{W}rite of Passage: The Lunch box

In elementary school I was always so jealous of the kids who brought their lunch. They all had cool Popple, Rainbow Brite, or She-Ra lunch boxes. I had the plastic tray. I can still remember the sound those trays made when they were set on the table. Looking back though, I have some fond memories of certain meals. Three come to mind that were my favorites: chicken fried steak, pizza, and tacos. Oh and the rolls. They always had the *best* rolls. For some reason, I still crave the taste of those certain meals from time to time. I have never had foods that taste just like those since leaving elementary school and the tray lunches behind. Once I got to middle and high school, I decided I was too cool for the trays, and I started eating from the snack bar and vending machines. A nutritious diet of pizza, curly fries, and frito pies. I still remember the excitement from everyone the year they introduced dorito pies. *drool*

Another vivid memory I have of elementary school lunches is the traffic light. We had one in our cafeteria. Whatever color was lit up, that told us whether we could talk or not. The color depended on the behavior of everyone. Green meant normal, yellow meant whispering only, and red meant no talking. The red lunches were always the longest. The seconds would inch by until it was time for recess.

Other random memories:

-the time I was waiting in the lunch line and I felt some sort of weird bump on my scalp. It had scabbed over a bit and was almost like a mosquito bite. In my irrational third grade mind, I was terrified it was lice. Turns out, it was the first indication of the chicken pox.

-playing with our slap bracelets during lunch during the fourth grade. It was the latest rage, and I had quite the collection. The memory is short lived, because the following year they were banned at our school.

-this one is gross, but I remember getting sick at lunch once. I can't remember if I actually vomited on the table, or if I made it to the trash can. The only thing I remember is that I had eaten cheese pizza, and it was a long time before I could eat cheese pizza again.

-the times when my milk would be frozen in its little carton. It would make me so mad, because I could never get it all defrosted enough to drink before time ran out. It always tasted all watery and weird when it was like that too.

-the day my mom forgot to fill my lunch account and I had to eat the dreaded soggy peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch.

-the time I found out one of my friends was adopted. I don't remember her name or anything, I just vividly remember her telling me when we were waiting in the line to get our food.

-mmm. Dorito pie.