Just off Main Street in North Conway is a brick building where the younger set goes for lunch. A young man I know well (that would be my son) has been insisting that I don’t need to make him a school lunch because they take care of him there. “Cafeteria food?” I replied. “Wouldn’t you rather bring your lunch? I’m not spending $2.50 a day to have you not eat your food.” It turns out what he wasn’t eating was my homemade lunch. I needed to know more.
I made a date with the young man to join him for the mid-day meal. He was reluctant to agree, for after all I am a much older woman. And he already had plenty of people to sit with. But he gave in when I promised it would only be this one time. Little did we know that on that particular day it was also “Read Aloud Lunch.” Our seating was upgraded from the noisy cafeteria to the cozy tables in the library. What a treat!
Upon arrival, I saw his group getting ready to enter the cafeteria. I tried to cut in line to stand with him but I ended up two boys back. The lunch ladies looked a little startled when they saw me but I got the special “grown up” treatment when they offered me two tacos instead of the usual one taco. The line moved fast and we were ushered to the library for our special lunch day.
My table companions were 5 boys and 2 girls. The boy on my right had brought his own lunch. I was a little concerned that he was spending too much time working on his juice box and not eating his egg salad sandwich, but when I reminded him in my most motherly tone to “Eat your sandwich” he promised he would. Shortly after he put the juice box down but left the straw pointing down. And even though it would have seemed he had already drank it all after 5 minutes of playing with it, he still managed to spill juice on his pants. I promptly handed him my napkin and turned the straw up. Mother’s instinct.
The rest of the group ate their lunch quietly and quickly. All the kids’ trays were finished clean while I was still on my brown rice. Yes, brown rice! And that’s not all: At the beginning of the cafeteria line there was a sign announcing the fresh vegetables of the day from the school garden. On that particular day it was green peppers and tomatoes, which were a natural with the taco. Brown rice, fresh veggies? They didn’t have that when I was in school. There was an option for each portion, including fresh or canned fruit, milk or juice, and choice of entree of the day. There was even a choice of hard or soft shell for the taco. I don’t know if there was anything organic but the milk did state “no artificial growth hormones.”
It was an absolute joy to join my son for lunch and dine with his friends. The meal was delicious, the kitchen spotless, the service fast and friendly, and the atmosphere surprisingly calm. I could have sat longer with my lunch companions but they left me for recess. Go Play! North Conway gives the John Fuller Cafeteria a Go!
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