To Cafeteria, or Not To Cafeteria

By Published On: 5 July 2013Last Updated: 17 January 2017

I am offended that as kids we are treated like things, like objects – just throw mounds of cheese at us and be mean to the one who doesn't conform. I feel trapped, with someone else making the rules.

What's in this post

Share This Story!

To Cafeteria, or Not To Cafeteria

By Hay, Guest Contributor

I had A LOT of problems in my middle school cafeteria – I don’t really understand it, but it’s like they are directly angry at me, not to mention impatient, defensive and act like I don’t know my own food choices. They huff, roll their eyes, slam spatulas – which one of us is 14?

What’s funny, I do know the difference – in the 6th grade my school had a different food service company. They got it – they really understood me. They gave me my healthy food each day with a smile – they even had a salad bar for everyone!

Here is a sample day from last week: Our afterschool program had an end of year event – dinner included. They apologized to me, saying the PTA supplied the food and they “forgot” to tell them to supply food for me. So we are looking at meatballs, subs, brownies, and fruit. Sucks of course, but at least I can have fruit . NOPE – enter Miss Henderson with her ladle of milk chocolate goop. She is scooping it all over everyone’s plate before they put the fruit on and she is messily drizzling it all over the existing fruit – grrrr!

I pull my plate away and tell her I don’t want chocolate, I can’t have chocolate, I don’t really want the chocolate on my fruit and can I please just serve myself. She’s not thrilled but agrees. So I take my own plastic spoon and start digging to the bottom to find clean pineapple. Miss Henderson is annoyed that I’m taking too long and throws her chocolate spoon down in a huff – right in with all the pineapple –WTF?????

So, no fruit for me either. Sorry Hay, you are just too complicated – why can’t you just eat balls of meat like everybody else? Days like this happen every… single… day…

I just know this is going on everywhere – how are we supposed to win the war on unhealthy food when unhealthy food is the new normal and healthy food is seen as difficult and complicated?

I am offended that as kids we are treated like things, like objects – just throw mounds of cheese at us and be mean to the one who doesn’t conform. I feel trapped, with someone else making the rules.

This really reminds me of intelligent animals that want to choose a healthier, happier life without suffering – but someone bigger and stronger is forcing them to do something different.

So… I go hungry a lot. And I cry about it a lot. I shouldn’t be 14 and crying about food – we are not in a starving third world country!

So why do I constantly feel like I’m standing alone on an island?

Photo credit: Hay

Leave A Comment

HELLO! I'm KD Angle-Traegner.

Writer, activist, and founder of Four Urban Paws Sanctuary. I’m on a mission to help people live a vegan life. Read more about KD…

SUBSCRIBE & FOLLOW

JOIN OUR MAILING LIST