This week at Berkley High I will be eating school lunch 5 days straight. Each day, I will be reviewing all of the foods based on these three aspects: taste, presentation, and side snacks. It may not be Gordan Ramsey cooking an amazing steak or sizzling some homemade eggs on a pan, but school lunch is quick, easy, and free. Is it worth it? I’m here to tell you which lunches are worth staying for.

Meal One: Chicken Bites and a Cornbread Muffin

I start off with the appetizer. I open the packaged Cornbread Muffin, which I am expecting to be dry. As I bite down on the muffin, I taste bland but moist food. As I swallow, I am left with a little tingle of sugar that keeps me eating the muffin. I enjoy the fact that it’s not too dry and has enough sweetness to keep me eating.
As I glance down at the small paper tray holding five pieces of chicken, I can’t help but wonder—what exactly am I about to eat? At first glance, it doesn’t quite resemble the crispy, golden nuggets I expected. Instead, these bite-sized pieces seem more like processed meat coated in seasoning and sauce, with a texture that reminds me of the last few soggy bites at the bottom of a cereal bowl.
Then comes the taste test. I pick up one of the pieces and take a bite, expecting a satisfying crunch, but instead, my teeth sink into a soft, slightly damp crust. The contrast is surprising—an outer layer that’s slick and spicy, followed by an inside that’s drier than expected. The heat kicks in after I swallow, leaving a lingering spice that sticks with me for the rest of the day.
Luckily, there are some packaged peaches on the side that I can use to take away the disgustingness of the chicken. The peaches taste very sugary but have a rubbery texture. I finish the peaches, knowing that what I ate probably wasn’t real peaches, but feeling satisfied by the taste.

Taste 5/10

Presentation 4.5/10

Side Snacks 8/10

Overall 5.5/10

Meal Two: Cheeseburger and Apple Slices

I open the cheeseburger from its wrapping. It is warm and tidy. There is no cheese spilling out of the side, the meat isn’t juicy, and the bun has no crumbs. I pull the bun off of the petite cheeseburger and put ketchup on the bun. Notice how I said “pull”. The bun stuck onto the meat as I pulled it off.
Anyways, then I bite down on the burger. I am surprised by the taste it has. The burger has a good texture and has tasty cheese on the bottom. I finish the burger feeling fulfilled and happy about its taste. I do feel a little grumble in my stomach after I’m done. This is because my stomach is reacting to the processed food I ate. I know the burger isn’t the purest of foods, so the apples are a good counterbalance to it.
I open the bag of plastic and start eating the apples. As I eat, I wait for the sweet sensation that apples normally give. Instead, I just taste watery fruit. It had no flavor whatsoever. It wasn’t gross; it just felt like drinking water, which was disappointing to what I had expected.
I think this meal is worth your time. It is filling, but also tastes pretty good.

Taste 8/10

Presentation 8.5/10

Side Snacks 6/10

Overall 8/10

Meal Three: Walking Tacos and Apple Sauce

Walking tacos are a bit of a messy meal. A bag of chips that are meant to be dipped in ground beef and drenched in cheese. As I look at the meal, it doesn’t look too messy. The cheese looks like the nacho cheese you might get at a concession stand, but I guess it isn’t all over the place. The chips are in a bag, so no presentation needed there, but I can’t get over the look of that cheese. It looks like watery rubber with added yellow coloring.
Now it’s time to eat. I open the bag of Tostitos chips and dip one into the meat and cheese. As I drag it through the mixture, the cheese drips onto the plate. The first bite is unexpected—the cheese isn’t just warm, it’s piping hot. The intense heat catches me off guard, making it difficult to enjoy the flavors. After a few bites, I decide to stick with just the chips, which have a familiar crunch that makes for a more enjoyable snack.
After my tongue feels like it just tasted garbage, I open the applesauce to refresh myself. I take a scoop and eat it. It is very sweet, with a nice kick of cinnamon at the end of it. I feel a huge relief after the walking tacos, as I can eat some good old packaged applesauce. I quickly finish it, reviving myself for the rest of the day.

Taste 3/10

Presentation 6/10

Side Snacks 8.5/10

Overall 5/10

Meal four: Pancakes, Hash Browns, and Sausage Patties.

I have realized over my journey through this week that the best things were packaged. This meal has mini Eggo confetti pancakes. These are packaged in a bag, and so I have pretty high expectations. They look really good. I open the bag and find eight or so mini pancakes ready to be eaten. When I take the first bite, it’s kind of underwhelming. Not horrible, just not great. They don’t have much flavor, so I decide to dip them into some syrup. That boosted their flavor. They are nice and warm, with that syrupy sweetness that makes them taste much better. Now it’s time for the appetizers. The hashbrowns and sausage. They both look very neat, not messy and juicy like some may expect for hot lunch. I first try the triangle-shaped hash browns. It tastes very normal. I don’t love hashbrowns, but they taste good. I am pleasantly surprised because they were warm and crispy, as opposed to my expectations for hot lunch hashbrowns – greasy and cold. Then it’s time for the sausage patties. The two patties didn’t look exactly like sausage, more like grey meat. I pick up a piece and bite down. It tastes somewhat normal, not bad. Then I go in for a second bite– cold. That was a no-no for me. Cold sausage does not taste very good. I keep eating the cold pieces of sausage, not enjoying my experience. It’s a sour (or cold) note to end the meal after such a good start.

Taste 8/10

Presentation 9.5 /10

Side Snacks 7/10

Overall 8.5 /10

Meal five: Chicken Tacos and Beans

I look at the two tacos. They have cheese, lettuce, and a piece of chicken. Okay, I feel pretty confident in the tacos being good– but not the beans. The beans look like they were plopped down in a pile of soppy mud. Anyway, I pour the packet of salsa on the tacos and start eating them. It is a little dry but definitely has some flavor. The chicken tastes normal and has a good texture, and the surrounding toppings give a nice kick that fulfills my taste buds. I finish them quickly, really enjoying the meal. Then, it is time for the beans. I dip my fork into the swamp of bean juice and lift a few beans. I eat, barely able to swallow them. They have a rubbery texture, a dry inside, and a sour outside. The beans I cannot finish. Luckily, I have an orange to take away the aftertaste. But as I eat the orange– I hear a crunch. Oh boy. The orange has a strange flavor, and I have difficulty biting down on it. It was just barely good enough to finish. It was worth it to get rid of the taste of those beans.

Taste 9/10

Presentation 7.5/10

Side Snacks 2/10

Overall 7/10

Throughout this week, I had many different adventures during lunchtime. I tasted great things from pancakes and syrup, corn muffins, all the way to a regular cheeseburger. It wasn’t always sunshine and rainbows, but it was a hot lunch. What did you expect? I thought the food was okay, but the fact that it was free made it even better. Meals that don’t cost anything but still taste decent are always appreciated. I think it’s great that Berkley offers hot lunch as an option.