E507 School Lunch Lady

32:10I do like the main hot food for them. And so those are items like what? Spadagheti. What else? We have pasta and meatballs. We have a chicken bowl where they have the mashed potatoes, the chicken, corn. Okay, like a chicken pot pie kind of? Yeah, we have like a Polish girl now. It's like a turkey sausage kind of thing. And you put the sweet potato fries and some slaw and some barbecue sauce on that sucker. It's good. I like it that day. That sounds great. So I'm saying, I mean, I've been eating the food all these years, but I think they're getting better. They're getting a lot better because when I first started, we just heated up microwave dinners, I'll tell you.

32:53Really? Oh, yeah. We heated them up in the thing. You couldn't cook food that was open. So it looked like you cook like five fries. Fries are all stuck in the bottom. I mean, the quality, like I said, And then you make a hamburger with a bun already on it and heat it up in plastic. What is it? You know? Yeah. So now we're doing like, we'll do the burger and we cook it and really cook it. And the fries go in the oven and they get crispy, you know? Oh, that's nice. So yeah, I, like I said, I've seen a big change. Really? And how long has that change period been over you think? Well, it's been about, I'm going to say about eight years of them slowly changing it.

33:33but this year has been the top because like the kids get a cantaloupe, watermelon, whatever that I cut it up and I'm like going to Hawaii or something. Oh man, the big kids, I have to slow them down. I'm like, man, that's too many portions. Cause I mean, they'll take the whole thing, you know, but yeah, they probably didn't get all that good food. And now we get tangerines instead of oranges, which is really cool. Cause you can, those little cuties, you can peel those in a second. so I don't even have to cut up those or just no way those cuties it's almost like having a little date oh man they are but I have to stop the kids like them so much they're in their pockets they gotta remember how many cuties you got yeah they don't care okay so you got the line y 'all got it going pretty good what types of ages are coming through your line or have come through your line over the years because how many years have you been in the game 31 31 years yeah I'm finishing my 31 Wow, you're like Glover Teixeira Right, right He's a famous UFC fighter You were like He's beloved and been in it for a while That's him right there But he is a very sweet man Who has stood the test of time In his industry Okay, so what kind of kids are coming through the lawn There, you know, and what's some of the interaction Like with them?

34:54Well, like the preschool And it's like, come here baby They come first? Yes. Okay, so the littlest kids come first. The littlest kids come first. Oh, wow. Yeah, we get the little ones, and then we move on up. And at the last period is 6th, 7th, 8th. Those are the big ones. Yeah. So we start out with these babies, you know? And, you know, they're all cute, little babies. Then we go to these big, huge kids, which I don't know what they're feeding them anymore because, you know, they're— They're getting big? Yeah. Yeah. I got some big boys. Miss Melissa, hook me up. And I'm like, okay, you know. Yeah.

35:26But, yeah. We start out. But the little ones, they come anywhere from four years old. And I think to about 14. Okay. Unless they, you know, failed a bunch of times and then they might be a little older. Oh, yeah. I mean, you know. We had a guy, yeah. We used to have to see that mustache. How many times he'd been here? Yeah. Yeah, he finally comes through. One of you just hand him a, what's it, thing you fill out to work? When you want to work somewhere? Yeah, you just hand him a work application. Oh, yeah, right, right. You might as well. You're going to be, you know, 18 in a minute. That happens a lot.

36:01So what are some of the kiddos that have come through, some of the little buckarooities that have come through there? Any unique, anybody bringing anything with, any stories they bring with them? What's going on with the kiddos? Well, I mean, there are so many kids. I see them everywhere now. The lady that's at the pharmacy, she's a pharmacist. She was one of my kids. I go to restaurants. We go on a canoe ride, and I started laughing. I was nowhere near Cleveland, and they're like, miss melissa and we everywhere i go i run into stuff i mean that's a lot of years and they're grown wow so they'll look at me and i'm like they're giving them my money and they're like are you miss melissa i'm like yeah they're like i i was like you were one of my kids oh that's cool but it's cool yeah yeah yeah there's a like there's a connection well especially because you're feeding the children you know there's there's always a connection i'm nice I'm nice to the kids too.

36:55Yeah. And I'm funny and you know. They like being around you. They like seeing you. Oh yeah. Oh yeah. And what, does some of the kids ever bring anything with them? Do they ever like, are they like, what do? Well, we had some come through the line and one had a snake in his book bag. Really? And little girl brought her cat in the book bag. Yeah. They, you never know what they're going to bring. They brought a cat. But we have security that checks their bag. So I bet they've seen some more. Yeah. Yeah. Like, is that cat meowing? I mean, that book bag meowing over there? Is that the new style? Did she press a button?

37:31And then when she'd come through the line to ask me for cat food, I was like, what? I don't serve that. But what did they ask you to do? Just put something in their bag for the cat? Like, how'd you know? No, I just, they heard them and stuff. And them guys, you know, like I said, they have to come through the detector. Oh, they have a metal detector? Oh, yeah, we got metal detectors. Oh, so you're in the trenches over there. Oh, I'm in the lower, lower west side. Wow. Oh, yeah. Y 'all are in there. Wow. Oh, yeah. Okay, so you have some children will bring a cat or even a snake through. And do you think it's just because they don't want to be alone from their pet?

38:07Yeah, probably just wanting to see their pets and stuff like that. Their parents probably didn't even know they snuck them out half the time. You know what I mean? So, I mean, if they could, sometimes the kids would let a dog in if they could so he could run around. Yeah. You know who you're laughing to? Do people ever tell you that your laugh reminds me of... Do they have the lady from the Adam Sandler thing, if you can find it? A little bit. Yours is way more charming.

38:41I made him extra sloppy for you. Listen to her. Her laugh is... Oh, that's too funny. I never thought of that I do sound like her just her laugh though you're way prettier than her she's pretty too but um is it tough to see some of the kids grow and leave sometimes or there's some kids you're like man that kid's we really wish they could stay I like wonder what happened to some of them that you really liked that you don't see that much no more um and some you see in well they're not really doing it as well because I'm there in the neighborhood but uh I see so much bad good you know and then I love it when they come back and they're like oh I just got in college or I'm doing this or I'm about to go to uh nursing school or I did I then I'm very excited that you know because where we're at yeah so like my son he couldn't wait to get out of Cleveland he He got married and just moved away.

39:47He was gone? He was gone as soon as he left. And then I had to get a dog named Mo because he was named Joe. And I lost him. He left. Oh, you got to get a dog that rhymes with your son's name. Right. So I replaced him with my dog, Mo. That's fair. Yeah. And where did you, is there a lot of like dating? Do a lot of janitors come by the lunch area trying to holler and trying to like, because that's what I felt like when I was a kid. Sometimes you would see some of the janitors over there trying to, you know, just like spend a little bit extra time or something like that. Mine's real cool. You only got one janitor?

40:27Yeah, sort of. I mean, because, well, they say they're custodians. They don't like to be called janitors. Oh, yeah. Sorry, custodians. Yeah, I respect both of them. Yeah. The last one was a lady, and me and her was real good friends. and she owned a lake house and I used to go with her all the time down there to New York. So that was awesome. And my other one, he just left. Yeah. I hang out with all the people that are retired too, that just left. So I've worked with them for so long. It's like, we know each other. We grew up in family, you know? Um, was it sad to see your son graduate? Like get out of this, like was when he left your school?

41:07Uh, yeah, I was very, yeah, because I got to keep a very close eye on him. Then he thought he was going to get away with something, but I told him, I'll transfer. I'll follow you boy. And he's like, no mom, no. So he did better. But then when I would go to parent conference and I would start talking, the teachers would look like, no wonder that's where he gets it. I'm all hyper talking to him. I'm like, how's my kid doing? And they're like, well, he's great. I guess. I'm like you, I guess he's not doing it. Like we're going to put you into detention that's what i'm saying hey when i first started working at school i thought man did i get called to the office i thought i was going to detention and i was really working there and they would call you down there yeah just to tone it down yeah i my my they she jokes all the time and says that i'm gonna have to go outside if i laugh too hard because during testing you know you're supposed to be quiet sometimes he's just like i heard you i'm like sorry but they all like so it's cool sometimes you hear a outburst i'll be just like and it's all the way upstairs calling and I don't realize it goes around the school but they know it's me yeah that's it huh yeah it's like a bird almost that you hear you know right um do you see like at certain holidays what's that like at school like around valentine's or some kids seem kind of lonely or anything does that ever happen a little bit but we they give those little hearts out and they give candy and the bigger kids will give flower you know it's just yeah they make a big And we have dances and stuff.

