As the music starts to sound through the speakers, signaling the beginning of my lunch period, I breathe a sigh of relief. Shoving books and binders frantically into my bag and swinging it over one shoulder, I throw a quick “thank you” at my teacher and race down the hallway to the cafeteria, where a line is already starting to form.

Chances are it’s been about four grueling school hours and maybe a test since I’ve last eaten, and I’ve been looking forward to this half hour the whole morning.

Most of my trips to the cafeteria start with a quick glance at the menu, where the main option is unfortunately something meat heavy. In resignation, I will get the vegetarian option, only to find it freezing cold or simply very bland. Often, I bypass this option altogether due to the ever growing line, since I have no confidence that the veggie option will be worth it.

My next stop is the sandwich bar. Usually, by the time I approach the sandwich bar, the same question is running through my head. “How hard is it to make plain cheese sandwiches we can put toppings on?” There are melted cheese and turkey sandwiches, melted cheese and ham… but never plain melted cheese ones, so that is never a lunch option.

By the time I get to the snacks, any hope of vegetarian sushi or cold sandwiches is fleeting, and I am forced to resort to a bagel or a salad every day for my lunchtime meal.

Just last Friday, I resigned myself to a bag of pretzels and a sparkling water for lunch. I had a meeting during U-Lunch and didn’t have the luxury of sufficient time to wait in the line. All of the bagels and edamame were out, and it was simply too crowded to move very far. I am not the only one experiencing this surprising lack of options in our well-stocked cafeteria, where the staff works very hard.

Will Rantala, freshman and vegetarian, feels the same way. “By the time I get to the cafeteria, anything I want to eat is long gone,” Rantala said. “Basically every single day I get a bagel and chips for lunch, which is probably not a substantial meal. Sometimes, even all the bagels are out, and I don’t really eat much of anything, and that’s not good–especially if I have a test or PE after. I’ve noticed if there’s nothing to eat I can’t focus, and I do a lot worse.”

The cafeteria staff often spends days upon days creating the masterpieces we enjoy during our 30 minute lunch periods, and no one would even consider calling any of these lunches anything short of wonderful. For a vegetarian, however, it is often frustrating being unable to eat the majority of the food served, especially with all of the hype about the amazing meals.

This year, the cafeteria has received a lot of attention due to its major renovation, the addition of many new food and drink items, as well as a sandwich bar. Parker’s cafeteria staff and administration have worked closely to make the lunch experience as pleasurable as possible for anyone passing through. Despite this work and the many changes made, the amount and quality of vegetarian food has remained very much the same.

In the future, I encourage cafeteria staff and administration to realize that the environment and quality of food has been improved by tenfold, and to focus their energy on the significant portion of the school that is still being denied a full meal at lunchtime.