E507 School Lunch Lady

This episode features an interview with Melissa Ansell, a veteran lunch lady from Cleveland, Ohio, discussing her experiences and the dynamics of working in a school cafeteria.

1. Melissa Ansell shares her journey from needing a job as a young mother to becoming a cherished figure in her school's cafeteria.
2. The episode highlights the adaptability required in school cafeterias, especially during shortages or changes in school policy.
3. There’s an emphasis on the community and relational aspects of being a lunch lady, with Melissa describing how she forms bonds with students.
4. The challenges of adhering to dietary regulations and ensuring all children get their meals, especially under logistical constraints, are discussed.
5. Melissa's personal stories about her interactions with students illustrate the significant, yet often unrecognized, role lunch staff play in school environments.

1. Introduction

Theo Von introduces Melissa Ansell and discusses upcoming tour dates. He highlights the theme of the episode, which is to shed light on the life of a school lunch lady. Theo Von: "Today's guest is that midday meal maiden... A lunch lady that's right out of Cleveland, Ohio."

2. Melissa's Background

Melissa discusses her background, how she became a lunch lady after becoming pregnant post-high school, and her initial reluctance to fly to the show. Melissa Ansell: "I kind of fell into it, you know, graduated, got pregnant, needed a job, and there I was."

3. Daily Operations

Discussion on the daily operations in the cafeteria, how meals are planned and served, and the logistics of handling food service for a large number of students. Melissa Ansell: "We do a hot breakfast and a breakfast cart... Then transition to preparing lunch."

4. Challenges and Adaptations

Melissa shares the challenges faced during the pandemic, supply issues, and how they adapt meals based on availability and regulations. Melissa Ansell: "Nope, we don't have that no more... I'm about to go to the grocery store."

5. Personal Stories and Student Interactions

Melissa recounts various personal stories that highlight the impact of her role on students and her personal life. Melissa Ansell: "They hugged me every day when they were little. Now they're too cool for me."

1. Empathy in Service: Recognize and appreciate the roles of individuals in service positions and the impact they have on community well-being.
2. Support for School Programs: Engage with and support school programs that provide meals to students, recognizing their foundational role in educational settings.
3. Community Engagement: Consider volunteering or participating in local school and community events to strengthen communal ties.
4. Open Communication: Foster open communication and express gratitude towards school staff and service workers.
5. Cultural Sensitivity: Be mindful of and respectful towards the dietary needs and cultural backgrounds of others in community settings.

Melissa Ansel is a lunch lady out of Cleveland, OH with more than 30 years of experience in the field, mostly working with grades K-8.

Theo is joined by a School Lunch Lady to talk about the cafeteria life, how she got into the business of feeding kids, what a typical day is like in her world, what meals the students seem to love universally, what it’s like seeing the kids grow up over the years, the biggest thing she’d change about school lunch policy, and much more.

People

Melissa Ansell

Companies

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Speaker A
New tour dates to announce. We've got Montreal, Hubei on August 3, Portland, Maine on August 8 and Spokane, Washington on September 12. Tickets for these shows are on sale now. We also have tickets remaining in Belfast, Cork, Ireland, London, Idaho Falls, Salt Lake City and Las Vegas, Nevada. You can get all tickets through theovon.com.

t o U R. Make sure not to buy from secondary sites. New merch we've got some new gang gang hoodies. We've just done crew necks before. We've got some hoodies now available in Heather Gray, tan, light blue and Duck camo.

Get all that and more@theovonstore.com. that's the only merch site that is run by us. I know there's some other fictional ones out there. Just watch out for fakes. And thank you guys for your support.

Today's guest is that midday meal Maiden. She's that belly filling bad girl between breakfast and dinner. A lunch lady that's right out of Cleveland, Ohio. She's been in the game more than 31 years. We're going to learn about all of it, the lunch, the children, the lifestyle.

We want to thank all the lunch ladies that reached out and who we spoke with, and we are so grateful to have one in studio today. Lunch lady Melissa Ansell. Shine that light on me I'll sit. And tell you my story.

Melissa Ansell
Shine on me and I will find a.

Speaker A
Lunch lady Melissa, how are you? I'm doing great. Yeah? You feel good? Oh, yeah.

Melissa Ansell
I flew for the first time today. So. Did you really? Yes. I've never flown in my life and I said I'd never get on a plane, so thank you.

Speaker A
And you changed it all up. I changed it all up in the last couple days. Yeah. I've been feeling I'm gonna pee a lot, but that's all. Really?

Melissa Ansell
Yeah. Cause I'm nervous. Oh, nerves, you think? Just nerves? Yeah.

Speaker A
I didn't know if you meant like cause of the altitude or something. Oh, no, no. Just cause I was nervous. Cause I was doing something, so. Oh, yeah.

Melissa Ansell
Wow. Really? So it's been a while. Oh, a while. I've never flew.

Speaker A
What's the highest you've ever been up then? On a building or something? On a slide. Oh, yeah. Maybe a slide or, you know, roller coaster or something.

Gosh. I know, right? And was it nerve wracking? Like, you know, it wasn't as bad, I guess, as what I thought. But, yeah, you know, I had to take a pill, just calm myself down.

Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. I popped a couple of pills just to get through a tough episode of cops before. Well, you know, I mean, this is true. You know.

