Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Bestest School Lunches Ever

And I ate lunch at home for most of my elementary years.

2 comments:

Debra She Who Seeks said...

Yeah, me too. In those days Moms were at home to make lunch. Eating at school was a rare treat.

Erik Johnson Illustrator said...

My mom packed me a lunch in the elementary school days. It was enough of an experience that I even wrote about it for my college writing class.

If you'll allow me the indulge:

"The table had a cream colored surface that looked sterile next to the other kid’s Technicolored treats. I pulled back the black zipper that along the side of the synthetic material that surrounded the molded ceramic bin that made up my lunchbox. Inside there was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on wheat bread that was just starting to lose its sponginess and had begun to develop a crispy texture. The peanut butter was scant and spread thin on only one slice of the bread so as not to stick to the roof of your mouth. The grape jelly however had been glopped on in excess and sought to escape it’s confines either by squeezing out of the sides or by soaking through the capillaries in the bread. The sandwich was always sticky, and after I ate it I always had to lick your fingers first before wiping my fingers or else have bits of the tissue thin napkin stick to me for the rest of the day.

The apple slices had lost their green tint and shining platinum purity, and had gradually faded into a thin brown leathery skin after a night on the kitchen counter. While their age was not appealing to the eye, biting them in half, released a splurge of preserved juice like a hot geyser down the back of my throat while the last remaining plume of freshness charmed my nostrils."