42:39And the dances are in the cafeteria sometimes? Yeah, most of the cafeteria is like where we have all our dances and everything. And I'm right there, so I like to dance with the kids. Really? Oh, yeah. I go and enjoy them. Yeah. Oh, wow. You should work for Nickelodeon. Oh, man. We've had a lot of fun. Yeah. They let you guys dance with the children at the dances? Sure. Oh, that's cool. Yeah. I remember one time we had a guy named Mr. John and his wife, I think was a teacher. I don't know if she was a teacher. She just like was like the smartest person in our area and she would hang out at the school.

43:10But she I got to dance with her one time at a dance. Oh, it's pretty cool. Well, we had that. She my my principles were great with a lot of things that she does. And we have a mother son dance and things like that. So I had some buddies a long time ago and they didn't have a mom. So I went to the dance dance with them. Oh, that's sweet. And everything. Yeah. They were my buddies because we do like a buddy breakfast thing. Oh, you'll do them as my buddy. Yeah. Oh, just students? Yeah. You kind of get close to some, if you see somebody and they'll say, you want to be my buddy? Yeah. And then you're kind of like their friend they could talk to if they're having a hard day where they hug you every day.

43:47So it's pretty cool. Oh, it's important. Yep. And then a couple times a year we eat with them, talk about, give them a present. That's cool. Really cool. Yeah. But yeah, what are some other like moments like, like have you had some unique interactions? Oh yeah. I like Halloween. I like to dress up in different stuff. And then I run through the crowd. And the little kids this year, I was this blow up. And it blew up big, too. It was cool. So I run out. But then they kept trying to squeeze me. And I'm like, I'm going to pop, you know? So I'm trying to get them away, but I can't because it keeps blowing up.

44:25So we do funny stuff like that. And a couple times I would tutor with the kids, you know, help the little ones with math or something. Like whatever she asks, like we try to do, you know. I think we're like a mixture, you know. When they're away from their home, we could be their mom, their grandma, whatever. If they're crying, you want to go over and make sure they're all right. See what they want. You have kids that will chase you and hug you every day. Sometimes you got to run. Yeah. Ooh, I run. Sometimes I have to shut the door. I'm like, here she comes. And everybody laughs because she's so beautiful and sweet, but she drives us crazy.

45:04She won't make me alone. Yeah. Someone get a little bit of, they get kind of, just kind of. Really cling. Yeah. They'll hug you too much. Yeah. They'll hug you. They'll lick you even. Oh, oh yeah. You're right about that. I've seen a child just didn't start licking. You're just like, what is going on with this child? But, dude, my friend told me that if you look at anything, anything, you know what it would feel like on your tongue because as a kid you licked everything and checked everything out. Probably. I'm sure. Yeah. And at first I thought that was crazy. But then if I look at anything. You're probably thinking if I lick that.

45:41He said because when you're a kid, you just put everything in your mouth. You don't even think about it. True. And you develop like this memory from it. Well, there's nothing I wouldn't try. That's why I said kids don't try anything nowadays. There's nothing, you know. Oh, yeah. Okay, is that a chocolate girl for a crisp? Let's eat that. Let's try it. Is there anything you guys will make BTS? Like, be honest with me. Is there some BTS food that you guys will make at the lunch area that's just for you guys? Like, you ever brew something up just for the gang, but it's not for the students? Well.

46:09I won't tell anybody. No, no. We eat the lunches there, you know. But no, like, I can't wait. Like, they're all Spanish, so I want them to bring me some rice and beans and stuff. So I want their food. yeah so they bring me food all the time and then i'm like all right this is how you get to your boss now this is good i just had some yesterday oh yeah yeah yeah they got a lot of good food man but yeah i love it so the ladies come in and they make me food i'm like that's the way oh that's beautiful but uh and now when is the day kind of shut down so after lunch what happens how do you guys shut it down like the last person leaves and then what after the last kids gets fed we make sure everybody's fed and then it's time the them ladies clean clean up count everything because i got to count everything like all the milk everything you know gets counted oh really yeah i do paperwork and everything has a count so and then it's got to go on the computer and go down to them of how many kids we fed um just switching it back around moving the coolers back for breakfast for the next day you know everything's goes back to you know it's like um you flip a switch you know what i mean we go for breakfast lunch lunch breakfast like a transformer and just try i always said that i said see how we just did that i said it was like transformers i'm like we just transformed the kitchen now bam and people come out and they'll be like dang melissa you just had breakfast that was like lunch because i'll be like phew throws it and i'm like we can't play somebody's We got to do it.

47:41We don't have time. Somebody's got to do it. Yeah. And I'm one of those people that are always, you know, ready to go. Yeah. Yeah, I run around like a chicken with my head cut off because I'm a little nutty, you know, but it's okay. Yeah. The more I move, you know, I just like to keep going. That's important. And it is. And I'm getting old, so I have to. You got to keep busy. Heck yeah. And what's it like, like, do you have time for dating stuff? You guys have to get up pretty early, huh? What's the love life like of someone in the lunch industry? Oh, I've been married 30 years. Oh, you have? Oh, yeah.

48:09Oh, you got married to the, not the pregnant, not the. No, no, no. Not the baby dad. Yeah. I got married to somebody else. Oh, nice. Yeah. Where'd you meet your husband at? In the yard.

48:22Really? Not like a prison thing, huh? Well. No judgment. Half my family's been incarcerated. Well, yeah. I mean, he, yeah, he just got out. Hey, babes, you look good. Welcome back. Welcome back. Yeah. He didn't do it. Make me a breakdown. You should guys get, oh, I guess he probably is not allowed to go to school then. No, no. This was so long ago. He's good now. Okay. Yeah. We won't talk about that. Yeah, we'll keep that out. So that's nice then. So you got a love. You have a love in your life. You have one child. That's your only child? Oh, yeah. I was one and done. Yeah? Oh, yeah. What made you not want more?

49:06That was a whole experience. I mean, what the heck? I don't women just keep popping them out. Are they crazy? It's unreal. All that stuff we had to do. And I told that doctor or whoever I told him, this was all too much for me. Then he came out with collar. And I'm like, what the heck? I watched kids for years and they never acted like that. Then I had my own and I'm like, everybody kept saying, you're going to have another one. I'm like, Nope. Nope. So when he was 10, I got my tube side. I said, Nope, I'm making sure. Wow. Oh yeah. That was it. Shut down. Shut that It all down. The lunch line was over.

49:37I got 600 kids a day. I don't even need it. Hey, every now and then, you got to open it up for breakfast every now and then. Well, I mean, yeah, but see, I don't have to have it. Yeah. You know, it doesn't make it easy now. Wow. Do kids, let me get into the financial of it. Do children pay for school lunch a little bit? A long time ago when I started, I'm going to say - We had X and Y tickets, I remember. About 20 years ago, they did. We had X and Y tickets. They were - X was full paid and Y was - You got it. Free lunch. You got it. Or partial pay. Yep. They have the full, partial, and free. Oh, they have full.

50:12Dude, I remember. So I would get to school. God, dude. It was the most. This was like one of the skits. This was like one of the tougher things, I think. When you were a kid, like, yeah, you would get there. And see if you can bring up the school on tickets. Keep looking for them. Mine looked a little bit different. Oh, my goodness. Look at those lunch cards. No. Keep looking to see if you find some other ones. Oh, yeah. No, right there, the red and blue, the whole mix of all of them, like the game tickets. Those are the ones we had. Right there? Yeah. And so you'd get up to the lady, right? There'd be the lunch lady.

50:43Because they didn't allow men to do it. Because I don't believe men should do it. We got a couple men in the system now. Really? We'll talk about that some other time. Times have changed, yeah. But we would get in there, and you had to go up to her, and you had to tell her if you were, if you paid, you had to just buy the ticket from her. And if you were free, you had to tell her you were free. Mom. And I was just, it always felt so embarrassing because there would always be like another kid right behind you or in front of you. She'd always say it like, oh, I'm free. And if the bus got there early, you could get breakfast.