Melissa Ansell
Yeah. So. But thank you for coming in. Oh, thank you so much. This was awesome.

Thank you for having me. Yeah, you're very welcome. And, yeah, we just, you know, everybody has had lunch ladies in their lives. Oh, yeah. You know, I mean, a lot of children really, it goes from, like, breastfed to bottle fed to being fed by a woman, like, kind of vaguely covered in plastic, you know?

Speaker A
And so it's kind of like, you know, it's almost mom's third breast in a way. It's like you're that next liaison to sustenance for a child. True. You know, how did you get into the game? How did you get into it?

Melissa Ansell
Well, you know, I mean, I kind of fell into it, you know, graduated, got pregnant, needed a job, and there I was. And then it worked out really good. Yeah. Okay, so let's just go back. So you graduated from what?

I graduated from high school. Okay. You graduated from high school. And where are you? What part of the nation are you in?

Oh, I'm in from Cleveland, Ohio. Okay, so you're from Ohio and you graduate from high school, and then you get knocked up by a man. Sure. You know, and then I didn't really want the man that much, so then I moved out. Oh, you moved out?

Speaker A
So you separated? But how did that. So how do you go from there? How does somebody go from getting knocked up by a guy? I kind of wanted to, you know, feeding children.

Yeah, I guess, actually. Well, you know, I fell into the job, but when I started to do it, I was like, I really like it. And I had. And my son, then he started going to school there, you know. Okay.

Melissa Ansell
So he got to stay when I was off, he was off. So it was so much easier to, you know, follow with him, you know? Oh, that's kind of perfect. Oh, it was perfect. Oh, yeah.

That was awesome. So we would have the summers off if I wanted to, or, you know, whenever, holidays. I didn't have to look for a babysitter, you know. Oh, that's pretty magical. Yeah.

Speaker A
And how did you actually. Who got you the job there? Oh, I just went overseas. Lunch. I went down to the board of education, looked around, got some jobs, and then I just slowly, like, moved up because I've been there so long, you know?

Oh, they move you. So there's different. Is there different? Yeah, there's kind of, like, different positions. Like, you'd start out like the really kind.

Melissa Ansell
The lunch lady. Then you, like, you move up to the general prep, then the cook, then the manager, things like that, you know? Okay. Okay. So you're in Cleveland.

Speaker A
You have a child. Your child. Now you start lunch lady. And at the school where your child is. And so take me through, like, a typical shift of a lunch lady.

Like, they get there. Do you walk to school? Do you. Do you guys carpool? How does it.

Melissa Ansell
Well, I mean, I didn't have a car for a minute, so when I don't have a car, I would walk or sometimes somebody pick me up. But, I mean, I have a car now, and we're actually in the. We're transitioning there. They tore my school down. So I'm over at a swing site.

So it's a little bit further, not too much further. And I drive there and back, but once I get the other one, really? I could kind of walk down there if I had to. Oh, nice. So it's been perfect since I also have anxiety.

I don't drive as much. Driving's hard, huh? I don't like the other people driving. If they could just stay away from me when I'm on the road, I'd be cool. Yeah.

Speaker A
Well, yeah. I mean, here's my thing. I've met a lot of people, right. Something's wrong with them. So all driving is.

Is those people are in cars now. Right, right. So it's not like they've changed suddenly. Cause they're in a vehicle. Something's still wrong with them.

Melissa Ansell
I said, just because I'm nervous and don't drive a lot like that, you know? Still some guys, you know. Phew. Yeah. And I live in the lower Cleveland, so let me just say, some of the drivers aren't even supposed to be in those cars.

Speaker A
Oh, yeah. Yeah. Cause they stole them.

Yeah, I guess. Well, about 15 years ago, I did wake up one morning, and my car got stolen out of my driveway. And I was like, dude, where's my car? And it really wasn't there, but they never found it, so they must. Yeah, they probably took parts off it and had a good time with it, but I was violated.

What kind of car was it? It was old cutlass. Oh, yeah. Yeah. They wanted it bad in the.

Melissa Ansell
You know how those doors slammed good and stuff. Yeah. And look, let's say there's definitely. Brothers love a cutlass. Somebody was loving it.

Yes. People love a cutlass. My dad had a Delta 88, and he had a. And he also had a cutlass. Bring that up.

Speaker A
Bring up a cutlass. Let's see the one that got stolen here from lunch lady. Melissa. Do you know what year model it was, Melissa? Oh, goodness.

Melissa Ansell
I don't really remember that much, but. Just ballpark at, like, 1940. 1990. No, like 1990.

Speaker A
We talked about it. Kind of look like that white one over there. Yeah. Yeah, kind of like. But the doors just shot good and everything, but I didn't protect it.

Mmm. Should have put the club or something on the wheel, you know? I got the club on it right now on my. A beater in the driveway right now. Do you?

Melissa Ansell
Heck, yeah. Yeah, my mom puts it on all the time. Oh, I'm. Yeah, I put it on. I don't care.

Now that they took it where I'm like, is it now? If they could get past all those, they could have it. You've earned it, huh? Yeah, you earned it. Take it.

Go ahead. Okay, so take me through a typical shift at work. You show up at what time do you get over there? I get there, 730. Okay.

And, you know, I. We turn on all the warmers, oven, all that stuff, you know, start putting everything out, make hot breakfast. Get a breakfast. Yeah, we do a hot breakfast. And we also do a breakfast cart, so they could choose.

