After a few knocks on the back door of our lunch truck, situated in between CORE Butte High School and the TK-8 buildings, I was hastily invited into the warm interior of the small metal trailer. My eyes wandered around the walls as the kind ladies helped situate me into a seat to interview them comfortably. We introduced ourselves, and I had the pleasure of meeting Mabel Corriea and Kayla Westman, whom I had interacted with many times whilst getting my lunch, but conversation had never gotten farther than “the chicken wrap, please!” or a quick “thank you, have a nice day!”, as I’m sure many students can relate to. Mabel shared with me the fact that she has four jobs, including being the local coordinator for the Marine Corps’ Toys for Tots program, and a mother of two. Westman and Corriea stated that, at the time of the interview, they had been working at CORE as lunch ladies for around two months and nine months, respectively.
They described a typical workday. It begins with taking muffins or bagels from the fridge and placing them in a big red machine to heat for breakfast. Then they set out the milk, juice, applesauce, and other items. As soon as breakfast ends and they clear everything away, they make a trip to Marsh Junior High School to pick up lunch and bring it back to CORE. Then, similar to breakfast, they set everything back up before eleven when they open back up for lunch.
One thing that surprised Kayla when she started working here is that they do not have to cook any of the food that’s served to the students; that’s all done at Marsh, and CORE does not even have a kitchen if they wanted to cook. Mabel quickly agreed with this sentiment.
When asked about a moment from the job that stuck with them, Kayla answered, “Probably the cheeseburger thing…” Mabel laughed loudly, knowing what was coming next.”I had someone ask me the difference between a cheeseburger and a burger. I said ‘cheese’, like, okay.”
Laughter from the three of us bounced around the walls of the food truck before Mabel continued by sharing that just seeing people having a good day, just happy and excited for food, is what sticks out to her the most.
Switching gears, I asked what the hardest part of the job has been. They shared that the most difficult thing is when the computer that keeps track of which students get lunch breaks down, and they have to record all the numbers on paper. They said the school had gotten them a new computer when the old one broke, but they got “a new old computer,” and now that one has begun to malfunction as well.
The two lunch ladies agree that the best way to show appreciation to them is to just be polite, have good manners, and say please and thank you. Just showing a little gratefulness is not hard, and it goes a long way in making Mabel and Kayla’s day.
When I asked what they would add to the menu if there were no rules holding them back, both immediately said dessert. They know it is not as healthy as the usual options, but they have so much nutritious food already that a little dessert would not hurt.
Overall, our lunch ladies just ask for patience in return for showing up and feeding us every day. Just being appreciative and cheerful might even get you a little extra food; you never know.