If you must know me then you must know that dinner is my favorite meal of the day. Unlike breakfast and lunch you can pretty much eat whatever you want for dinner. Steak, burgers, salad…you can even have ‘breakfast for dinner’ but you don’t ever hear anyone saying they’re having ‘dinner for breakfast’.
So I love dinner.
I’ll tell you what I don’t love…and that’s soup. Soup is not dinner. Soup is hot, flavored liquid sometimes filled with soft vegetables and noodles and if you’re going to feed me soup for dinner I will be stopping at Wendy’s on the way home for a burger and fries.
You can imagine how I might have despised “Soup Night” at school. I hated it. Back then I didn’t even like vegetables and ultimately ended up drinking broth for the evening. I left hungry every time. My pleas for Wendy’s went ignored.
But I’ll tell you what I hated more than “Soup Night” and that was “Other Countries Food Night”. I can’t remember the exact title of the night, but basically all of our families went to school for dinner and had the pleasure of eating other countries disgusting foods for a night. Upon arriving at the door of the school, students were given a card with the name of a country on it.
Please don’t be South Africa…please don’t be South Africa…
I wanted Italy…or even better AMERICA because that meant I would eat semi-normal food and a lot of it.
Please don’t be South Africa…please don’t be South Africa…
But because I DIDN’T want any African country you can bet that’s exactly what I did get.
What’s even more messed up is that my school didn’t serve the kids with the African cards any kind of actual African food…instead they just served us LESS food than anyone else. So kids like me got half of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and then watched the kids with Italy stuff their faces with pasta and meatballs.
You know…because Africa was starving.
And so was I.
I do believe ‘Soup Night’ and ‘Other Countries Food Night’ is exactly why I covet my dinner so much now.
Therefore I feel comfortable attributing this additional “ten pounds” I’ve been unable to lose to my Catholic School upbringing…thanks a lot Catholic School.
Jessica says
HAHA! We did the same thing at my Catholic Elementary school. I hated “Worldly Dinner” nights. And my parents always refused to buy me a friggin Happy Meal when it was over.
Joanne says
That’s interesting because my Catholic grade school did not even have a cafeteria. We brown bagged it and we never ate dinner there. But I want you to know that you CAN eat dinner for breakfast. My daughter requests it all the time. She is not a breakfast food lover.
AnnMarie says
I went to Catholic school for one week. Now I am glad I did! I am the pickiest eater ever and would not have survived. I agree that it was because I was forced to eat disgusting food that I have an obsession with eating whatever I want whenever I want and that is why I have 10 extra lbs, too. Let’s curse the people that made us eat disgusting food. Not a bad curse but just a “Hope YOU are fat” curse.
Cathy says
Ugh! As a parent I hate the “Other Countries Food Night” or any night where we have to turn up with food of some kind.
Stephanie @ Our Marriage Adventure says
OMG They did WHAT for African countries? That is so screwed up (and rather not politically correct as well) And I feel rather privileged in my public school chicken finger lunches. I don’t think I could have made it through cultural dinners like that!
Amanda says
I totally remember doing this! I think we did it during Lent? We did 1st world, 2nd world and 3rd world. Whatever number you drew would equal the portion you received.
Stephanie Precourt says
Omg I didn’t know there was such a thing! How funny. I love dinner, too, and to my husband’s dismay, I eat dinner for breakfast all the time. :)
Steph
Kim says
I attended one of those Catholic church dinners with friends. It was to highlight world hunger. We got some thin broth and a bit of bread…and stopped for real food on our way home.
I think the lesson was lost on us.
Bex says
I didn’t go to Catholic school, so I have no one to blame for my extra 10 *20* pounds :(
And now I want breakfast for dinner!
Marie says
Our Catholic school still does Wednesday night soup dinners during Lent. I eat before we go!
Jen says
Ok, that’s messed up. They made you like starve?
Crazy.
And my favorite meal is breakfast but not breakfast at home… going out for breakfast. Actually, any meal someone makes for me is my favorite.
Jennifer says
Way to teach a lesson about starving Catholic school.
I’m so glad I didn’t go to Catholic school
Jen says
Ok, that is just weird (provided you were telling the truth.) I can understand that being an object lesson taught DURING school, but not during a family night, which I would assume is supposed to be “FUN”. Kind of a bizarre way to get the point across. But, lucky for you, it makes a funny story many years later! :D
Chrissi says
Well told story…I had to laugh. I went to Catholic School (never experienced this though) and my children go to Catholic school. I wouldn’t have it any other way however I think they would find this method of teaching totally inappropriate. Not all Catholic schools are the same!!!!
Nicki G. The Blissful Wife says
This is freaking hysterical!!! I read it to my husband and we were both “Laughing Out Loud”…haha!
Awesome as always!
xo,
Nicki G. The Blissful Wife
Jennifer says
Oh my goodness, you had me laughing! Please tell me they didn’t really serve you half a sandwich for Africa!
You can make a post on any subject hilarious. :)
Mod Mom Beyond IndieDom says
I went to Catholic school and I never ate dinner there either. I don’t think other countries have disgusting food, actually I think it’s pretty dang delicious. But soup? We’re on the same page there. Soup does not a meal make, unless it’s next to a salad and some bread. I’d be sidling right up the the Wendy’s drive thru with ya, girl. I have a friend that orders soup when we “eat” out and I always feel like a pig when I order the meat lover’s platter or something. LOL And btw, yes, the commenter farther upthread is correct in that lunch and dinner can be breakfast too. I used to eat salami sandwiches for breakfast! Now THAT is probably disgusting. ;)
OneMommy says
Okay, I’m glad I didn’t go to Catholic school…. I wonder how much it would have cost to swap someone for a card saying “Italy”? :)
Susan in the Boonies says
It’s very important to have a whipping boy. Mine is peri-menopause.
Everybody hates it, so it’s working well for me.