So, like, you know, if I have a pancake with a sausage in it. Oh, yeah. They could choose a hot, you know, their juice of milk. Or they can go over to the cart, and I have, like, muffins, blueberry muffins, lemon bread, cereal, maybe apple. Oh, all the time.

Fruits and stuff. Yeah, yeah. This new guy stepping it up with the fruit now. Oh, yeah. Yeah.

We got a new man that in charge of food service, and, yeah, some of the kids didn't even know what a kiwi and stuff was, but they do now. Oh, wow. Yeah, it was interesting. The other day, I would cut them all up, and I'm like, I ain't got to worry about it, you know? And then I come over and look, and the kids like, miss Melissa, I ate the whole kiwi.

And I'm like, what? Why'd you eat that fuzz? And I'm like, oh, I didn't know you guys didn't know that, so. Yeah, it's. It's crazy.

Speaker A
Yeah. I think, yeah, the first time you get that kiwi, you don't know how much to have or how much not to have, you know? Well, I know I wouldn't eat that outside.

I don't know that. I think it depends on what you're into, you know? Oh, yeah. That's true. I mean, it's a fuzzy feeling.

Well, some people like a little bit of, you know. Yeah. They like a different environment. Right. I get it.

Yeah. Okay, so you get in there. You got the warmers on. Do you have a team? Do you guys have a team meeting or something, like.

Melissa Ansell
Well, no, I'm like, I'm the manager or whatever. Me and Shayla Kruseman, that's my lady that cooks, we come in together, and we do most of the work. And that's breakfast. Work, breakfast, everything. So breakfast comes.

Speaker A
Some of the kids come. How much percent of the children come to get breakfast? Oh, like 460, I'd say we have 600. We feed a day, so we could do about 460 breakfast. Wow.

Melissa Ansell
So a lot of them eat. Yeah. A lot of meat. Yeah. Yeah.

Speaker A
We would get to school for breakfast if we got there in enough time. Sometimes our bus, if it were like. Well, you know what? But now, though, we're. No, I worry we have to stay open for.

Melissa Ansell
If their buses are late. Yeah, all that stuff. So, yeah, we don't close up. We pretty much, kids come in sometimes at, like, one in the afternoon. Miss Melissa, can I get breakfast?

I mean, they're eating in two minutes, but sure. Here's your breakfast and your lunch.

Speaker A
Yeah, they don't even care. I know they don't care. They don't know as long as they eat. Yeah, that's how they are. Right.

Okay, so you guys got the breakfast done. You shut it down. How do you start to transition to lunch? Is there an opportunity if people want to smoke between lunch and breakfast? Like, what is that?

Like, you guys get a little break or anything? Or do a video game on your phone or something? Well, I mean, we're really busy, so it all depends on what we're making that day. Cause if it's something, like, hard, like, for breakfast, we have to do all that. If it's just, like, a pancake we just heated up or something, that's real easy.

Melissa Ansell
You know what I mean? So you got more time. But if it's something that I'm making, sausage, egg, cheese, I have to put it all on one, wrap it. We're swinging right in, you know, right as the kids are coming through, we're still. Hey, you know, still working.

Speaker A
Breakfast, lunch, whatever. That's what I said. And, like, when I do the turnover, it's. People are like, wow. I'm like, you move the color.

Melissa Ansell
We're turning over. Breakfast is over.

Speaker A
So, really? Is there a hard line where it's just, like, breakfast is done? Well, I say that, but I'm lying. Cause whenever they come in, I'll still film breakfast even if they came in later. So.

Melissa Ansell
Yeah, I always. You kind of draw a line in this. Well, there should be a line. Yeah. To at least limit, because I'm about to serve lunch pretty soon.

I'll tell them, you know, come on, now. Yeah, but like I said, we're here to feed them, so. And is there, like, a little bit of a game playing before lunch? How do you know what lunch all gonna serve? Does it come down, like, from, like, a.

Speaker A
I have a menu, like, on a win? Does it? And it comes like, this is what we're serving today. I have a menu, and then I order from the menu for the week. Okay, so what do you mean, like, give a menu?

Melissa Ansell
Well, they say on the menu. Okay, say it's a chicken bowl. So I know I'm going to order that. So for five days, I order. And I'll order everything for that and everything for the solids we're gonna make for that same day.

Speaker A
Oh, so all the items that go into those things you're saying? Because we have a couple different things you choose from. Oh. So. And just make sure you have enough lunches, because, man, when you run out, boy, those kids are ready to get you.

Melissa Ansell
And don't run on pizza day. Oh, man. I was messing around once, and I, you know, I was talking to the kids too much, and I started burning. I'm like, I'm sorry. I'll give you that.

So they didn't like that very well. But, yeah, if you run out on pizza day, I remember. Oh, man. Well, we went through a couple different types of pizza. I remember.

Speaker A
I remember there was this round. Can you bring up the different school pizzas that were served? There was a round pizza that had a great crust on it. I remember. And it was really great.

And people would, like, see each other and be like, hey, that crust is great, huh? And people would be like, yeah. And then we got to this other square pizza, and I was like, this ain't even barely pizza, dude. And that one, people didn't really like it as much. And the cheese, I think, tasted different to me, but, yeah, let's look at a couple of these.

