It is your lunch period, and you are in the mood for something different. You decide to skip the cafeteria and use your off-campus for lunch. After emptying your pockets for a burrito bowl at Chipotle, you realize that by the time you get to school, there is no time to enjoy your food.
The new rice bowl line in the cafeteria offers a solution to this frequent student dilemma. By offering this station on campus, students can get a high-quality, healthy, customizable meal without leaving HHS.
In this rice bowl line, students have a variety of options to customize their bowls. The bowls start out with a base of rice: cilantro, fried, or plain brown rice. If interested, students can choose a protein, such as beef barbacoa or orange chicken. Finally, students can add toppings, ranging from sour cream to fresh pico de gallo.
“I am always trying to find ways to help our students enjoy HHS food service options,” said Richard Reed, District 158 director of food services. “[We wanted] to offer something new that we can do with most products we carry already.”
Not only does this new station help increase cafeteria variety, but it also does not break the food service bank. It allows the cafeteria to create something new and exciting with readily available ingredients, making it economically cost-efficient.
From the students, the reception to the new station is mostly positive. Some students are even in disbelief that this is now an offering in the cafeteria.
“I felt that the quality of [the rice bowls] was higher than the normal school lunch,” sophomore Shane Saxsma said.
Sophomore Mitch Davis shared a similar sentiment about the new meal.
“They are pretty good because it is way different than the other lunch options,” Davis said.
Overall, HHS’s new rice bowl line gives students a school lunch that deviates from the standard offerings. In return, they flock to the station for a new palette of options.
