The loud chatter of students fills up the cafeteria hall. He pulls out the next option of Doritos and a Clif Bar, washing it all down with the sweet taste of a Propel. He realizes how much he enjoys it and decides to bring the same thing again tomorrow.
Junior Braden Heizer and sophomores Aryan Patel and Gavin James describe the lunch they bring to school each day. Each person differs on what they bring due to their personal food tolerance or religion.
“My lunch consists of a cheese pizza Lunchable, Funyuns, Fruit Roll Up, Capri Sun or Kool-Aid,” Heizer said. “I have brought pizza Lunchables since kindergarten.”
Heizer decides what he brings due to his intolerance for certain food. He chooses not to eat anything that he hasn’t brought himself..
“I’m just really picky, so I really don’t like orange chicken, tacos or burritos,” Heizer said. “Having a 30-minute lunch period really restricts me from eating what I really want.”
Patel’s father or mother makes his lunch every morning. He usually brings common American foods, but he occasionally brings traditional Indian food for lunch as well.
“For lunch I bring a variety of things,” Patel said. “Sometimes it’s as simple as PB&J or maybe a Lunchable. Whenever my parents make homemade Indian food, I bring things like Vada Pav.”
Religion is a major factor in Patel’s diet. He is Hindu, which restricts him from eating some foods, such as beef.
“[Hindus] don’t believe in eating meat, [but] for the most part I [eat certain] meats,” Patel said. “I draw the line on beef. I never bring beef in my lunch or mainly darker meats. I only eat chicken or turkey, but that really shapes what I bring in my lunch.”
James’ lunch is prepared by himself or his parents and it varies from day to day. He usually brings only snack foods and no main entrée.
“I usually bring a Clif Bar, Propel, some kind of chip like Doritos or Cheetos, and maybe a brownie,” James said. “Whether my parents make it or I make it, it kind of goes on from day-to-day. The only thing that I really switch up is what type of chips. Otherwise it’s the exact same.”
James’ intolerance of food causes him to only bring food that he enjoys. He gets very sick from most of the foods that he eats, so he has to slow down to eat it.
“I actually have a severe fear of food, ever since I was little, the only actual meal that I’d eat [is] chicken nuggets,” James said. “Everything just made me really sick, and it’s really difficult for me to eat things quickly so I think that’s why it influences me to bring what I bring.”
In the future, Patel plans to keep what he eats the same. However, Heizer and James plan to expand their food options and try new things.
“I think the choices that I make when I bring my lunch shows that I favor simplicity instead of complexity,” Heizer said. “While other people try new things, I like to stay with the things that I know and am comfortable with.”