That's one right there. I've definitely had that one. The one you have the cursor on down right there. Well, we have, like, the one you got the cursor, and that's, like, our breakfast pizza. Oh, we serve that now for breakfast breakfast and breakfast pizza.

Melissa Ansell
Oh, yeah. Breakfast pizza was good. We used to have a box pizza years and years ago, and I'm talking like 30 years ago, the kids used to really like. But now we're serving a stuffed crust pizza, so the kids are pretty interested. Yeah.

Like I said, pizza day. I hear a lot of compliments. I look good on pizza day. Really? Yeah.

Speaker A
So there'd be a lot of flirting and stuff. On pizza day. On pizza day, everybody wants pizza pizza, yeah. Yeah. Everybody want a pizza.

Melissa Ansell
Oh, yeah, baby. So pizza's the big thing, right? That's the thing everybody loves the most. That's what they love. Well, yeah, there's a couple different things, but following the menu.

Speaker A
Yeah. So following the menu, you guys, you have your week of menu. It's already set up in advance. So before the previous weekend, you got the whole week lined up the next week. Right.

Melissa Ansell
Because I order. Right. A week ahead. Okay. So I kind of have it lined up, but things can happen, so it's subject to change.

Speaker A
Really? Oh, yeah. Especially in 2020, you know, when all that shortage. I mean, whatever they gave me was what they were, because, you know, they. It was constant.

Melissa Ansell
Nope, we don't have that no more. Nope, those were shorts of this. Nope, we don't. I'm like, oh, my gosh, what are we feeding these kids? I'm about to go to the grocery store.

I need a food stamp card. Yeah, you gotta do something. You know, I was like, man, these kids need to eat. Yeah. Yeah.

Speaker A
It gets crazy sometimes, but you're getting the lunches out to them. You got a plan? Does the government tell you what the children have to eat or you can make it, whatever? No, the government kind of tells you what the kids need to have. Like how many servings of legumes?

Melissa Ansell
You know what I mean? There have to be certain things. Legumes or whatever. Yeah, like, you know, you have to have beans on there certain amount of times, you know? So, yeah, they kind of tell you, but we flip it around on different things.

You know what I mean? If I'm short of that, they're getting that, right. It is what it is. As long as they eat, I'm happy. Yeah, that's my attitude, too.

Speaker A
I can't believe children have a choice where you're at in some of their meals. Oh, well, this started this year. Like I said, this guy, we make a chicken salad, chef salad. And they love the PB and J still. You may give them a, you know, just a cold lunch and then whatever we're making for hot.

Melissa Ansell
So they pick between whichever one they want. And are there days where there's a real specialty item? What's one of the spell. Like, is there a time of year where something, like, maybe some, like, bison meat or something? Or something unique, you know, something rare will come across that you guys give to the kids?

Speaker A
Or, like. Like, is there a time of year when y'all get. The kids get something really rare? Kinda? No, the.

Melissa Ansell
The thing is, like, there's. The kids are so, like, picky, and there's so many that can't have this that they don't really go into anything odd with that. You know what I mean? Right. So.

Speaker A
No, she kind of stick to the guns, kinda. Yes. Just right to it. Yeah. There's, like, not a lot of pork on the menu.

Melissa Ansell
Cause kids don't. There's so much. How do you say that? Religions and different things that they don't. They don't eat this.

They don't eat that. So you have to watch. Okay. And, you know, we're a bilingual school, too. We have, like, so many different backgrounds.

Speaker A
Oh, damn. So, yeah, some kids don't even speak English, so. Really? Yeah. All my ladies that work with me are Spanish.

Oh, yeah. Yeah. It's cool, though. I start, you know, acting like I'm habloin, you know? Yeah.

Yeah. I'm like, oh, I got this. So I learned a couple little words, and then I know what they want, you know? I'm like, oh, I got it. Don't worry.

Melissa Ansell
She wants a latte.

Speaker A
Oh, yeah. It does feel good whenever somebody's speaking Spanish. And you get it. Yeah. You get it.

Melissa Ansell
Yeah. Oh, yeah. That's a great feeling. It's really cool. Yeah.

So I'm trying to teach them some English. Yeah. Cause I'm like, you just brought me that, and I didn't ask for that. I asked for ketchup. What'd you bring me a spoon for?

So we all just crack. Yeah. A lot of people are just don't know the difference between. Yeah. Condiments, silverware people.

Speaker A
A lot of people get scared. They had an emu the other day that died. It had a bur. It ate a woman's car keys somewhere. Yeah.

So people will eat anything, I feel. Can you bring that up? You see? Let me know if you can find that.

Is there a lot of lesbianism, like, in the cafeteria culture? I feel like we had a lot of. I'm sorry. That was a good one. Was that crazy?

We had a lot of female in. Not inbreeding or whatever, but, like, inbreding, I guess, basically, let's just say there's. A little bit of everything. Okay. Okay.

Melissa Ansell
We're gonna say there's a little bit of everything. We had a lot of women love or whatever they called it back in the day in. In the cafeteria, you would see that a lot of people, some of them, their husbands have been mean to them, and then they would fall in love after that.

Speaker A
So it's like male induced lesbian. Right, right. I get it. Yeah. He did me wrong.

Melissa Ansell
I'm never being with a man again. Yeah. Yeah. I'm not. But I'll be with this gal, right, that looks like.

