Everyone goes through high school and meets people they will remember for the rest of their lives. Some might be friends; some might be teachers; some might be your principal. But it is very rare to get to know your lunch ladies.
I got the privilege to interview our lunch ladies. Let me tell you a little bit about them. They all start their day sometimes as early as 5 a.m. They all have different jobs in the cafeteria, so teamwork is what makes their day successful.
Each lunch lady has a minimum of two dishes they need to prepare before students all rush in for breakfast. They make all the food; plus, they have to make sure they follow the [food inspection] guidelines of the North Caroline Health Department. Every ingredient has to be properly measured, weighed, and temperature tested.
So, our lunch ladies get graded, too.
Not only do they cook for Franklin High School, but they also cook for Macon Early College, and they have cooked for preschoolers as well. What is the difference between the preschoolers and high schoolers is that that [preschoolers] are nicer to them, but what is not different is serving size. They don’t take into consideration the size difference between teenagers and small children. (They are supposed to offer the same servings.)
The lunch ladies have families and most of them also have second jobs. So, my input about lunch ladies is that it is a hard job and they are not appreciated or considered. As students, we can change that.