Public School Lunches, Columbia, Missouri, 1974

I recently found some local newspaper archives online from when I was about nine years old. Wow! Did I look at the news headlines? Did I look at the sports section? Did I look at the ads for local businesses? No!

I went straight to the weekly lists of Columbia Public School lunches. —Yay!

Each week, Mom and Dad would clip out the school lunch menus and pin them on a bulletin board in the kitchen. That way, we could review the next day’s offerings and determine if we wanted to pack a lunch or buy the one provided by the school.

It’s a blast from the past. Here are some weekly menus. These are all from the Columbia Missourian. I’m only providing the sections from the Columbia elementary schools. The secondary schools, University Elementary, New Haven R-II, Hallsville R-IV, and Ashland/Southern Boone County R-I had separate menus, which I’m not copying out.

Looking at these, I feel kind of nostalgic, and maybe even a little hungry!

School Menus

January 26, 1974

MONDAY—Country fried steak with gravy, buttered sliced potatoes, tossed green salad, hot roll with butter, cookie.
TUESDAY—Chili with crackers, peanut butter sandwich, carrots and celery sticks, sliced peaches.
WEDNESDAY—Hot dog with bun, pork and beans, cole slaw, cup cake with icing, ice cream.
THURSDAY—Turkey with gravy, whipped potatoes, green beans, cranberry sauce, hot roll with butter.
FRIDAY—Hamburger on bun, french fries, applesauce, peanut butter cookie.

February 2, 1974

MONDAY—Pizza, buttered peas, orange juice, no bake cookie.
TUESDAY—Taco and cheese, buttered corn, tossed salad, cinnamon twist.
WEDNESDAY—Fried chicken, whipped potatoes and gravy, buttered carrots, hot roll and butter, fruit punch.
THURSDAY—Macaroni and cheese, green beans, cole slaw, hot roll and butter, surprise dessert.
FRIDAY—Fish sandwich and T.S. [tartar sauce], tater tots, buttered corn, strawberry Jello cubes.

February 9, 1974

MONDAY—Pig-in-blanket, escalloped potatoes, green beans, chocolate pudding–whipped topping.
TUESDAY—Homemade noodle and chicken casserole, lettuce salad, cranberry sauce, hot roll–butter.
WEDNESDAY—Chili–crackers, peanut butter sandwich, carrot and celery sticks, purple plums.
THURSDAY—Italian spaghetti, tossed salad, hot French bread, orange juice.
FRIDAY—Hamburger–bun, French fries, cole slaw, brownie.

February 17, 1974

MONDAY—[Washington’s Birthday, so no school.]
TUESDAY—Country fried steak and gravy, buttered sliced potatoes, tossed salad, hot roll and butter, no bake cookie.
WEDNESDAY—Beanie weenies, cole slaw, hot roll and butter, applesauce.
THURSDAY—Turkey and gravy, whipped potatoes, tossed salad, hot roll and butter, cranberry sauce.
FRIDAY—Fish and tartar sauce, tater tots, Jello cubes, hot roll and butter, fruit punch.

March 24, 1974

MONDAY—Macaroni and cheese, green beans, sunset salad, hot roll and butter, cake.
TUESDAY—Cowboy meat loaf with catsup, escalloped potatoes, cole slaw, home-on-the-range biscuit, sweet-tart punch.
WEDNESDAY—Chicken noodle soup with crackers, peanut butter sandwich, carrot coins, chilled fruit.
THURSDAY—Pizza, tossed salad, buttered corn, white cake with chocolate sauce.
FRIDAY—Star-Trek burger, Scooby Doo sticks, Flintstone Swingers, Mulligan’s favorite fruit, Josie’s cookies.