Speaker A
And make her. I'll be with this gal and make her wear his whole.

Melissa Ansell
Y'all got a couple little weird things, you know? A beloved ostrich at the Topeka Zoo and conservation center in Kansas has died after swallowing a staff member's keys. God. What? That's crazy.

Speaker A
Oh, and, you know, they were probably looking for the keys for a while, too. I feel so bad. I'd be like, you poor ostrich. Oh, he ate my keys. He's dead.

The ostrich is just over there. Like, you know, they're like, where's. I know, right? Where's those keys at? I don't know.

Melissa Ansell
All there was just an ostricher standing behind me. Nobody else was behind me. And the ostrich is just. The Oscar's just leaning on like a. On a.

Speaker A
On a. On a cage door. He's like, different times, right? You got that right. The zoo announced in a social media post Friday that the five year old officer named Karen Aw had reached beyond her exhibit's fence and grabbed and swallowed the employee's keys.

Staff consulted with experts around the US to undergo surgical and non surgical efforts to minimize the impact of the keys. Unfortunately, these efforts were. You couldn't pass the key, then successful. Yeah, I guess you couldn't. And I guess if you like to Heimlich an ostrich, it was just.

You can't get enough power in there, right, to really get them to blast out. God, that's pretty sad. I'm sorry.

Hey, serve it up. You got that right. Because I sure serve. Hey, look, if the kids will eat it, serve it up. That's right.

If you'd have told me when I was a child that a cut of ostrich had come through, I think there's some kids would have gone in and tried it, but. But I guess overall, children don't like trying a lot of new stuff. No, they're so picky. I mean, back in the day, I think they ate more. Now it's like, you know, where's my hand.

Melissa Ansell
I'm like, I didn't have that today, you know? Yeah, kids are picky. And mostly, I remember we would always sometimes get a McNugget, which was pretty good. They like the nuggets. Yeah.

Speaker A
They still like them, huh? Oh, they love the chicken. Oh, yeah. Chicken wash. And what else would we get?

That was really good? The pizza I enjoyed. I really did like the pizza till they switched it to that square pizza with no real crust on it. And it just made me just so angry at everybody. What else?

That straw and the milk bag they used to have. Do they still have that? It was like a bag of milk. Yeah. No, they don't do the bags no more.

Melissa Ansell
No, actually, we don't even do straws no more. Really? Yeah, he took away the straws and stuff for. I guess we're gonna save. How do you get the milk out of it into your body?

Well, I mean, you know what? I thought there would be more problems, but they take that carton, just open it up and drink it. Oh. And so I haven't had too much of a problem, but when it first started, I kind of did think, wow, there's gonna be a lot of you. To my amazement.

Speaker A
No, they just figured, like, they just. Figured it out for 30 years. One years, they've been popping that straw in there. You know, they clogs my sink. You know who?

Melissa Ansell
We wash the tables, put it down the sink. All those straws go in there. We pop it out, and all these straws, like, oh, it's as yellow straw as. Yeah. Okay, so this.

Speaker A
So you guys got the food out to the children. The children start to come in through the line right now. Do you guys. We had BDlD would come in first. I don't know if they still have it.

Behavior disabled, learning disabled. Would come in first or last for lunch. You guys still do that or everybody just mixed in? Everybody's mixed. Okay.

Melissa Ansell
Comes in. So. So you get. The children start coming in. And what are you.

Speaker A
Where are you at? Are you stationed at a certain point? Like, what kind of offense are y'all running? Well, I mean, we could. I should be down there like mark and stuff, but I'm the fastest one with serving and stuff, so most of the time, I'm the server.

You're on the line? Yeah, I like to be on the line because I know how fast I could go. Even if I drop stuff, you know, I just keep on going. Oh, yeah. You know, just keep on going.

Melissa Ansell
Just like your lunch lady, Annie? Yeah. You know about her? Yeah, I watched you. And then I was laughing because I had carpal tunnel surgery last year, and I was doing the same, and we laughed.

We watched that because I kept throwing stuff. And I'm like, keep going. My hand, my finger be getting all stuck, looking all crazy. And the kids are like, what are you doing? I'm like, this.

Speaker A
She would do this in her sleep. In her sleep, she would be doing. I bet she. You know what actually happened to her? She.

Well, she was. We had a couple of good lunch ladies. We had this one lady we had named Sarge, actually. And she was, I think, a. She loved ladies, I'll say that.

And she had all these pictures of her dogs on her all the time. And she'd always be like, oh, I got so many dogs. And she would just have all these little buttons and pictures of all these dogs. And then she'd have a bucket. She'd keep some of the extra stuff for her dogs.

And she's like, I'm gonna feed my puppies today. Okay, all right, you can have it. She'd have so many. Sometimes you'd have, like, missing you. Feed me.

Feed whatever you want, lady. Long as you feed the fourth grade, you can feed whatever you want. But she would sometimes have, like, a wanted post, like a missing. She would sometimes have, like, a missing poster on her for a dog that had gotten lost or whatever. And she's like, have y'all seen Betty?

Or whatever? She would ask us, and then, who else did we have? We had, oh, we had Patty, this lady, one time, and she would open up the biggest cans of peas, man. I mean, cans. You couldn't even knew that they had a can that.

Melissa Ansell
Oh, I didn't see, when I first started opening those big cans, too, I was like, whoa, look at all those peas. Yeah. Wow. I was amazed. And one of the janitors would always come through and be like, nice cans, Patty.