51:14That was the thing. If the bus, so based on how Miss Hazel was doing and bless her heart or whatever, she's alive or not. Hopefully she's alive, but she might not be. But she was awesome. But sometimes she would lollygag. Sometimes she would stop or drive slow and smoke. And so we would get there a few minutes later and we would miss breakfast. and then you were just beside yourself because you had to get all the way to like 11.40 and you would just keep going to the water fountain and just drink as much water as you could and I remember even one of my teachers would go get you some of that breakfast water out there breakfast water that's what they used to say Miss Smith would always say that but anyway yeah and then at lunch I don't know if we got our tickets in advance for the week or if you had to go and do the same thing at lunch but you would always try to sneakily say yeah free lunch or whatever you know I'll take a Y one or just something like that or I would try to pretend like I was giving them money even though I wasn't it was like I was a magician just because I didn't want other kids to see because you know kids get so embarrassed no they do yeah but then once you got the ticket yeah and you were free to the line usually you would get a tray or like a little carton like a little plastic kind of little carton and then you would go to like to the milk or beverage area first get that then you would go into the room where the actual kitchen was and you would have the line there you would get your line items come out and um then that was it you was free to go sit down and eat it was awesome it was yeah that was like the best thing ever dude what what uh is the funnest thing to serve to the kids is there something you really enjoy like i like to serve the pizza because it's one piece because i could throw the pizza but when i got like mashed potatoes corn chicken and a raw you know i'm sorry now i'm like it's too much everybody yeah everybody's picky so they don't want gravy so i'm on you know it's like yeah and now they're like allowed to pick what they want yeah i used to give them all of it so oh they used to yeah that's crazy you get to pick what you want we would have to get whatever sometimes they give you a bunch of junk you're like some of I don't even think some of it was food or whatever, and you would just have to take it back to your table.

53:25Oh, yeah. I've seen so much waste back in the day. We'd have a bean burrito. All these kids would just, you know what I mean? Just throw it away. Just throw it away. You just cooked all those just a bit, be in the garbage. You're like, dang. The apple, I feel like, would always get thrown away. Sometimes, yeah. Yeah, you would be like, I don't know if I'm eating this. Yeah. You know? That would always be a tough one. I've ordered less apples now. Yeah? Yeah, because of the other ones. more popular that we have now that they're trying different you know watermelon that's gone i'm watermelon man i have to we'll be cutting 10 water and we'll be cutting those watermelon and what type of cutter are you using back there do you guys have a sanctioned knife that you have to use or something we have a couple knives yeah like that we got a couple knives we use for those which we just started to share sometimes it was hard oh yeah especially with my hands hurting all time.

54:18I was like, man, these watermelons, it's crazy. But then we got this one that you put like the orange or the apple thing and you could go. Oh, really? And it comes out. I like that one. Yeah. I could do that all day. Yeah. Yeah. That's nothing. Yeah. I guess if you get that fancy, that fancy one's really nice. I'm trying to think of what we had. Oh, they would do baked potatoes. Y 'all still do those sometimes? No, we haven't did a baked potato for a long time, but I remember a long time ago we did have a baked potato they seemed like it yeah it was nice because they had like sour cream with it oh yeah and get you a little bit of bacon bit or whatever because they didn't let you use bacon bits in our community if you was a child first of all oh yeah yeah that was that was an adult thing bacon yeah so then they get to school when you pull up and they got a damn you got access to bacon you're like yeah let's ride hey they're excited now we give croutons Oh, is that a big thing for the kids now?

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58:28Thank you. Yeah, man, that was so much fun, man. Going to lunch, it was kind of the best part of the day because that was your break, right? And then do they go into recess after lunch? yep before and after we give them switch like we got uh 20 minutes of 20 minutes like some of them are outside then they'll come on in and those ones will go outside so we're just keep going like that yeah tell me about take me down some of the tough moments like has there ever been like a food recall or something that happened where there was just a food people got sick from that day was there ever just a flu that went around oh that is so funny you said that so years ago and it was quite a while i don't know maybe 18 years ago we did have this problem and there was flu going around and everything and a couple kids came in the lunchroom and they threw up well that started uh the other kids looking at them doing it next thing i know they call they got buses and they got everybody pulling my food doing it and i'm like tripping i'm like what and they're like it's like you were witch like the salem witchcraft parents saying don't eat something and i'm like Like, oh, my God, yes.

59:37And then the, what was that? One guy, he was trying to come from the, and I was running with my hoodie on. Because I was like, I've never. Yes. No. Yeah, I swear. I was tripping. What'd you do? That's what it is. And they wrote this article. And then, I don't know, a couple weeks later when they realized it was, they wrote this little thing. Like, it wasn't the food. There was a kid. But they made me, like, look. They didn't care. And then downtown would be like, and Melissa, tell them about that. You know, when the kids got off. and I'm like, what? Who's got a green brick at the stop? Like you were Hester Prynne or something.

1:00:09Oh, I'm so glad that those kids are probably long gone out of it by now because that stuck with me for a little while. Yeah, a little PTSD from that. I'd be walking down the street, yeah, and all of a sudden they'll be like, there she is! I'm like, oh my God, I ate the pizza. Oh my God, I start tripping. We had the bad macaroni. They did, yes. Do you remember the bad macaroni of 2001? Yeah. Where were you? where were you when people ate bad macaroni i'm like i ate it and i'm okay you're like i survived you should have made t-shirts that said i survived the macaroni of 2001 i know that would have been a good one that would have been people forget that there's a marketing possibility even within um famine and disease right and edible diseases yeah people forget that all the time yeah because we would have people would get um we'd have bad milk come through or bad cattle we come through town sometimes they're you know and you get spoiled milk yes and you had no idea why it could have been that the truck was parked overnight next to like a something that had it was heating it up you just never know right too much time in the sun on the way there something here's something and everybody would just be having bad milk you know Well, the kids will let me know if they trust me.

1:01:23They'll let me know if they have something. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, there were a couple times we got milk and, like, there was, like, that much. Like, the gardens, they didn't fill it up. Like, I'm saying, why do all these kids want another milk? Until I figured out it wasn't really getting there. I'm like, oh, shit. I'm telling them, no. Damn. I'm like, now I got to get out of this milk. But that's it. Look, that's how it is out in some of the, you know, that's how it is. Yeah, you just never know what's going to happen. That's life, too. You don't ever know. you don't you always don't know the milk that you're going to get um any food fights kids always say we're going to do a food fight it never happens that's what i feel like there's always the rumor of a food fight today we're gonna and then never ends up going down at my school not as much but i did sub at a school that's closed now a long time ago and the kids said food fight i went with mashed potatoes in my hair i had stuff hanging off me so they decided they really was going to do it and they did it yeah praise god i'm like all right man i wasn't too upset with it it was kind of cool you know yeah well that that's that was like the big thing i don't know if kids care about that anymore no i don't know yeah i mean they might throw like peelings right i mean they might throw little things but they're not like getting up having the big you know yeah they're not like it's like a big organized thing because there's always like this thing like kids we're going to organize it yeah and then it comes down to it and never happened i think it was more of wasn't there a movie that there was a food fight in can you look that up there is i can't what was that movie that had a food fight in it it was a 90s movie uh the great race matilda oh hook hook had a great food fight in it like at the uh bangarang scene that was very big oh animal house oh that was it i think animal house had a huge one so that's i think it's so funny a lot of times you take something right back to like um a popular movie or tv show and that's where it started um do you remember your lunch ladies from being uh um not very many i don't think they were very nice then really and one thing that i always said after i got in there was that i'm not going to be like that because you know we get a rap you know like really yeah because some people are you know they act like that mean little lunch lady you can only have one ketchup and i always thought i'm gonna be like the cool one you know so then i am so then i think it works out because i don't remember too many you know really good ones yeah yeah i remember a couple times they had i mean also for a lot of young men it's you know like you think that lunch lady's pretty cute because it's the first woman you kind of get to talk to right that's like kind of not like a teacher or your mind it's like the first person that you're like well who is this person you know and they smile at you or whatever you ever have a student try to like get your number or do like you try to no they they might flare a little bit like trying to get some extra chicken balls or something but i'm like yeah all right you know get a call boy yeah yeah they're trying to pull up on them yeah yeah they think so so I'm old enough to be your great grandma you better roll on yeah you gotta shut them down early you know you got to what about fights any fights they have at school are you guys allowed to get involved in that what's that like at school if that happens well there's fights but you're supposed to get security I mean I don't wait sometimes I will try but now with big kids no way those guys are huge yeah they'll swing me across the floor somewhere i'm like nope so i'll just go over and try to find one security go on you know and then they'll try but uh other people in their teachers and stuff you know okay i'm not i won't get involved but not the big kids no um do the teachers is there a good relationship with teachers and lunch women or lunch women and now men because men are attacking the industry but um is there a lot of good uh or are they arch nemesis of each other is there like what's the energy like between lunch lunch people and teachers i never thought about that at different schools it'd be different but for me i've got along with most of most of them and stuff like that and i don't i don't i have a good relationship with them you know because everybody wants a milk every once in a while it's not mine you know uh i guess it depends on who that's a powerful statement everybody wants a milk you know because they do and i always think And they walk in and if they're like acting mean to me, I'll be thinking, you'll want a milk for me one day.

