European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - June 2, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Pizza its meal of Choice. During a recent visit almost Evory student in the cafeteria had a tray heaped with Bolh and Ketchup on the Side to add a Little zest. Students said they know a steady fast food diet in t Good for them. But they buy it anyway even though the starches Tats and sweets they pile on their irays can Cost three times As much As the of cent hot lunch most cafeterias provide. The hot lunch include meal potatoes or other starch bread and Butler vegetables. Irule and milk. The old standbys that most parents remember irom their school Days still Are on the menu fish patties and Macaroni and cheese roast Beel and mashed potatoes Turkey and Gravy. The hot lunches sell fairly Well when Spaghetti and Chicken Are offered but otherwise Are shunned by most students said both students and cafeteria managers. . Hardy a senior at Frankfurt High spent $2.10 on a cheese hot dog Plain to dog order of Fries and a Coke. I eat his because it is better he said. The hot lunch met his grudging approval but that stuff Don t ill you up he said. I usually buy from the last food Section said Erick Bumpass a 16-year-old Sophomore at Frankfurt. I like it because i have a Choice on what to  even those whose business is feeding kids said they have trouble convincing their own children to eat the cheaper More wholesome hot lunch. I can t get my daughter la eat it said Frank Clark Frankfurt area assistant Good manager Lor cafes. I can t convince her. She says she can get that at  woe then to school cafeteria managers who would rather see kids eat a balanced meal. Ii you Don t have French Fries and things like that they go somewhere else looking Lor i hem said Mary Stinnett Franki url High cafeteria manager. Indeed they do. Students Are eager to head for cafes Burger bars Burger Kings Taco joints and pizza places if the school lunch period is Tong enough. If not they still manage to get their fast food favourites by patronizing stands operated by student organizations inside or very near the schools. Generally High school Cal lerias feed less than 50 percent of the student population. Mandy Miller a Sophomore at Frankfurt High frequently gets lunch Al the food stand operated by student members of future business leaders of America. The students sell Candy bars soft drinks Granada bars ice Cream bars Yogurt chips and similar items this stuff is easier to eat and you can eat it in class she said. Nol All department of defense schools in Germany have cafeterias a sore Point with Many parents. Cafes operates the majority 52 in Germany and also provides Box lunches to 22 school. Unitary clubs teed kids in five cities. Nurnberg to Choli March to a different drummer. They operate their own cafeterias in conjunction with the military Community the Only schools in Germany to have in Independent sys Leni. High school principal Larry put Jol proud of the cafeterias this Community feeds Evory kid without cafes he said. It can be  Community military officials have Kod rafts to Conr idea taking Over the Caf Edenfi but gaffs refused unless kit Cheri  Are in rec totalling $2m,000, military  decided the Mono could be better  also where Thill s just Tine with Philpot we re escaping the rigidity of in cafes lunch Prog Iii to said a Sill organization is flexible the school oilers a 95-Ccnl hot lunch daily. As Well As ire and reduced Price lunches Lar economically Disalv unpaged children just like the cafes cafeterias. A dietician from the army Hospital checks menus to ensure Good null Linn. The Independence allows the school and Community to use the fac my Lor Community functions and lets them offer o wider Choice of foods officials said. Chief Coak Herbert Bedenk one Day altered fresh pan tried Trout. Other menu items included Wurst hot clogs mashed potatoes Brussels sprouts Chicken schnitzel lasagna tacos two kinds of salads Iresh Truit. Yogurt and of course French Frier and pizza. Students however did t seem to appreciate the wide Choice Bedenk sold eight portions of Trout apparently All to teachers. He also sold five chef s salads and 25 of that Day s 95-Ccnl hot meal which included a bratwurst and Brotcher. Salad peaches and raisins. Instead kids scarfed up 200 slices of Piz a and 150 pounds of homemade ties. You can t Cook like you want to  Redenk said. The children Don t eat hot lunch. I Don t know Why. It is the cheapest thing we  cafes cafeteria manager base their menus on lists supplied by a dietetic consultant Al cafes Headquarters. They Don t follow the lists exactly. Some suggested meals would never sell they said. The right ingredients or Kitchen equipment Are missing to produce others. But the biggest Factor is a desire to draw student business. That Means permitting student suggestions and Selling last food such As burgers hot dogs Corn dogs egg Rolls burritos chips ice Cream soft drinks and Fries. Other olt rings vary among schools bul cafes does not sell Candy bars and soft drinks to elementary school students. Not All Oiler pizza. For example the Frankfurt High cafeteria is not equipped with the proper ovens. At Heidelberg it is on the menu once a week. But no matter whether cafeterias Are Independent or run by cafes students Are fairly dissatisfied customers. At Best they give school meals a a " the biggest turn off students said is Long cafeteria lines coupled with Short lunch periods leaving students Tittle time to eat. The Good is All right bul the process of getting the food is absolutely ridiculous said Heidelberg High senior Phyllis Fortunado. But there is no consensus even within each school on cafeteria food Lasle and Quality. Take Frankfurt High s cafeteria As an example. It s  said senior Anita Jurgens. It s not  said senior Pat Moriarty. It s  there is room Tor improvement said senior Aileen Dieppa. We have mystery meat school Oll Licals and cafeteria managers Aren t ruffled by the absence of rave reviews. Kids traditionally say the food is  principal Daniel Basarich said there even is disagreement on pizza. When asked what food they would like served More Ohen most students Are Quick to shout pizza but others urge moderation. You d Burn it out if you had it every  said Heidelberg High Sophomore Jeffrey Friedman. Absence makes the heart grow fonder but actually maxes the stomach grow  the stars and stripes Page 15