Speaker A
Right, right. And he was just a pervert. But still, we all like to joke around every once in a while when. You know, it is what it is. It is what it is.

And she was pretty good. And we had another. Oh, yeah, we had this other lady, Miss Moncrieff. She. She'd always be like, make sure to get your spetaghetti.

That's what she called your spetaghetti. Get your spare Getty. So she would yell at us. That's funny. She'd be like, get your spare Getty.

And instead of saying cake, she would say like, this is crazy. But she would kind of say like, cat, like, Cac. So she'd be like, and get you a cut of coconut cack over there. See, I think we all have to be a little nuts, you know, to be over there so long around everybody, you know, most think I am a little off, but it's okay. Cause I've accepted that a long time ago.

Get your spare Getty. Get your coconut cac. Yeah, she was bananas, dude, but she was sweet. And then we had Annie. And Annie, Miss Annie lived across the street from us.

And she was always like the carrot cop. She'd come over and like, be like, eat your carrots, you know. And then she got murdered actually. Oh, gosh. Yeah, by her son.

But was a great neighbor before that. And great kitchen. Yeah, great lady. And she had been resuscitated a few times. They kept her on staff.

She was. There wasn't a lot left of her, right. You know, by the last, you know, couple months. Yeah, some people come crawling out after a while. Yeah, some people just keep on serving as long as this part of them works.

It's like they're. You know what? My ladies has laughed. Cause like I said last year before got the surgery, I was like constantly. And I'm like, and, oh, don't worry.

Melissa Ansell
I mean, by the time they have clean up. Cause I threw chicken balls across the room, everybody was laughing. That's awesome. And I'm like, hey, you know what? My hands are messed up.

It's okay. Cause. And as you go faster, you don't realize. Yeah, sometimes you're just like, boom, boom, boom. Things are just starting to move.

Speaker A
Yeah, yeah. It's almost like you're one of those blackjack dealers. Yeah, I do. I feel like it. I'm like, what do you want?

Melissa Ansell
What do you want, kid? Yeah, what? He wants a bun? No, no bun for him. Oh, it's time for fightin and if you love firing on sports, then prize picks is the best daily fantasy sports app for you.

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This is a paid advertisement. Okay, so you got the kids coming through the line. How does that, what's the energy there as they start to come through? Are you usually does that? Is that exciting moment for the lunch ladies or is that kind of like, ugh, you know, now we gotta work.

Melissa Ansell
It depends who you are. I'm gonna say it like that. Like, you know, a lot of I say it, I think the younger generate new generation stuff, they're a little bit more slow and late. You know, it is kind of like, but I get them pumped. We're like, we're like, let's go.

You're like hot diggity dog. And, and we got little ones that come through the line and I go, what do you say? And she's like, if you touch it, you take it. I'm like, you got a girl. So, so, no, we kind of boost them and get them laughing.

I like to wear, like, I play around with them, like put different wigs on. Oh, yeah. You know, I like to switch it up and I don't wear a lot of makeup most times, so I put makeup on and all of them be like, whoa. You know, just make it different. Yeah, I mean, we like to try to do something different.

Just so the kids are like, wow. You know, it's a lot of fun to play with them, especially the little ones. Cause they're fun. They are like, what age are still kids really enjoyable at? I'm gonna say the little ones up to, I don't know, about ten before they start getting a little mouthy.

And then they want to do their own thing. Then there are. Some of them are, like, too cool for me. They've been in school for, like, ever, and now they're too cool for me. They hugged me every day when they were little.

Speaker A
Yeah. And now they're like, okay, I live in the neighborhood, so I see them all. Oh, so you see a lot of them. I see a lot of them, yeah. And do a lot of the children when they come through, so they're pretty excited.

And then you only have one person on y'all's line, or how many people's on y'all's line? Well, I do it either by myself, or somebody will help me sometimes if it's something really a big meal. And because most of the kids, some of the items they pick off the line themselves, they don't have to be handed the fruit. The vegetable stuff we do on the other side, and they can pick all that up their self. I do, like, the main hot food for them, you know?

Melissa Ansell
And. And so those are items like, what, spaghetti? Right. What else? We have pasta, meatballs.

We have a chicken bowl where they have the mashed potatoes, the chicken corn. Okay. Like a chicken pot pie. Yeah, we started, we have a. Like a polish girl.

Now it's like a turkey sausage kind of thing. And you put the sweet potato fries and some slaw and some barbecue sauce on this sucker. It's good. I like it that day. That sounds great.

So I'm saying, I mean, I've been eating the food all these years, but I think they're getting better. Yeah, they're getting a lot better because when I first started, we. We just heated up microwave dinners, I'll tell you. Really? Oh, yeah.

We heated them up in the thing. You couldn't cook food that was open, so it looked like you cook like, five fries. Fries are all stuck in the bottom. And, I mean, the quality, like I said. And then you make a hamburger with a bun already on it and heat it up in plastic.

What is it? You know? Yeah. So now we're doing, like, we'll do the burger and we cook it and really cook it. And the fries go in the oven and they get crispy, you know?

Speaker A
Oh, that's nice. Yeah, I, like I said, I've seen a big change. Really? And how long has that change period been over, you think? Well, it's been about, I'm gonna say about eight years of them slowly changing it.

