. . . is overused, has been for years. the phrase in a middle grade ms makes me think Generic. dig deeper, writers. cafeteria food is a cliche— as airline food was to stand-up comics years back.
As a middle school English teacher, I supervised the lunchroom for a number of years, and I can tell you kids today use interesting vocabulary to discuss cafeteria misdemeanors:
"These Styrofoam trays aren't very eco-friendly. The student council should start a petition."
"Do you think sporks were invented by the same guy who decided you had to be a certain age to have a Facebook page?"
"I love hot wings. It's so refreshing to eat an animal that I'm certain was raised in an overcrowded barn, by some toothless guy named Elvis."
Because I fancy myself a writer, I used to bring my notepad to the cafeteria with me and write down these little snippets as I passed by kids' tables.
love the descriptions, mfogelsong! thanks for sharing. I need to spend more time in school cafeterias (not that I would ever use the term "mystery meat"....
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Thanks for the reminder... we can always dig deeper.
As a middle school English teacher, I supervised the lunchroom for a number of years, and I can tell you kids today use interesting vocabulary to discuss cafeteria misdemeanors:
"These Styrofoam trays aren't very eco-friendly. The student council should start a petition."
"Do you think sporks were invented by the same guy who decided you had to be a certain age to have a Facebook page?"
"I love hot wings. It's so refreshing to eat an animal that I'm certain was raised in an overcrowded barn, by some toothless guy named Elvis."
Because I fancy myself a writer, I used to bring my notepad to the cafeteria with me and write down these little snippets as I passed by kids' tables.
these are great, mfogelsong, thx.
ST
love the descriptions, mfogelsong! thanks for sharing. I need to spend more time in school cafeterias (not that I would ever use the term "mystery meat"....
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