government to provide schools with better food that is made with higher quality ingredients. Our cafeteria workers can also make a difference by substituting healthier methods of cooking for the unhealthy methods that are currently used. For example, Patterson students are sometimes served fried chicken for lunch.Instead of fried chicken,the cafeteria could have served roasted chicken. I hope Patterson takes these suggestions seriously and makes an effort to improve our school lunches. Until then, my advice is to pack your own lunch. That way, you can control what is in it.