Melissa Ansell
But this year has been the top because, like, the kids get cantaloupe, watermelon, whatever that. I cut it up and, like, going. To Hawaii or something. Oh, man, the big kids, I have to slow them down. I'm like, man, that's too many portions because, I mean, they'll take the whole thing, you know.

But, yeah, they probably didn't get all that good food. And now we get tangerines instead of oranges, which is really cool. Cause you get those little cuties. You can peel those in a second. Cut up those.

Speaker A
Cuties. It's almost like having a little date. Almost. Oh, man, they are. But I have to stop.

Melissa Ansell
The kids like them so much, they're in their pockets. They gotta remember how many cuties you got.

Speaker A
Yeah, they don't care. Okay, so you got the line. Y'all got it going pretty good. What types of ages are coming through your line or have come through your line over the years? Because how many, how many years have you been in the game?

Melissa Ansell
31. 31 years. I'm finishing my 31. Yeah. Wow, you're like Glover Teixeira.

Speaker A
He's a famous UFC fighter. You were? Yeah, he's beloved and been in it for a while. That's him right there. But he is a very sweet man who has stood the test of time in his industry.

Okay, so what kind of kids are coming through the lawn there, you know, and what's some of the interaction like with them? Well, you like the preschool, and it's like, come here, baby. They come first. Yes. Okay, so the littlest kids.

Melissa Ansell
The littlest kids come first. Oh, wow. Yeah, we get, we get the little ones, and then we move on up. And at the last period is six, 7th, 8th. Those are the big ones.

Speaker A
Yeah. So we start out with these babies, you know, and, you know, they're all cute little babies. Then we go to these big, huge kids, which I don't know what they're feeding them anymore because, you know, they're getting big. Yeah, yeah, I got some big boys. Miss Melissa hooked me up, and I'm like, okay.

Melissa Ansell
You know. Yeah, but, yeah, start out, but the little ones there, they come anywhere from four years old. Mm hmm. And I think to about 14. Okay.

Unless they, unless they, you know, failed a bunch of times and then they might be a little closer. Oh, yeah. I mean, you know, we had a guy. Yeah. How many times he did here.

Speaker A
Yeah. Yeah. He finally comes through, one of you to hand him a. What's it thing you fill out to work when you want to work somewhere. Yeah.

You just hand him a work application. Oh, yeah, right, right. You might as well. You could be, you know, 18 in a minute. That happens a lot.

So what? Yeah. What are some of the kiddos that have come through some of the little buckarooties that have come through there? Like, any unique. Like, anybody bringing anything with, like, any stories they bring with them or what's going on with the kiddos?

Melissa Ansell
Well, I mean, there are so many kids. I see them everywhere now. Like, the lady that's at the pharmacy, she's a pharmacist. She was one of my kids. I go to restaurants.

We go on a canoe ride, and I started laughing. I wasn't nowhere near Cleveland. And they're like, Miss Melissa. And we. Everywhere I go, I run into something.

I mean, that's a lot of years. And they're grown. Wow. So they'll look at me and I'm like, they're giving them my money. And they're like, are you miss most?

I'm like, yeah, but, like, I. I was like, you were one of my kids. Oh, that's cool. But it's cool. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker A
There's a, like, there's a connection. Well, especially because you're feeding the children, you know, there's. There's always a connection with somebody. I'm nice to the kids too. Yeah.

Melissa Ansell
And I'm funny. And, you know, they like being around you, like, saying, oh, yeah, oh, yeah. And what will some of the kids ever bring? Anything with them? Do they ever, like, are they, like, what do.

Well, we had some come through the line, and one had a snake in his book bag. Really? And little girl brought her cat in a book bag. Yeah. They never know what they're gonna pray.

Speaker A
They brought a cat. But we have security that checks their bags, so I bet they've seen more. Yeah. Like, is that cat meowing? I mean, that book bag meowing over there, is that the new style?

Melissa Ansell
Did she press a button? Then when she come through the line, ask me for cat food? I was like, what? No, I don't serve that. But what did they ask you to do?

Speaker A
Just put something in their bag for the cat? Like, how'd you know? No, I. No, I just. They heard them and stuff.

Melissa Ansell
And them guys, you know, like I said, they have to come through the detector. Oh, they have a metal detector? Oh, yeah, we got metal detectors. Oh, so you're in the trenches over there. Oh, I'm in the lower, lower west side.

Speaker A
Wow. Oh, yeah. Y'all are in there. Wow. Oh, yeah.

Um, okay, so you have. Some children will bring a cat or a. Even a snake through. Um, and do you think it's just cause they don't want to be alone from their pet or they just. Yeah, probably just want to see their pets and stuff like that.

Melissa Ansell
Their parents probably didn't even know they snuck them out half the time. You know what I mean? So, I mean, if they could, sometimes the kids would blend a dog in. If they could. If.

So, we could run around. Yeah. You know who your laugh to? People tell you that your laugh reminds me of?

Speaker A
Do they have the lady from the Adam Sandler thing? If you can find it a little bit. Yours is way more charming.

Listen to her laugh is. Oh, that's too funny. I never thought of that. I just don't like her. Just her laugh, though.

You're way prettier than that. Oh, that's funny. She's pretty, too. But is it tough to see some of the kids grow and get. And leave sometimes?

