Is There Life After Lunch?

The school lunch debate, circa 1978. And a very unusual gift suggestion.

If you have friends who are like me, and use their tea towels even after they’re in literal shreds, they’ll be extremely grateful for this tea towel of the month subscription from Eat Drink Lucky. Each month, beginning in January, a new design arrives from a different Maine artist. I can’t think of a nicer way to brighten up a kitchen.

How did I talk my editors into letting me write a piece about school lunch in 1978? I have no idea. This was, after all, long before Alice Waters made school food a national issue. But I find it fascinating that every issue that has dominated food debates during the ensuing years comes up in this ancient article.

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Just for the fun of it, I add this holiday card from the late Patrick Clark, a rock star chef with enormous talent who died of a rare blood disease in 1998. Among his many accomplishments, Patrick was the original chef at Odeon. Here’s my review of his tenure at Tavern on the Green (and the reason for the card).