Tips for better school lunches (1904)
School lunches
Children living in the country must of necessity carry their lunches with them to school, and it is no easy task to prepare lunches for every day, in the school year, without giving the same things so often that they become very monotonous to the child. The lunches should be prepared the day before.
Study to make it as attractive and appetizing as posible. Have a clean bright tin pail for each child and a fresh napkin in each pail. So many children have no appetite when attending school and they must be tempted to eat. I have seen children go to their play at the noon hour with out tasting their food, and when seeing later what had been prepared for them to eat, I did not wonder they left it untouched. A few pieces of bread and butter and some pickle was all that had been put up for them — no napkin and not even a cloth in the bottom of the pail. If napkins are not at hand, a nice clean piece of white muslin may take its place.
Bread must, of course, be a part of the lunch each day, but even that may be varied by making sandwiches.
The bread should be cut thin. Any nice tender meat sliced very thin makes a good filling for sandwiches, as does fresh fish (boned), pressed chicken, grated cheese with a light dressing of mustard, or the yolks of hard boiled eggs, mashed fine, with a little dressing. Also split raisins make a delicate filling. A little fresh fruit should be used every day, and occasionally a slice of nice sponge cake or a piece of gingerbread and a few pickles may be added.
Photo: Sandy, Oregon Lutheran School in 1904
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Publication: The Ranch (Seattle, Wash.)
Publication date: October 15, 1904
