Whats for Lunch?

We were visiting with family friends this weekend and it came up in conversation how the 3 teenagers that are in high school drive ten miles at lunch time to get lunch. Now they have about half an hour for lunch. By the time they get in the car and get to a fast food restaurant they have just enough time to race back to school while eating their lunch and driving. This really made me think!
Growing up, I was forced to eat school lunch many times. Many of the meals were memorable because of how unidentifiable or gross they were. I remember being in elementary school and just moving the food around on the plate. Then came high school. I was not lucky enough to have the option to leave campus to go out to lunch. We had to stay at school and bringing your lunch in high school wasn't really the "cool" thing to do. We did have a salad bar option which was a plus. However, many times I remember skipping lunch all together or buying a juice and a cookie.
I asked my husband what his memories were of high school lunch and he too left the school to find something "better" than what was being served in the cafeteria. He was on a tight budget and only got enough money each day to buy the school lunch. However, he opted to venture out and see what he could get for his money. His lunch consisted of 7 eleven nachos many days.
School lunches have gotten so much attention lately for their lack of nutrition. But what is better? If you get a school lunch you may get a fruit. The 7 eleven nachos might have jalapeno peppers if you are lucky.  I am not a fan of school lunches at all. But I don't think the off campus fast food option is any better. It really interests me to think about what is being offered to students and children and what they are eating.
My oldest daughter will be in full day kindergarten next year and will have the option to buy lunch. As a teacher, I still get to see what is being served on a  daily basis and also what is being thrown out. There really isn't one thing that I would eat from a school cafeteria. I would never let my child eat it either no matter how convenient.
As I watch Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, I really hope more school systems open up to the idea of making a change and serving our children healthier tastier lunches. Maybe when the schools change their menus, students won't be forced to drive their entire half hour lunch to find a tastier but equally unhealthy lunch.