Free Food!

I had one of THOSE moments today. The kind that open my eyes to what is becoming of our country.

One of our spelling words this week is "cafeteria". I explained how schools and hospitals have a cafeteria and they are places for feeding large amounts of people. I went further with my explanation and told them about a restaurant that used to be in business in this area. If you're old enough, you'll remember Morrison's Cafeteria. My Grandpa Meyer absolutely loved that place. I explained to my students that you went through the line and chose all your food items al a carte and then paid for your selections when you reached the end of the line. It was at this point one of my students questioned why you had to pay for your food. It took me a moment, but I finally realized what this student was saying... Food in the school cafeteria is FREE, therefore food in ALL cafeterias must be free. I wanted to pull out what's left of my hair and explain that cafeteria style was a way of getting food and eating... cafeteria does not mean free food. Sheesh!

Many of these kids have no concept that food costs money. Much of the food in their lives is given to them. It's provided through government assistance at the grocery store or through the free lunch program at school. I know it seems this way to them, but SOMEBODY is paying for their food.