1:06:01Yeah. See if I give it to you. Yeah. You'll need me. You'll pull up on this. Yeah. You'll pull up on this udder. Yeah. That's right. You want me to order those bag lunches for you, don't you? That's true. Yeah. Oh, for field trips. That's what I said. So some, yeah, if you'll have a couple, but not very many, but if they act a little too, you know, it's fine. Cause you know, they got to come to me for something. You got to come through. Yeah. That's true. I might be the little one down there. You're like the government. That's right. Yeah, the food is - You still got to pay your taxes. Food is government.

1:06:31It really is. It really is government. A lot of cultures it is. Yeah. Well, yeah, it's like if you're even in a village, when somebody comes back with the food, that person is the government that day. They have the food. They determine how everything's going to go. I always tell my ladies, I'm like, man, sometimes I walk through the hall and I think they're looking at me like a chicken leg or something, you know? So, yeah. Who are you talking about? Some of the janitors or whatever? The kids, the staff, you know? It depends what they smell. They have loaded nacho day. It's like everybody's looking like most nachos.

1:07:01And I just could see everybody, hi, Melissa. I'm like, uh. Yeah. They know. So they know. Yeah. They know it would be nice, too. People know where their bread is buttered. That's what it is, you know? Just like me, I know I need the custodian, so you've got to be nice to them. I need toilet paper and stuff. So you learn who you have to be good with. When little Ricky pukes. That's right. You know you're going to need to call. Oh, you know it. Yeah, what's a field trip day like? So how does that break down? Well, the field trips and stuff, they order like bag lunches. And what goes into the bag lunch?

1:07:33When I make it, it's like a sandwich, a PB &J sandwich, Uncrustable. Ooh. Yeah, they love those. And I get strawberry and grape, and I kind of like them too. So if I'm running around with this. Y 'all will make those yourselves? No, they come. You order from Uncrustables? No, we order those, yeah. Wow, that's nice. Yeah, those things are pretty good. But then I'll make a bag with those and some goldfish crackers, a string cheese, applesauce, and some carrots. Bam, there's our lunch. Damn. And they're out. We got, I remember, meat sandwich with mustard. Yep. And sometimes you got extra mustard somehow for no reason.

1:08:08I know. You're like, first of all, I'm a child. I don't eat mustard the first time. I'm a child. And now I get a lot of mustard. Mustard is for Polish adults. Let's be honest. so there's no reason i should have to eat it and then you gave me more mustard so that would be scary you'd always see that one kid that would end up being an alcoholic and he'd be over there just eating the mustard oh you know what we got him with the hot sauce y 'all got hot sauce oh yeah now we give us on the kids love hot sauce but i catch the little ones over there with the packs yeah i'm like what is it's a lot or they're keeping in the back i'm gonna take this home to my dad for some of that sauce.

1:08:50I'm like, okay. For Christmas or whatever? That's crazy. Hey, you know, they ain't got no sauce. They lose you.

1:09:00But so you pack those, you send them out on the field trip. When? Do you pack those the night before? You pack them in the morning of the field trip? I get everything ready except for the sandwich. And then in the morning, I just throw the milk in a cooler. How many of you have ever going? And then put the sandwich in there and it thaws through the day so they could eat it by lunchtime. because you don't want to leave those out too long because one thing as nasty is like the next day, you know? It gets like hard or jelly starts to go seeping through. So that very first day when it first just thaws, it's the best.

1:09:32So you guys will put the, you mean for the Lunchable, you mean? For the crust? Yeah, I use those for the bag lunches. For the bag lunches, right, the PB &Js. And do they get a meat option in there or no meat option? They used to, but I haven't had one in a while. Okay. Yeah. Um, what's some of the best things about the job? Um, time goes really fast cause I'm always busy. Um, I don't feel like it's a job job, even though I'm getting paid because I'm having fun. I try to make my work fun and I make the ladies dance. I'll tell them all, okay, we're getting too serious. Stop. Put some music on, start to get the groove for a minute.

1:10:11Um, we all start laughing, doing dishes, just joking. I told him I want this to feel comfortable. I want us not to feel like, you know, just because we're working doesn't mean you can't have fun, you know. So in my kitchen, it's about having fun. Do your job and let's have fun, you know, while we're doing it. And then I like to act crazy around, you know, the principal or anybody because they all know me. And they're like, there's Melissa, you know. So I do some crazy stuff. Like I don't know how to swim. And I went on a, and she took me on a trip with her. and her son was like, I said, I always wanted to jump in the deep water, you know?

1:10:47Oh, yeah. Here he goes. He gives me his mama's life jacket. I put that sucker on last summer and I was diving off the diving board with little kids. I was so excited. First time ever. Yeah. I was like, yeah. And all the kids was there. The older people were kind of like, I don't really know what she's doing. Yeah. Make a wish. I was like, right? Wow. And you just got right out in there in the water? Yep. Just got right in and dove right off the diving board in there. But once I know that, you know, I was safe. Yeah, you're safe. Yeah. Had you ever tried swimming before? I've tried. I'm not that great at it.

1:11:19Yeah, it sounds like you're not good at it. But had you ever tried before? Because, yeah, I was bad at swimming for a while. I could back float, but I don't. What is back float? No, I've never even heard of that. Oh, you'd be like. That's how I'm going to do it to save my life. I think that's called waiting for rescue. Well, I could wait for rescue for a while, but I can't do this too long. And I don't know how you guys are staying in there just standing there. I don't get it. Well, that's magic. If I see somebody doing that. I know. I just don't get it. I'll call the cops, dude. Right? Some things are just, yeah, beyond me.

1:11:52A long time ago, they used to think that gay people would sink in the water and straight people would float. Back in the witchcraft days. Isn't that crazy? Bring that up. Look at that. Sinking gays or whatever. Sinking. Sinking. It could have.

1:12:09or yeah sinking gays and witchcraft if you put that in there too there was a lot of that yeah yeah people well they had a thing if you sank their float it would determine something oh you know and they would then sometimes well shit i sink so what's that mean what are you trying to say i'm not saying anything man maybe i took a wrong turn in life who knows i know right um so what's the social life like when you're outside of work what do you like to do for fun personally what keeps you busy you know obviously you really find a lot of joy in your work and that's awesome you know yeah and it's important to notice that well they noticed i was employee of the year at school too oh yeah 2009 yeah yeah now the mayor gave me a word.

1:13:00I was like, His brother? What's his brother doing? I don't know. He was there. Anyway, but they gave me a party and a gift card and all this. I was like, oh, Richie. Give me$100 to a steakhouse. I was like, yeah, I'm going to get the biggest steak, you know? And I felt cool, but I was a little excited, you know? How did you know you won? Was there finalists or what happened? Yeah, it was employee of the month, like all of us, like the 12, and then they said, we're going to pick one. So I was, I was waiting. I was like this, waiting to eat. You know, I was looking at the food like, man, that looks good.

