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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
March 2, 1978     Shelton Mason County Journal
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March 2, 1978
 
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How.&apos;bout the ones with box lunches? "YOU CAN'T PLEASE everybody," concedes O J-dispensing Floda Schab, chief cook and bottlewasher (not to mention purchaser, menu-maker and amateur child psychologist) for the district. "But we've got to remember it's the kids that are feeding us, as much as we're feeding them ..." f HOMEMADE DONUTS come into being under the experienced hands of cook Anabel Isbell at the high school. OLIVE LANMAN, full-time cook at the high school, loads up another tray of burger patties for baking in one of the district's 12 industrial-size electric ovens. Frying is kept to If you 'ar what you By STEVE PATCH "You're being punished" or Relax, mum. And, dad, you "Mommy forgot to defrost the can take your fist out of your tv roast." dinner. And then, on the other hand, Just because junior is eating there are your back-to-basics, all his vegetables these days wood.fiber-eating adults who doesn't mean he's got the scream "cancer!" at the very marijuana munchies. Not mention of practically anything necessarily. But you might want less natural than, say, blanched to sneak a peek in his Charlie's pine cones. Angeislunchpail, just to be sure. '' Y°u can't please What's that you say? He's everybody," concedes Floda. "I been leaving it at home of late? don't care how hard you try. Buying hot lunch instead!? Well, And we can't be expected to then, it's perfectly clear. 'change eating habits established The culprit must be none years before in the home. After other than Floda Schab and her all, it's the environment of the gang of kitchen helpers, chief kids long before they get to instigators in the new wave of school that forms the basis of nutritional integrity among their eating habits, and really the school hot-lunch mongers, most we can do is make sure we Floda' is - and has been for at least offer them a balanced the last four years - cafeteria diet." supervisor for Shelton School Meeting federal regulations District. That entitles her and with regard to the provision of her accomplices to a daily shot balanced proteins, fruits and at the joyous task of maintaining vegetables and milk products is "; the mealtime contentment of not the hardest part of ..... , variously 2,500-3,000 young menu-making, says Mrs. Schab. junk-food junkies while The challenge is in keeping the simultaneously meeting the kids interested. .... increasingly stringent nutritional "We've got to remember that .... requirements of the federal it's the kids that are feeding us, government, as much as we're feeding them," It is a challenge Mrs. Schab says Floda. "They are our welcomes with the zeal of a paychecks. So we have to keep platoon sergeant at Marine Corps in mind what they want - not boot camp. If you don't believe merely what's good for them." it, poke your head in the Hence, Mrs. Schab has made district's central kitchen in the certain concessions. One was the basement of the Reed Building ala carte line at the high school. some frenetic weekday morning With it, any student so inclined  ............. - last Thursday morning, for can have a hamburger every day. instance. Or french fries. il " " There, amid a cluster of Another concession is to suspended stainless steel ladles the power of the adolescent and long-handled pots and sweet tooth. Although she steaming kettles and great admits most Americans could do they eat something, but you gleaming ovens, you find the without a lot of the sugar they can't make them eat it." attentive form of a little fireplug consume, Floda doesn't try to On the subject of meats, Mrs. of a woman, neat as a pin. fight the tide. Schab allows as to how most Floda Schab comes across as "If you aren't willing to give Americans probably do eat too a pintsized and somewhat the kids a little something sweet much of it, as a whole. "They'd overwhelmed version of Beaver with their meal, you might as probably be much healthier if. Cleaver's mother ONLY as long well forget it," she says. "They they ate more fish and chicken as her body and/or mouth want to see that cookie or piece and such instead," she says. remains motionless - which im't of cake." "That's why I try to have things as a majority of like macaroni and cheese and are finicky about soup a.couple of times' a month like THAT!" she barks, leveling a eating naked eggs, Floda sees at least, and fish probably at finger at your straggly locks, that they get them more or less least three times. "We don't want the kids pullin' incognito: in cookies, pies, cakes, ."And I probably use as much hairs out of their turkey gravy!" pudding, etc. turkey as ground beef, Moments later, ha,met in And because she knows altogether." place, you are being led quickly hot-lunch lines lengthen For the diehard vegetarian through the crowded kitchen, whenever the fare includes and federal nutritional-standard- tourguide Floda summarizing as favorites such as hamburgers or, bearer alike, Mrs. Schab's ala you go. best of all, pizza, Floda tries to carte program at the high school "This ,here's your turkey and put such crowd.pleasers on the has been a big favorite - with gravy," she says, lifting the lid of menu more often than perhaps the former group because of its a caldron-like kettle. "We make equally nutritional entrees such regular assortment of salad 50 gallons of it for three as, say, macaroni and cheese or dishes, raw vegetables and fruit, elementary schools and the bean soup. and with the latter because of its middle school. We'll probably But she draws the line when attention to balance. feed about 950 kids