We’re starting off the 2023-2024 school year with new and improved lunch options. Improving school lunch is a big priority for many students on the Bowie campus, and is sometimes the only food people eat all day, so it should be a prime concern for the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) to make it as nutritious and as tasty as possible.
I tasted the Cold Brew, French Toast Sticks, Orange Chicken with Fried Rice, the sandwiches, and the Rebellious Vegan Chicken in the Bowie cafeteria and I genuinely enjoyed all of them.
The Cold Brew has been a highly requested drink here at Bowie and in my opinion, the kitchen staff nailed it. You can obviously add sugar or milk to the coffee but on its own, it has well-balanced acidity, sweetness, and bitterness. The cafeteria offers a hot coffee option which many students like, as well as a vanilla cold brew option as well.
In the mornings, the cafeteria offers a variety of breakfast options such as cereal, pancakes, and French Toast sticks. I tasted the French Toast Sticks, and they were really crunchy but had a good flavor. The cinnamon doesn’t overpower the sticks, and they come with either maple syrup or a chocolate caramel paste.
The Orange Chicken, which is a completely new addition to the Bowie school lunch menu, is delicious. It can come with fried rice, which is a little too sweet, but the Orange Chicken itself is the right amount of sweet and salty, it falls apart in your mouth and I really enjoyed it.
The Sandwiches have replaceable ingredients, but what usually comes with them is ham, lettuce, tomato, bacon, and a dressing of your choice. The buns are locally made and have zero preservatives and any artificial flavoring and ingredients. The Sandwich on its own can be a little dry if you don’t add dressings because the buns are on the thicker side, however, that is easily fixable. All together I liked it a lot and I would eat it again.
Lastly, I tried the Rebellious Vegan Chicken. If you didn’t tell me it wasn’t made with chicken, I wouldn’t think twice about it. It’s great that the cafeteria has accommodating lunch options for students who have food restrictions that are genuinely good. I really liked the Rebellious Vegan Chicken and I recommend it to any students, whether you’re on a vegan diet or not.
Contrary to popular belief, the cafeteria doesn’t serve microwaved frozen food. They truly put time and effort into picking and cooking meals for the students, the workers in the kitchen truly care about the health of students and what they put in their bodies. The staff makes and cuts everything other than meat in the kitchen and they take the necessary precautions to make sure there is no cross contamination.
More students should be eating the cafeteria food. Not only is the food cheap but it’s also made with high-quality ingredients. Every time you get a full meal from the cafeteria, which consists of a main option, a milk, and a fruit, they get funding, so if you’re buying the school lunch consider grabbing an apple and a milk. Overall, I really liked everything, and maybe this will change your mind about the school lunch here at Bowie.
For more behind the scenes information about the cafeteria and the new foods click here