1:13:36Oh, you were all at the banquet. Yeah. So I was thinking, hurry up. And did you dress up for it? Yeah, I dressed up a little bit, but I looked a little crazy. I always change, you know, and I did the smile. And it's like, you can see my whole tonsils in my mouth. Cause I smile too big. Cause I laugh a lot. And they put that picture big downtown. so now you walk in and you see me and everybody's like is that awesome i'm like yes that's me so that's the picture they picked i guess you see every two of them got my hands i'm like yeah there's me yeah that's awesome yeah but it was cool it was really cool though um just for being funny and trying to you know because everybody's so serious sometimes oh yeah and then the big boss come out everybody's so scared they're so and we're all there to do the same thing you know I just make them laugh and tell them, let's just, you know, let's just be fun.

1:14:27Yeah. Yeah. I have a lot of fond memories of going into the lunchroom and sometimes you would get the silver and you would get a fork that was all banged up. Oh yeah. What happened? I don't know, but I've seen some and they look like all of them are mushed to the paper towel thing or something. Or you'll see just the tall, the, like the, the fingers of the fork will be like, you know, one of them will be way out like that. and you're just like, what happened? What happened? Like, sorry, you can't have another fork. You're going to have to eat with your finger today, bro. We're on a crisis. Budget cuts.

1:15:04You're like, what happened? That's what I'm saying. What would you change about school launches? One of the biggest things I think I would change, because like I said, they're getting better, but everybody eats the same portions. I would give the bigger kids more portions. okay i think like instead of that one chicken leg that everybody's getting besides you know the other stuff that they could get on the side i'd give them two yeah i just think that the bigger kids are big i mean we got some big boys i mean big girls you know and they're got to be hungry that's just not enough i don't think you know but i mean we do have a salad bar they can fill up with that but you know they want the they want the real deal yeah you know so that's what i'm saying they want more of those so when i hook them up they'll be like i give them a couple more nuggets are like oh you're my girl you know and i'm like i know i gotcha that feels good it does feel good it feels good when i see kids at i go places like to a wedding or something and i see all these kids are at the wedding because i had family friends i've had all the nieces and nephews i've had everybody go through school so they'll be like i remember when you gave me that other oh she was cool yeah that's right it feels good to just uh mac nugget up a child right oh it does You want some more fries, boy?

1:16:19Here you go. You fucking put a McNugget into a child? They'll be talking about me. They'll be like, man, look me up. What's this plate? I've got some nephew children. I'll damn McNugget that bastard's up. Oh, yeah. God, it feels good. It does. It makes you rest easier. Well, it does. It really does. I know that's why I said some of the kids, you know, they're hungry. Yeah. Or they'll tell me that they haven't ate, you know? And do y 'all play any music in there? Spanish music, yeah. A lot of it. In our kitchen, we play some. Because like I said, all my ladies are Spanish. A lot of Latino co-workers, huh?

1:16:47Oh, yeah. Employees. Yeah. They were amazing what they could do with a broom. Oh, yeah. Oh, my God. They scrubbed that place with a broom. Really? Oh, yeah. They're wonderful cleaners. Very true. I have a lot of friends. And my grandmother was a house cleaner, and my mom was too. Oh, okay. And then a lot of my friends' parents growing up were in house cleaning and stuff. And some of my Latino friends, their parents still clean houses. I tried it for a minute. did you yeah oh so you tried a different business oh yeah when the in the summertime if i didn't work down at school i did other jobs oh really oh yeah like so what are some of the summer jobs nobody ever thinks about that what do freaking lunch ladies do during the summer oh i i well the last the year before because i got surgery last summer so i was down with my stupid carpal tunnel my trigger fingers stuck like this and why do you have to get surgery be honest is too much scooping oh yeah they said um repetitious movements so now my bag you know things because you do them so long sometimes it'll be burned like yeah yeah how much scoops can one wrist do overall man i don't know i just keep them rolling really like i said you some people are like man look at her but i'll be sweating but i'm getting older now though so i may have slowed down this is what i mean i'm like you might have told me to do nothing with my hands when i it home because hey look my brister no wonder your guy went to prison you gotta do what you gotta do that's what i'm saying i know i'm sorry i just got there i've served all i'm serving honey that's it no more seconds no more firsts right but no I just try to go fast because I've watched people and they'll be like we got 600 kids I'm like dude you gotta move right keep going but people it's just not fast what is a kid that comes in that's kind of heartbroken you ever notice a kid that's having a tough time have you ever had a like oh I run right over yeah oh gosh yeah and what is some of that are you ever able to like over time do you be able to pinpoint some of the commonalities of what some of those moments are a lot of it is like um another kid don't like them yeah they're getting picked on or the they want to be friends with this child and they don't want to be friends with them oh it's so isn't that so big the kids it's very yeah and i'm like looking but then to them it's so big yeah so i always tell them you know if they don't want it's okay you know don't worry about it they'll be liking you tomorrow you know what i mean this and that just try to make them feel better and they get over and then you see them talking to their they'll be best friends yeah they just need help getting through that they just need to get through And it is.

1:19:31And they're, yeah. So whenever we do see one down, I immediately want to go over to that one and see why. Yeah. Especially since we got a lot of kids that are smiling like me and bubbly when I see them. So if they're not bubbly, just like they do the same thing to me. If I come to work and I'm not feeling it that day, like there's just something wrong, they can feel it. Oh, they'll lift you up. Oh, they come in and they're like, Miss Melissa, you're right. Because they know that I'm not laughing. Don't hear that big loud laugh everywhere. Then there's something wrong with Melissa that day. That's true.

1:20:00Yeah, I didn't hear her laugh too much. Yeah, that's interesting. We're the keys to each other's locks. That's what my buddy always says. He always says that. Oh, yeah, they do. They can pick up on it. What are some of the other summer jobs you've had? God, I can't believe I never knew that, that those beautiful women were wandering off into our town and doing other employment. I was a secretary, which sitting down isn't my strong word. It's not your thing, huh? No, I was like, man, let me clean this place. I don't want to be a secretary to work. I'll clean your place. Okay, girl, you got to get up.

1:20:34Yeah, I can't just sit. It's crazy. That's too much for me. I've worked at Dave's Grocery Store, cashier, and I like that. I was a cashier for a bit. I liked it. All these people coming through and stuff. I'm like, what's up? Yeah. It is pretty fun. Cashier was fun. Stocking was fun. I didn't love getting the carts a lot of times. I didn't like to get the carts and putting the stuff back. And sometimes they were wet. And you're like, well, it hadn't even been raining. Why is this cart all wet? Yeah, you wonder what you're touching. Yeah, just people are gross. I'm doing take backs, and I think they're peeling, they're opening.

1:21:08I'm like, oh. It would be very hectic. You never know what they're doing. Oh, yeah, it just felt insane. It was like a lot of eustachian fluid or something. I don't even know. But, yeah, a lot of times it's very confusing. Then I cleaned some houses, and that one was kind of fun. Unless her house was really dirty. Yeah, some people. And they, you know, these were some richie people. And I'm like, yeah. But one time this old lady made me a sandwich, let me go in her pool. That was really cool. Uh-uh. Yeah. Why? Was it your birthday or something? No. She just must have liked me because we started talking, you know?

1:21:39Uh-huh. And sometimes I'll just make a friend and I get invited to a party. Yeah? Heck yeah. Real easy? Oh, yeah. Wow. Yeah, I get around somebody else and their friend is like, hey, you want to come? I'm like, yeah, all right. You know, I could be sitting at home doing nothing, having nothing, then bam, I'm at a party eating shrimp and drinking limosas. I'm like, this is insane. You never know what's going to happen. Your day can change. Yeah, your day can change. That's a great point. Yeah, fancy people love shrimp, I feel like. Yeah, they do. And they like me. So I like it. So where's your son at now?

