Cool, hot lunches

Let me tell you about the hot lunches we received at school.  Remember, this was during the great depression and this program was one of many Federal programs initiated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. It wasn't much of a lunch but it was better than nothing.  Nothing was what some of the poor little children had for lunch.

The lunch consisted of three things: a half-pint of milk, one half slice of bread with butter, and one entree.
I will never forget some of the entree's.  Some days we would receive one-half of a grapefruit; another day a bowl of spinach.  Some other entree's were Spanish rice, Tapioca Pudding, Goulash, or Vegetable Soup.
The cost to the student was 5 cents a meal.  That's right; five cents!  Even that small amount was hard for some families to pay.

My father give me 25 cents each Monday morning to pay for the week's hot lunches.  Unfortunately, I had to walk past Mrs. Rudge's candy store to get to school.  Every time I walked past that store I could hear the candy calling my name.  I gallantly resisted the temptation for the first two weeks of school but on the third Monday I succumbed to the candy's call and went into the store and spent the entire twenty-five cents.  Now, that isn't much today, but in those days most candy was only one penny.  So I walked out a happy child with twenty-five pieces of candy in my pocket.  I ate candy throughout the whole day and didn't share one piece.

 I had made a decision to eat candy for one day rather than hot lunch for five days.  At that age it seemed like a logical decision to me.  I could survive without hot lunch for one week.  There were many children in the second grade that could never afford hot lunches.  They simply went without or brought a piece of bread from home.  I thought if they could do that, I could too.

At lunch time the lunch ladies proceeded to serve lunch to those students who waited at their desks.  Since I didn't have anyone to play with until they finished their lunch, I continued sitting at my desk.  Then a miracle happened. The ladies served me even though I had not turned in my 25 cents.  I was thrilled.  I thought they must have given me lunch because of my good looks. The same thing occurred during the balance of that week and all the remaining weeks in the school year.  I spent my 25 cents for candy and the lunch ladies continued to serve me hot lunch.  I didn't wonder why this was happening, I just felt it was an entitlement that I deserved.

Now comes the retribution for a very faulty decision.  On the last day of school a lunch lady gave me a sealed letter to be delivered to my father.  I delivered the letter which informed my father that he owed $5.25 for the hot lunches I had eaten during the school year..  I was doomed.  My father didn't beat me about the head and shoulders even though I certainly deserved it.  But he did give me a very intense, uncomfortable lecture about honesty and good judgement. I like to think I learned that  lesson.  I have remembered it throughout my life. But, I so loved Mrs Rudge's candy store.  By the way, more about Mrs Rudge tommorrow.