Thinking back to the first day of school this year, I remember expecting a cafeteria different from the one I experienced last year. However, I didn’t quite fully comprehend what a strong contrast I would immediately be able to detect between the two. Last year, meals were served in black, plastic rectangles. If you didn’t want that, if you wanted lunch, you brought it. And now, there is a serious variation of choices including salads, hot lunches, sandwiches, toasts, and so much more. 

COVID restrictions limited cafeteria options in Spring 2021, and last year was not the best state I’ve seen the cafeteria in during my 13 years at Parker. Due to the need to provide lunch for students in classrooms, there were very few options each day for everyone. If you were a person like me with allergy restrictions, the only real option was the main course of any given day. 

Some days, the food was great. Special shoutout for pesto pasta and grilled cheese days. Other times, the food was not so great. I’m thinking about the sides of green beans that were occasionally found in the third compartment of the lunch container. I can’t blame the cafeteria for all of my frustration. It’s similar to the way that I avoid ordering foods like tacos or salmon for delivery. In any other situation, those foods are great, but they are inherently bad travelers. It is out of my control, and in relation to the cafeteria, these things were out of Quest’s control.

With that said, I can gladly say that this was the most resourceful I’ve ever seen the cafeteria. We were so deep into the pandemic that we couldn’t even be within a few feet of each other, yet somehow Parker still found a way to get food to us. I applaud the creativity as well as the tremendous amounts of time and effort put into the meals by the cafeteria’s staff even during such a hard time. 

So how’s it going this year? Spoiler alert: much better. 

When I walked into the cafeteria for the first time this year, it felt like the cafeteria I knew pre-COVID with a plethora of options. Don’t like the hot lunch? That’s okay — have some poke. Don’t like raw fish? Totally fine — have some salad. Not that hungry? That’s cool too — have some pretzels and hummus. I always had multiple options even while restricting gluten from my diet. 

Not only are we back to the status of a fully stocked cafeteria, but there are so many new elements. I have to admit, I am so happy to have this cafeteria back, that some days I have to snap a picture — you know, just in case we go back to the black plastic rectangle days.

The new items in the cafeteria have been great. I personally really like the non-gluten Asian noodles with chicken. Their first appearance in the cafeteria wasn’t perfect, but after changes such as new packaging, more tender noodles, and more tender chicken, they have come a long way. This is just one of many examples of new items that have been upgraded. 

While the cafeteria improvement is great, it also means that long lines are back. This is and always has been a problem. While no one likes waiting in a long line, the staff is doing their best to get us all through as fast as possible. Besides, I’ve found that if you just wait ten or so minutes, the line dies down a lot — or at least just until the next age group mobs the cafeteria. 

The one issue with this method of mine is that lots of times, when I wait for the line to die down, by the time I actually get to the food, a lot of it is gone other than the hot lunch. I rarely get there soon enough to get poke before it’s gone, and I also find that the other sandwiches and salads in the coolers sell out very fast. This is a hard problem to avoid. If the staff doesn’t make enough, there isn’t enough for everyone to get exactly what they want. If too much food is made, there will be food wasted and money lost. It’s difficult to find that perfect balance, so I totally understand why these things sometimes happen. 

The one thing that I’ve noticed that didn’t change at all comparing pre-COVID times to this semester is the baked goods section. Parker knows what people like in this department, and they stick to it with great consistency. While I can only eat a small selection of these baked goods, what I can eat is great. I also totally understand how much work the staff puts in to create the amount of food that they do, so the small difference of gluten free desserts compared to regular desserts is entirely understandable.

My personal favorite dessert is the gluten free chocolate chip cookie. Pro tip: pop it into the microwave for a few seconds. It practically turns into a whole new dessert when it’s all warm and melted.

This semester, not only have I seen a huge spectrum of new foods, but there are also a lot of new drinks. I love that the cafeteria has brought in Sparkling Ice, and also (possibly controversially) multiple types of kombucha. I personally am a fan of kombucha. However, I am not oblivious to the fact that other students and teachers feel like they’re using 100% vinegar mouthwash when they take a sip. To each their own. 

This article wouldn’t be truthful if I didn’t mention the utter frustration I feel when I see three red “DO NOT SIT HERE” stickers on each circle table in the cafeteria, and even more at bigger tables. I understand it more now during the Omicron COVID surge. Still, when we were almost completely free of in-school transmission for so long before recently, it was so frustrating to not be able to sit with my friends at lunch. 

I understand the idea behind these rules, but due to the fact that the vast majority of the Upper School is vaccinated, not sitting with more than two other friends that I already spend so much time with at a circle table is a rule that’s hard to follow. This is especially true when there aren’t many other people in the cafeteria. 

Overall, I am extremely impressed with the way the cafeteria was able to bounce back after such a difficult year. The student body is so lucky to have a cafeteria that works hard at every aspect of our eating experience in the building. I have no doubt that they have our best interests in mind as they are constantly looking for ways to improve current offerings. First Semester is over and I can say that while some parts of the eating experience weren’t perfect, the cafeteria does have the recipe for success.