1:22:18My son, he's a cable man. in Maslin. And he told me to tell you because he's a big fan. All them guys watch you. Oh, praise me. Yeah, tell myself what's up. What's his name? Joe. Joe, that's what's up. Joe Ansel? Joe Rocca. Joe Rocca, yeah. Wow, it sounds like he should be in prison. It's that name. Joe Rocca, right? Yeah, and I don't mean that. Don't go to prison, Joe. No, no, no. We want you out here. But hey, if you go away, bro. I'll send you commissary, son. Free Joey. I got your mother. free jelly that's a good one free jelly yeah and he's married I got a great teacher daughter-in-law oh she's a teacher oh yeah no way great teacher after I've been around nope she's in Massland I'm in Cleveland wow yeah she's from the better part and I'm from the ghetto so we like share our stories yeah we watch her little kids like and then you go to mine you know it's two different very different universes, different universes.

1:23:20And I've been to both of them. So it's really funny to see. Oh, you have. Oh yeah. I've went to places cause I got grandkids. Oh, so you've worked at other schools in your own? No, I've, I've, um, subbed, but I've went to other schools with her. Oh, I see. See what it was like. Yeah. See what it was like. So lunch ladies will sub at another school. Um, back in the day they did, but there was a point when I just stopped because I have a home plate and I didn't have to do it no more. You know, that was for the other people. So they still send subs and stuff, you know, around, but I, I quit subbing.

1:23:53And do you get at a certain point, do you get a, um, pension? Do lunch ladies get a pension? Oh yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I get SERS. Uh, it's like a retirement plan. So SERS. And how long does that take to build up? I don't know anything about it. Well, like I've got 31, but my age, so like when I'm 57, I'll have 35 years and I can retire with the full benefits and cheaper insurance and all that. But my age is still there. You know what I mean? I'm not going to be 65, so I couldn't get Medicaid and all that. So there's a little, because I started too early. But hopefully I could, if as long as I'm healthy and running, I want to keep running.

1:24:34You can keep working. Oh yeah. I don't want to sit at home. What am I going to do at home? me bomb bombs and get fat yeah yeah just be yeah you just said yeah there's nothing to do then my no my brain won't quit talking it's like i gotta go yeah it's much better to talk to people than myself all the time you know what i'm saying yeah um did you ever try to go into your own business at any point or do you like working with a group no i like the group i've never really tried yeah yeah i just didn't know if that was something that different people think about or not or sometimes do or don't think well if I could have thought of something you know but I mean I didn't know what else I would be good at I mean I'm sure I could have probably did something else but yeah I think I mean I'm smart and I liked other jobs but you know this is where I've been yeah some of this I think it makes me more happy too to be around so many people that's what I was thinking because doing your own thing can definitely be the other side of the tracks you know you just really you can isolate a lot right right right um any parents ever confront the lunch staff about anything does that ever happen oh yeah um a couple times through the years i don't think a lot of principal stuff wouldn't like let them you know but i've had had fathers or something ask me something you know like angry about a soup or angry about a porridge or something my kid said that he he didn't like that knew something you know and it's like y 'all serving bad lamb right you know and i'm like but not too many with me i mean i even talked to a lot of the parents because I've seen the kids so long.

1:26:04Yeah. So I try to be friendly with all of them, explain if they ask me something, but I don't try to get into too much riffraff because you know, I live in the neighborhood. Right. So you want to keep things PC. That's right. You want to be seeing me up at the grocery store with some parents like, yeah, there, there she is. Gosh, you're kind of like the Don Corleona. Right. You know, I didn't even know. I noticed in nature, a lot of animals will kind of like fatten up for winter or whatever. Does that happen with children too, do you think? Yeah, I think so. I do. I think that they eat and they get more in them for it.

1:26:37In the summertime, they're wanting to run around so much out there, I see that they eat less. And I see their lunch, the garbage is heavier. Oh, really? In the summer than it is in the winter. I made a comment one time. I'm like, wow, I noticed that. Huh. Yeah, because they want to run outside, I think. So you think in the summer they're throwing more stuff away, whereas in the winter they're eating it? Yeah, because they want to. Yeah, I do. because they're sitting there and there's nothing else to do. They're not going outside, you know, but when they're like raring to go and it's beautiful out like you, you'd be like, Oh, forget it.

1:27:08I don't want to finish this. You know? Yeah. I mean, not me. I'm going to eat real fast and then go, but you know, that's a good point. Some kids are like, Oh, it's too much fun out there. Right. That's what you can feel your body. Want to go play like hide and go seek or something. Oh yeah. Oh, it's the worst for a kid. Right. It's like, God, I don't want to be eating right now. I could be having fun. Yeah. You know it. What are the kids, do they interact when they're at the table together and stuff like what do kids do or they just kind of eat their lunch like no they they talk argue um yeah they interact with each other and stuff through the whole lunch period and stuff like that uh i can't really i'm like dumb for a minute i've been dumb for so long here take a take a minute all right yeah do you ever Have you ever seen like milk come out of a kid's nose?

1:27:56People always say that. Yeah. Oh, I saw that a couple times. Yeah? Oh, yeah. And the other day, it was just funny, just the other day, they're coming through the lunch line and they were playing outside too hard and the little boy just throwing up right in my lunch. Oh, yeah. And I'm like, okay, I'm going to look up and everybody's like, Melissa, I can't look. And I'm like, well, come on, guys. Let's hurry up. Let's do this. Let's get them out of here. Yeah. And I'm telling the little ones, quit looking. They're like. Oh, yeah. But yeah, when stuff starts coming out of their nose because they're laughing or, yeah, they probably think of other things that they're going to do, you know.

1:28:28And you got to tell them, don't take that food because it's going to get warm and then you'll get sick. Yeah. Yeah, kids, I think they're, and they're just so like energetic at the time. They'll vomit for no reason a lot of times. Like somebody just pats them on the back wrong. I know, that's what I was saying. I said that. Yeah, yeah. Is that the same one still throwing on? He better quit playing. I would like him to eat first before he goes outside. Yeah. And then let's put a diaper around his mouth. Yeah, that's right. Are kids allowed to bring phones in school these days? Yes. No way. Yeah.

1:29:02They're supposed to not use this and that, but. So some of them have phones out during the day? I see kids with phones. No way. I cannot even imagine that. Yeah, I never had a phone back then. Yeah. Right. That was such a better vibe, I feel like. Yeah, me too. I think there's too much on the phones, yeah. What would you change about the lunches that we serve to kids? Anything or do you feel pretty good about them? Right now I'm feeling a little bit better about them, like I said, this year because he's bringing out more different things that I think the kids would like. We do a General So's and Rice.

1:29:40Don't do a General So's chicken? Yeah, it's good. I love it. I'd be messing it up on General So's Day. Yeah? Yeah. there's certain days that I get excited, you know, cause I'm like, Oh, I'm going to eat that. No, no, no. So. And we all save a little bit of the better side of things for yourselves. I mean, I might have a little bit more sauce on mine. Hey, you know, I made it. I think that's fair. So yeah, I think that we, I do really believe that this year I think is like one of the best with it's coming with lunches and stuff for the variety of different things that we have. So he's, he's moving up.

1:30:16Like I said, I'm interested to see more of what he does. The new guy that's... The new food guy? Yeah. Because he's the order. He's the boss. He's the boss of like changing all that. And I've worked with... I've worked for about four different ones so far. Wow. Each one brings something different to the table. But right now I'm liking what he's bringing. You know what I mean? What was one of the craziest things you guys ever served over the years?

1:30:42The hot dog that used to be in the beans and it would turn colors. and I had parents and aunts and people old to this day so they asked me about those green hot dogs with beans. Really? Yeah, but I liked it. But it did, it would like turn some color because it was stuck in the beans. Yeah. Well, that's nature. I know, that's what I said. I was like, it's probably preservatives or something in it. I don't know. Oh, some of that's just natural preservatives. Yeah, I mean, we had this egg roll that was rolling. Yeah, there's been a couple items that I would have been like, no, and I eat everything.

1:31:15I'm like, Mikey, man, there's nothing I wouldn't eat. They had an egg roll too for a while? Yeah. Ooh. Yeah, the kids didn't really care for that egg roll. So bizarre. Yeah. I remember the bread they used to have. So the bread was always made in one big pan, right? It was like a whole pan full of rolls. And ours always had this dust on them. And people would be like, that's flour. And I'd be like, it doesn't seem like flour. It just seems like dust. Oh, that's super. Yeah. So we were wrapping our rolls and some of them will come like that, you know, with a whole bunch of. and I said to them, what is it?