today, not it comes to compromising food "Before, the state sorta counting the high school, where value. And, every now and then, frowned on the ala carte line," we have a completely separate she'll feature something a little explains Floda. "They were- facility." out of the ordinary, even if it concerned that it lacked Floda moves to a 15-gallon means an initially cold reception, nutritional balance. So we came bucket of mashed spuds, through "We have things like spinach up with a daily menu with red, which kitchen crewpersons Mafia and beets probably twice a year, white and blue combinations. By Frazer and Heddy Godwin are is all," she says. "But we do try selecting at least one item from dragging a huge wire whip. to have the kids at least try each color, a student would be "We make three of these them. We have what we call a assured of getting the full state containers of potatoes," says the 'one-bite' thing going - and requirement." boss lady, "and the kids go you'd be really surprised how Another innovation, this one through it pretty regularly, many of the kids will take that on a trial basis currently, is Turkey and gravy isn't their one bite and discover they like what's known as family-style favorite meal, but it's one of the it, after all." meals. Every day at Bordeaux more popular ones. And, of Liver is perhaps the one School the kids in each course, we offer a choice of more.or-less traditional classroom sit down to a table hamburger gravy at the middle main-course food Floda has not and more or less help themselves school, too, plus the usual sack even tried to serve. "'Like I say," from serving dishes, just as they lunches." she laughs, "you can suggest might at home. Meanwhile, up at the high school's kitchen, Floda's gals are busy peparing the same meal ..... plus the usual ala carte Tare offered there daily. There are hamburgers, three or four ]f different types of sandwiches, . french fries, salads, fresh fruits, " I desserts. And none of this can be prepared before they've fixed .,.,.,. breakfast, you understand. Every morning they feed some 500-600 kids a well-rounded meal, +,:<, including the likes of cereal, waffles and French toast, donuts, fruit or orange juice and milk and, once or twice a month, eggs. But it's not enough that Floda be expected to see that ..... everything is prepared and ready for the delivery trucks that come every morning at 10:20 and 10:40. It's not enough that she do all the purchasing and portioning and menu-planning. She also has to answer to her ever.present critics. There are the to00 TOAST OF THE LUNCHROOM -- next to pizza, of hamburger, Monday's prime fare at Evergreen Elementary Whereas poor planning means little more than a couple days of leftovers in most households, mismanagement in Floda's kitchehs means more than a few groans come mealtime. The quantities involved are simply too great. For instance, on an average hamburger day, Floda and crew turn out in the neighborhood of 1,600 burgers. On:days the Colonel's got compeilton, 500-600 pounds of chicken parts hit the baking pans. And parched throats at the high school alone guzzle about 50 gallons of milk a day. So Floda makes it her business to cook for a projected number of hot-lunch buyers daily and not wind up with too many leftovers too often. With meals running 55-59 cents per child (63.64 including milk) and with a standing rule that nothing gets reheated more than .once, Floda can't afford not to run a tight ship. "I'11 tell you one thing about the food service," she says. "The lunchroom has to pay for itself every step of the way. And you just don't go over the budget. I don't know if you know (Superintendent) Louis Gfinnell or not, but I wanna tell you: You go over the budget and you can really hear him all over town!" At this, the drill:sergeant demeanor slips a tad and Floda cuts loose with one of her patented belly laughs. "Oh, I'm tough, all right," she allows, at length, "-but to work with kids you've got to be!" kids who can't stand anything that competes with the taste of L.UNCHLINE MUGGER awaits his tray at Evergreen, As evidenced by the chocolate milk. There are those plastic bags between grub .and fingers, cleanliness ire a prime conc.ern. to whom most vegetables outside Cafeteria boss Floda Schab insists on hairnets, for instance, and has been a minimum -- both for the sake of time and calories, of perhaps corn mean either known to go on the warpath at th sight of an ordinary housefly. Page 12 - Shelton.Mason County Journal - Thursday, March 2, 1978 It seems Floda would have it kitchen suffered no other way, though. Her own on pizzl - day. bust children now grown, she looks at gals e d her on-the-job "kids" as perhaps fixin's down something of an endearing for preparation challenge, back just in time "You need a full course in "But it's psychology to work with kids," kee ping she admits. "But the important sterne," thing is you've got to remember to treat them like people. Maybe institutional not the way y.ou'd trea, youi own, she adds. erupting into another rolling peal of laughter, notion as "but like people." got to have As for her cohorts, among she says. "A1 them Anabel Isbell, Olive changeable Lanman, Aloha Krumpols, Frieda State recipes Christy, Myrna Weaver, Maria sure, but Frazer, Heddy Godwin. Shirley season her Chamberlin, Pauline Ferrier and Ch Nancy Burgess, Floda speaks Floda insl' with admiration, environment "I have a very fine, very "You dedicated crew," says the chief, you get more "There's just nothing that seems kitchen." she to deter these girls." her eye. " Not that there haven't been bu-nch of close calls, mind you. Once, for together." example, the high school's ANOTHER BURGER bites the dust. I Floda Schab estimates an average of a pass the palates of school young ster'• they're on the menu.