A couple weeks ago I stood and squinted at the writing on the glass cover of the buffet at the Shoalwater Bay Casino. Something was written in cursive with a red erasable felt pen. Finally I made out the words: Fish Item.
Now there’s a buffet offering that certainly inspires confidence in the diner!
Fish Item. I couldn’t help but smile. My mind immediately flashed back to my school days when “Chef’s Surprise” meant the kitchen crew was cleaning out the reefer, and “Mystery Meat” was something you knew better than to ask about.
These days, with the price of groceries skyrocketing, I’m not opposed to using imitation crab meat, and in Hawaii, many restaurants have a variety of Spam dishes listed right there on the menu.
So in honor of hot school lunches everywhere, I took a sample of that “Fish Item.” Turns out it was a very tasty rendition of someone’s idea of a crab cake. And I didn’t even bother to ask if it was real or imitation crab.
Today, school lunches are more nutritionally conscious than they were when I was a kid. Today, there’s often something fresh and green available. And no, I’m not talking about the fuzzy green stuff on the commodities cheese!
Bon Appetite!