1:31:46They're like, just flour. That's a lot of flour on there and the kids will see it and I'm like, they're not going to believe it's flour. I said, it looks gross. I don't want to stir that one to them. It's just flour. We didn't believe. Exactly, that's exactly, that's terrible. I was just kind of like, I'm trying to think of the ones, oh, we had a couple of these different ones. That one, can you look up Dusty School Lunch Rolls? Yeah, maybe. is that what he's looking at dusty school lunch rolls yeah maybe soft red rolls but you know i've had the kids tell me let's look what's up what's on this and i'm like it's flour because that's what they tell me it's flour i mean it is flour it doesn't seem like flour it seems like science dust or something yeah maybe easy dust i don't know yeah it could be some powder something sometimes i thought it would be like a powdered butter or something they might be putting on but i could never figure it out and they were never they never got the rolls really that good i didn't feel like yeah um we get different rolls like and bread we order from different departments at different times we had swables once we had this so the bread's not too bad but you always find some that comes in like you just said with a whole pile of dust i'd be like was it a hamburger but it's covered and yeah that's what I would be like, look, all this white.

1:33:11It was the hamburger buns a lot of times. I think when they make them, they must just throw that flour at them after they unpack them. It was crazy. But it does look funny because people don't want to eat that because, you know. Yeah. And kids do make those comments. They notice anything on the food, anything. If it looks just a little strange or something, they're going to make a comment on it, you know. But I hate to be like one of those, you know, it's just flour because everybody says it. You're like, it's not. I know, but I'm like, I don't know. Is it? um do you guys ever serve sloppy joes ever we did we haven't this year or whatever but there was years we did some of the kids liked it um we had a teacher there years ago and he did a little skit with me on this sloppy joes oh yeah about adam sandler yeah and i wore the white when i first started they gave me that white dress and all that and you had to look Oh, you had to dress a certain way?

1:34:05Yeah, but thank goodness that didn't last long for me. Pull up that outfit, brother. We switch. Yeah, go on with that one until I eat white dress. And I'm young now, and I'm like, what do you look like with these low-fifers shoes? Oh, you had to wear the white shoes? Yes. I remember those. They were like K-Swisses or something, sneakers. Exactly, right there. Oh, that's nice. That's what they gave me, one of those white, white. Wow. And so we did a little skit or whatever. It's around there somewhere on YouTube. Somewhere. Who knows where it's at. But I put a mole on and all that. Oh, and we had a lunch.

1:34:41We had Sloppy Joe's? Yeah. So it was fun. But they never serve them anymore, huh? No, they haven't served Sloppy Joe's for a long time. And the kids seemed to like it. Yeah, and it was the only place you could get it at was school. That's what I'm saying. And it was such a bizarre thing. You were like, I don't even know what it is. It's magic meat. Like, you know, what really is like, it's not a hamburger. Are you sure? Is that a sauce? We name them different things, but we just change a little. Well, you could always kind of tell, is there stuff that if there's leftovers from the first day, then you'll use it in different recipes throughout the week?

1:35:15Yeah. Huh? Cause you don't want to waste stuff. No. All hot foods got to be thrown. Oh, really? Yeah. That's this is why you're like, if you're the manager, you have to know not to overcook too much. Cause they want to get in there. right? But, um, they like pasta and meatballs. Yeah. Oh, those meatballs, boy. They're hard to deal with. Yeah. For my hands. They seem to want to just throw. Then I started singing to the kids and I dropped my poor meatball. And we roll it. Oh, from that song. Yeah. What was it? That was a book. It was a, when somebody sneezed, rolled off the table, not to the floor.

1:35:54Then my more meatball was out the door. I remember that. We like to tease them and joke. On top of spaghetti. Spaghetti. Yeah, it is. Spaghetti. Spaghetti. This coconut cake. And they love the mac and cheese. Never mind. They love the mac and cheese? Yeah. They love the mac and cheese. God, who doesn't though? Right. I was just going to say who don't like cheese, you know? Anything you got to put cheese on is good. Yeah. So. Yeah, that's really the thing that everybody loves. How big is y 'all school these days? Well. So you're at the side school now. Yeah, I'm at the side school, but we're doing 600.

1:36:28But when we go back to this new one that they're building down the road for me, it's going to be huge. And then they're going to take two, take a knock down the school, down the road, and put two schools to one. So I should have over 1 ,000 by then. Wow. But hopefully I get more help, you know. Yeah, huh? The short staff ain't what you want to hear all the time. That's true. And you've already had Carpal Tunnel. You've already – You know, that's what I said. I'll just keep going. Yeah. I'll figure it out. You're like the Aaron Rodgers of the lunch lady industry. Yeah, I know, right? That's good.

1:36:58I like it. You really are. Right. But we need you back out there. What happened during the time off with the surgery? Well, I did the summer. I didn't take off because I don't like to really miss work. So I didn't take off. I just went and had the surgery right after we got out of school. But then it wasn't really healing as good. I think I messed it up a little bit as I went back earlier. Did you? Yeah, but it's all right. it's hard not to use your hands i mean yeah it's hard i mean if i try if you put a hand that it's too hard so this one i just got a shot roosters do it or like chickens kind of do it right yeah if i could be like a chicken i don't want to say they're dumb i don't know a lot of them some of them are i mean a lot of them are what are you doing i don't want them to hear me say I know, right?

1:37:48One of my Chase's We see chickens all the time And I watch them cross the street And then come back Yeah, people got chickens everywhere Really, by you? Yeah Huh, I wonder why I don't know, for the eggs, I think Probably sell the eggs Maybe they're gonna get a golden egg Yeah, my sister has some chickens in her home, I think Or she did, anyway Some of them might have gotten out What else? Anything in the news? Let me think of something I was going to ask you about. I'm still looking for floating gay witches. Yeah, will you look at gay? You know what? Yes. Anything on that sinking gay witchcraft?

1:38:30I found not the gay part, but the witch part you're spot on about. He said not the gay part. Bring it up. The ordeal usually involved the tying of a suspect's wrist to their ankles and then throwing the individual into a body of water with ropes attached. Wow. Contrary to popular belief, if the suspect sank, they were presumed innocent and hauled up. It was not common for them to perish unless they did so accidentally. Should they float, however, this was taken as confirmation of their alliance with the devil. So you had to sink. So if you didn't know how to sink, the premise of this ordeal was that it provoked direct intervention from God in determining the guilt or innocence of the accused, and the result was therefore seen as a revelation of God's judgment.

1:39:13And you better put something in your, make sure you're sinking. You better eat a heavy lunch. You know, something. Well, I'm not a swim, so I'm sinking. You better eat a heavy lunch. Right. Anything else we need to know about the trade, about the lunch trade, about the industry? Anything? You said there was men infiltrating the business. Is that a - There's a couple of men, yeah, that's working in the kitchens now. And is that new? Is that - No, I think they've been there for a minute. And I've only worked with like one. And are these bisexual men or is it all types of men you think? All types.

1:39:49Yep. Yeah, all types. Everybody loves lunch, baby. Oh, they do. Yeah, I love it. I love it. I don't care if I loved men or women. I would still make lunch for myself and others. Well, yeah, me too. I don't care who it is. Yeah, same here. You gotta eat. Everybody's gotta eat. That's what I tell them. You gotta eat. You know, that's important. that's how I feel. Yeah. I'm just trying to think of anything else we want to learn about the industry. We've learned who that the kids come in. We've learned that sometimes you have to step over and give them a hug. If they're having a tough time, we learned sometimes they bring cats and snakes through just because that's what's going on.

1:40:30The food plan. What about, I know, didn't they have Michelle Obama had a program a few years back? Yeah, we got a, we got quite a few things dropped off and stuff. and she gave a lot of stuff out to parents. It was called Get Right. What was that program called? It was... The Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act changed nutrition standards for the National School Lunch Program by requiring that schools serve more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free and or low-fat milk more frequently and less starchy vegetables or foods high in sodium and trans fat. Did that take effect? Did you actually see that happen in the school system?

