As a sophomore, I have officially partaken in all of the bustling lunch periods at Poly Prep. From sixth to tenth grade, my lunch periods have gotten earlier and earlier as the years go by. In fifth grade, I enjoyed Poly’s tasty lunch at a late 12:45 p.m. Now, as a sophomore, I indulge in that delicious chicken and rice at a premature 11 a.m. — merely two hours after breakfast. This drastic time change over the years has led me to ponder the question: what is the best lunchtime at Poly?
Poly’s campus has lately been buzzing about this question. An email sent out on September 6 from Megan Caro, Upper School Dean Coordinator, stated, “There are no Upper School students allowed in Commons from 12:45 to 1:15 p.m.” because Commons is at maximum “capacity.” This announcement caused distress among Upper School students who dine earlier. Senior Sophia Kong, like many other Upper Schoolers, was instantly affected by the email. “Some days I grab lunch at 12:40 p.m. since I would rather do homework or am just not hungry at 11 a.m.,” said Kong.
Of course, all lunch periods have their pros and cons. The 11 a.m. period is wonderful if you happened to miss breakfast or want the first go at the salad/sandwich bar. There is nothing like being the first person to scrape the granola and strawberries off the top of the yogurt. Although the 11 a.m. lunch has advantages, I can’t help but place it lower on my list because most days, I am not hungry enough at 11 to fully immerse myself in the Poly Prep lunch experience. The 11:40 and 12:10 slots are great happy mediums with the ideal amount of time before and after lunch, allowing for a satisfying after-school snack. I also enjoyed eating at 12:45 (before I was banished from the cafeteria), although it never seemed worth to eat then amidst the fifth and sixth grade chaos.
Considering all of these factors, I had trouble determining the prime period for eating lunch, and in order to make my final ruling, I needed some outside input. Sophomore Olivia Sperling said, “12:10 was definitely the best time to eat, and I miss when we could eat then in 8th grade.” On the contrary, Junior Aishwarya Malhotra believes “11:40 is absolutely the perfect lunchtime. I’m never starving but I am always hungry then, and it gives a good amount of time before and after for classes.” Sophomore Quinn Foley seconds that, and said “11:40 all the way.”
This time reflecting upon my years eating lunch at Poly has been nostalgic. To come to the final answer, it took a long time attempting to recall the emotions I felt eating at each lunch period. It has been challenging, but I have made my final ruling on the best lunchtime at Poly: 11:40 a.m.
