The Best Pizza in the World

From time to time, Cielo Kramer, the food service manager at Cash Elementary School, shares her thoughts. Note: Pamela Nichols teaches third grade at Cash.

By Cielo Kramer

Food Service Manager at Cash Elementary School

“May I have the best pizza in the world, please?” uttered the first student we served in the lunch line today. “And the best corn and one best banana in the world, please.”

Our line server and I were a bit taken aback of what we heard and we gave him a big thank you and smile. To our amazement the second, third, fourth up to the last student of Ms. Nichols' class ordered their food with the phrase, “best……in the world”. It was like a swift moment of pure happiness was exchanged between us and the students.

My Italian friends will surely revolt if I tell them that our cafeteria’s pizza is the best in the world. (LOL) Our beef-a-roni, great as it is, may appeal to the eyes but a touch of salt may line it up to the best in Kernersville!  Now, I can boast for our sweet potatoes. It’s the sweetest kind in the whole of United States!! 

Were they all just flattering us? Or they just wanted to make us smile? I asked some of them, “Do you really find our food tasty and good?” I told them I want an honest answer. They said they do!! And they all planned the moment to appreciate our food and our service.

They surely made us happy today. But, at the same time, I was confronted with my lack of enthusiasm for what we serve. Maybe my mind had been slowly molded with the stereotypical description that cafeteria’s food is not good at all.

How do I appropriate the word “good” to describe the food that we serve?  When we say good, is it pleasing to the eye? Is it nutritious? Is it the right portion? Is it affordable ? Is the facility clean and do our workers uphold the highest standard when it comes to preparation and hygiene?  Is our service great?

Hey, my answer to all these questions is “YES!” It might not be the best-tasting food but served with love and care, the absence of salt and fat is forgotten and replaced with appreciation and healthier option.  I can say, “Our food  is good indeed!!! And for these students from Ms. Nichols class, it is the best in the world!!

Maybe it’s  high time for us to recondition our minds.

In connection to this week’s Teacher’s Appreciation Week, a massive hooray to  teachers like Ms. Nichols who ingrains  in their students the value of gratefulness  and making a difference in the lives of people.

Come to think of it, just by the gestures they made today at the lunch line, they boosted the morale of our cafeteria workers, made us happy and caused us to reflect and be more appreciative of the food we serve!

Oh the little wonders we encounter every day!