1:41:07because a lot of things that politicians and you know yes that she they really did that and they came out and gave boxes of the whole entire like uh meals to parents and stuff and told them how to do it with the spices everything oh wow and also they give them um a bag of fruit each week to take home um they have a lot of free fruit and vegetable program and then once a month we have a free like produce and everything outside so parents everybody comes and gets it oh wow so there's a lot of stuff from y 'all school that's available for the community a lot that you guys don't use at school yeah that's nothing to do with you exactly wow yeah it's amazing yeah uh like i said there's always trucks dropping off that they put stuff in the kids book bags for them take them for a meal for the weekend so yeah your mom ever come over to the school and get a meal from you?

1:42:09Well, I had a stepmom. Oh, you did? She passed. Oh, she passed away? Yeah, but I didn't like her food anyway. You didn't? No. Or her much, but it's cool. We'll talk about that. Hey, look, it's tough. Stepmoms are hard to read. It's tough. I have my real mom, but she's never came to school to eat. She hasn't? No. Oh. She should come get a meal. She's still alive? Yeah. Oh, yeah? And where does she live in Illinois? No, wrong corner for me. Oh, she does? Yeah. You guys just aren't super close? We see each other. She just doesn't come to the school. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I'm trying to think. Don't they have parents' day or something at the school where parents come?

1:42:48Parents, yeah. They come in. They see stuff, but my principal and stuff feeds them. They don't eat our school's food, so I have other food brought in for them, and they'll eat. Can a kid have an older brother or a family member come and have lunch with them at school one day or no? Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Sure. So that happens a lot. Oh, yeah. Oh, that's cool. Yeah, that's fun. We got a lot of, yeah, and you got a lot of siblings. You'll have like five related, you know, in the school system. In the school, yeah. Yeah. So there's nothing for that. Do you guys ever do like pep rallies and stuff like that ever?

1:43:22What's that energy like? Yeah, they, well, they'll just start, yeah, because they can have high energy, you know, because we get rowdy. And then when I hear them, I get rowdy. so then I go running through the thing you know and make them clap and then the teacher like there's Melissa again you know so most of them kind of know that I'm gonna do it oh yeah you know or like when they have dance they're like here she comes watch because you get antsy you know I'm like I'm hearing it am I supposed to just stand here and work when I gotta go over there you know yeah so yeah um yeah I'm trying to think do you still feel like you're in school a little bit is there is it yeah yeah uh yeah i'm like 15 i still feel like like i've never got out of school like yeah yeah that's pretty cool it is kind of yeah it's like and then it's funny because i talk to people and i'm like yeah i gotta go to school but really i'm going to work but they probably are thinking man she's the longest in school yeah i never seen somebody in school so long because i never say work i just say yeah you're like god you think that she graduated No.

1:44:25They're probably thinking, dang, she's still in school. Do you think some kids probably mostly eat at school and don't eat at home in your area? Yes. Really? A lot of them. Yeah, we have children you wouldn't know that are homeless from everywhere, and they go to school. No way. Oh, yeah. Is there homeless in your area? Yes. Oh, wow. A lot. Wow. That's crazy, huh? Yeah, definitely. Yeah, it's got different over the neighborhood, too, you know. Yeah. Yeah, I think you're seeing a lot of homeless. With homelessness on the rise, the Supreme Court weighs ban on sleeping outdoors. Oh, yeah. What is that going to do?

1:45:04I love how they rephrase it to being sleeping outdoors. Pull this up a little bit more. The Supreme Court wrestled with major questions about the growing issue of homelessness on Monday as it considered whether cities can punish people for sleeping outside when shelter space is lacking. it's the most significant case before the high court in decades on the issue and comes as record numbers of people are without a permanent place to live in the united states what so the case started on the case started in the rural oregon town of grants pass which began finding people 295 now they can't even pay for it they're homeless they don't even have nowhere to go for sleeping outside as the cost of housing escalated and tents sprung up in the city's public parks that's unbelievable because yeah you're like where are people supposed to go well they got a lot of um they make a lot of spots over there like tent city and stuff yeah so there's places that you see a lot of homeless but i wonder if they would also have to is that considered sleeping outside yeah and i couldn't see how how are you gonna give them if you have a tent i feel like you're because if people don't have a place to go and they make a tent right then they're trying they're trying to make a home yeah i mean right somebody's making a house right well yeah and some rent is so expensive like what do you expect someone to do oh yeah you know um especially if people get caught up on you know people get caught up in a drugs pretty easily well there's a lot of that going now yeah well especially when we advertise drugs on television in this country like it's um like it's a new toy right right you know every single one so you can't be shocked when people end up on drugs right and then now they're stuck outside and yeah we don't have a place for them gosh that's unbelievable yeah imagine getting a ticket yeah i'd be i'd be laughing at him like what do you want me to do with this i use it for wipe you know because i don't even have a home i don't even have a job where are you gonna get 295 for me i'm like hey give me a whole give me a whole roll of tickets could you give me some more tickets right hey give me the soft ones too what are they gonna do it put them put me in jail for a minute then i'll have a home and i can go to the bathroom get a meal i mean if that's gonna be gosh right how rude unbelievable or they'll probably make them start they'll make schools start feeding the people maybe did you ever try uh like a homeless feeding program at your school yes really yes and as a matter of fact in 2020 um when all of them was at home i was out there with n95 mask and we made my custodian made me this drive-through door because it was close up your custodian made it for you yeah it was really cool when i came in yeah and so i could just was like but anybody come at the door and we would give them food so i gave a lot of food away around those couple months yeah students and homeless people students homeless people wow yeah anybody anybody and everybody yeah you saw some crazy stuff did you oh i mean you know but hey at least it was free food there wasn't you should you wasn't hungry because there was lots of places to get free food from yeah people gotta eat yeah you know um i feel like if i put my glasses on we look a little bit the same you're a lot cuter though a little bit i'm half polish are you yeah yeah my yeah hold up yeah hold up hold up hold up we the boys i know right um what what are some over what are some things you've ever heard kids say that have been funny anything funny that comes out of your head over the years that are anything interesting or like because you're right there on the eaves dropping you're like no it's just like it's so hard to think of things at the time um i mean i eavesdrop all the time don't get me wrong amen because i hear stuff i'm not supposed to hear i just i just try not to even you know yeah i'm thinking they did what and they're only what so oh kids making out or whatever different things that they talk through line and i'm like Like, oh, man, I don't even want to hear all that now.

1:49:03They fast. So I try to act like I'm not listening. Mm-hmm. But like some will talk sometimes like a long time ago, maybe about their parents or you get a little bit more scoop than you should know. Things going on. And things going on. Yeah, you probably shouldn't know. Yeah. People smoking this or that. Yeah. Yeah. Well, their clothes smell like when they go, man, that's all you kind of knew their mom and dad did. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Anything on those sunken gays, man? Bring it. You got an image on it at least? Absolutely nothing. Just show me the first image. It comes up if you do it sunken gays or witchcraft.

1:49:44There we go. There we go. Oh, my gosh. Hey, look. And just go to Google, too, and let me see what they have for it if you put it in there. Okay, sinking gay men and put backslash witchcraft.

1:50:01I'm serious, man. This was a big thing while I was growing up. And go to images, see what we get. Right there. What? Oh. Bring that picture up. Oh, so we get a picture of the Navy. Yeah, see, this is, well, I don't think that's what. Right? I don't think that's what we're talking about. I don't think that's what you were talking about. Melissa, Ansel, I want to thank you so much for your service. Oh, thank you so much. Literally, for being a smile that people can see when they cross through the middle of their day. You know, you're kind of like the meridian in the ocean. where the time zone kind of changes when you cross it.

1:50:33And I think that that's special. I know that that's important for a lot of kids. Just to have somebody in the middle of the day to offer them a big smile. That goes a long way, I think, just in the universe. And, yeah, thank you for coming and spending time with us and helping us reminisce a little bit about what it was like to go to lunch and have a lovely lady stand there and help us out, help us get through it. Thank you. Yeah. And thank you so much for coming. Thank you for having me. Now I'm just floating on the breeze And I feel I'm falling like these leaves I must be cornerstone Oh, but when I reach that ground I'll share this peace of mind I found I can feel it in my bones But it's gonna take...