Retro School Lunches
Instructions: Remember the cafeteria trays, lunch boxes, and beloved school lunch foods from your childhood?
- 1.
What rectangular-shaped pizza, served on cafeteria trays, became a beloved school lunch staple in the 1970s and 1980s?
ARound cafeteria pizzaBFrench bread pizzaCRectangular school pizzaDPizza bagels - 2.
What was the name of the small cartons of chocolate or plain milk served with school lunches?
AHalf-pint milk cartonsBSchool milk cupsCLunch milksDMilk boxes - 3.
Which canned pasta product, shaped like letters of the alphabet, was a popular lunch box item in the 1960s and 1970s?
ABeefaroniBSpaghettiOsCFranco-American SpaghettiOsDChef Boyardee ABC's & 123's - 4.
What was the popular lunch box sandwich spread that combined peanut butter and marshmallow creme?
APB & FluffBNutty SpreadCFluffernutterDMarshmallow Delight - 5.
Which brand of thermos was most commonly found inside children's lunch boxes in the 1950s and 1960s?
AAladdinBThermos BrandCStanleyDIgloo - 6.
What cafeteria dessert consisted of a sheet cake with peanut butter frosting, served in many schools during the 1970s?
APeanut Butter Sheet CakeBTexas Sheet CakeCLunchroom SquaresDSchool Cafeteria Cake - 7.
What federal program, signed into law in 1946, provided free or reduced-price lunches to schoolchildren?
AChildren's Nutrition ActBSchool Food ActCNational School Lunch ActDFederal Lunch Program - 8.
Which popular lunch box item came in a small can with a pull-tab lid and featured Vienna sausages?
ASpam SinglesBArmour Star Vienna SausagesCUnderwood Deviled HamDOscar Mayer Wieners - 9.
What type of metal lunch box became wildly popular in the 1950s after featuring Hopalong Cassidy on it?
ACharacter-themed metal lunch boxesBBranded tin boxesCAluminum carriersDTin lunch pails - 10.
What was the classic cafeteria side dish made of shredded cabbage, carrots, and mayonnaise dressing?
ACabbage slawBVegetable medleyCGarden saladDColeslaw - 11.
Which snack cake brand, known for its cream-filled chocolate cupcakes, was a prized lunch box dessert?
ALittle DebbieBDrake'sCTastykakeDHostess - 12.
What school lunch entrée was essentially a hamburger patty smothered in brown gravy, served over mashed potatoes?
ASwiss steakBSalisbury steakCCountry fried steakDHamburger steak - 13.
What popular fruit drink in a barrel-shaped container was commonly packed in lunch boxes in the 1980s?
AKool-Aid BurstsBHi-C Ecto CoolerCCapri SunDLittle Hug Fruit Barrels - 14.
What crunchy snack was included in many school lunch trays as a vegetable, consisting of raw carrot and celery sticks?
AVeggie sticksBCruditésCCarrot and celery sticksDSalad bar items - 15.
Which iconic childhood sandwich, often wrapped in wax paper for lunch boxes, featured grape jelly and peanut butter on white bread?
APeanut butter and honeyBPB&JCGrape sandwichDJelly roll sandwich
Answer Key
The rectangular school pizza, with its distinctive thick, doughy crust and slightly sweet sauce, is one of the most nostalgic school lunch memories for millions of Americans.
Half-pint milk cartons were a staple of the National School Lunch Program. Children had to open the waxy paper carton without spilling, a skill that took practice.
Franco-American SpaghettiOs, introduced in 1965, became a lunchtime favorite. The 'Uh-Oh, SpaghettiOs!' jingle became one of the most memorable food advertising slogans.
The Fluffernutter, made with peanut butter and Marshmallow Fluff, was a beloved lunch box sandwich, especially popular in New England starting in the 1960s.
Thermos Brand vacuum bottles were the standard in children's lunch boxes, keeping soup warm or milk cold. They often came as part of a matching lunch box set.
Peanut butter sheet cake (or peanut butter bars) was a ubiquitous cafeteria dessert. The combination of chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting was a school lunch classic.
The National School Lunch Act was signed by President Truman in 1946, establishing the National School Lunch Program to provide nutritious meals to schoolchildren.
Armour Star Vienna Sausages in their small pull-tab cans were a common lunch box item. They could be eaten cold right from the can.
The Hopalong Cassidy lunch box in 1950 was the first character-themed metal lunch box, selling 600,000 units in its first year and launching a massive collectible market.
Coleslaw was a ubiquitous school cafeteria side dish, served in a small portion alongside the main course. Love it or hate it, every student encountered it.
Hostess CupCakes, with their signature white squiggle on chocolate icing and cream filling, were a coveted lunch box dessert and a hot trading commodity among kids.
Salisbury steak with gravy over mashed potatoes was one of the most common school cafeteria main courses throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.
Little Hug Fruit Barrels (originally called Huggie drinks) were small barrel-shaped containers of fruit-flavored drink that were lunch box staples in the 1980s.
Carrot and celery sticks were the standard raw vegetable offering on school lunch trays for decades. They were often the last thing left on the tray.
The PB&J (peanut butter and jelly) sandwich on white bread was the quintessential American lunch box item. It was affordable, easy to make, and beloved by generations of children.