Or there's some kids, you're like, man, that kid's gonna like, we really wish they could stay. Yeah. I, like, wonder what happened to some of them that you really liked that you don't see that much no more. And some you see, and, well, they were not really doing as well because up there in the neighborhood. But I see so much bad good, you know, and then I love it when they come back and they're like, oh, I just got in college, or I'm doing this, or I'm about to go to nursing school, or I did.

Melissa Ansell
I'm very excited that, you know, because where we're at. Yeah. So, like, my son, he couldn't wait to get out of Cleveland. He got married and just moved away. He was gone.

He was gone as soon as he left. And then I had to get a dog named Mo because he was named Joe, and I lost him. Oh, you gotta get a dog that rhymes with your son. Right. So I replaced him with my dog mo.

Speaker A
That's fair. Yeah. And where did you. Is there a lot of, like, dating? Like, do a lot of janitors come by the lunch area trying to holler and trying to, like.

Cause that's what I felt like when I was a kid. Sometimes you would see some of the janitors over there trying to, you know, just, like, spend a little bit extra time or something like that. Mine's real cool. You only got one janitor? Yeah, sorta.

Melissa Ansell
I mean, because, well, they say they're custodians. They don't like to be college. Oh, yeah, sorry, custodians. Yeah, I respect both of them. Yeah, yeah.

The last one was a lady, and me and her was real good friends, and she owned a lake house, and I used to go with her all the time down there to New york, so that was awesome. And my other one, he just left. Yeah, I hang out with all the people that are retired, too, that just left. So, yeah, I worked with them for so long, it's like we know each other. We grew up.

Yeah, family, you know. Was it sad to see your son graduate, like, get out of this? Like was when he left your school? Yeah, I was very. Yeah, because I got to keep a very close eye on him then.

He thought he was going to get away with something, but I told him, I'll transfer. I'll follow you, boy. And he's like, no, mom, no. So he did better. But then when I would go to parent conference and I would start talking, the teachers would look like, no wonder.

That's where he gets it. Listener. I'm all hyper talking to him. I'm like, how's my kid doing? They're like, oh, well, he's great, I guess, mom, like, you, like, we're gonna.

Speaker A
Put you in detention. That's what I'm saying. Yeah. Hey, when I first started working at school, I was. I thought, man, did I get called to the office.

Melissa Ansell
I thought I was going to touch. I was really working there. And they would call you down there? Yeah, just to tone it down. Yeah, my, she jokes all the time and says that I'm gonna have to go outside if I laugh too hard, because during testing, you know, you're supposed to be quiet.

Sometimes he's just like, I heard you. I'm like, sorry. But they all like, so it's cool. Sometimes you hear outburst, I'll be just like, ah. And it's all the way upstairs calling.

I don't realize it goes around the school, but they know it's me. Yeah, that's it, huh? Yeah. It's like a bird almost, that you hear, you know? Right.

Speaker A
Do you see, like, at certain holidays, what's that like at school? Like, around Valentine's or some kids seem kind of lonely or anything. Does that ever happen? A little bit. But they give those little hearts out and they give candy, and the bigger kids will give flowers, you know, it's just.

Melissa Ansell
Yeah, they make a big. And we have dances and stuff. And the dances are in the cafeteria? Yeah, most of the cafeteria is, like, where we have all our dances and everything. And I'm right there.

So I like to dance with the kids. Really? Oh, yeah. I go and enjoy them. Yeah.

Speaker A
Oh, wow. You should work for Nickelodeon. Oh, man, we've had a lot of fun. Yeah. They let you guys dance with the children at the dances?

Melissa Ansell
Sure. Oh, that's cool. Yeah. I remember one time we had a guy named Mister John and his wife, I think, was a teacher. I don't know if she was a teacher.

Speaker A
She just, like, was like the smartest person in our area, and she would hang out at the school, but she, I got to dance with her one time at a dance. Aw, that's pretty cool. Well, my principals were great with a lot of things that she does. And we have a mother son dance and things like that. So I had some buddies a long time ago, and they didn't have a mom, so I went to the dance, danced with them.

Melissa Ansell
Oh, that's everything. Yeah, they were my buddies because we do like a buddy breakfast thing. Oh, yeah. As my buddy. Yeah.

Speaker A
Oh, just students. Yeah. So you kind of get close to some, if you see somebody and they'll say, you want to be my buddy? Yeah. And then you're kind of like their friend they could talk to if they're having a hard day or they hug you every day.

Melissa Ansell
So it's pretty cool. Oh, it's important. Yep. And then a couple times a year, we eat with them, talk about, give them a present. That's cool.

Speaker A
Yeah, but, yeah. What are some other, like, moments? Like, like, have you had some unique interactions? Oh, yeah. I like, like Halloween.

Melissa Ansell
I like to dress up and different stuff, and then I run through the crowd and the little kids. This year, I was this blow up, and it blew up big, too. It was cool. So I run out and everything, but then they kept trying to squeeze me, and I'm like, I'm like pop, you know, so I'm trying to get them away, but I can't because it keeps blowing up. So we do funny stuff like that, and I, a couple times, we would, I would tutor with the kids, you know, help the little ones with math or something like whatever she asked, like we tried to do, you know, I think we're like a mixture, you know, when they're away from their home, we could be their mom, their grandma.

They're whatever. They're crying. You want to go over, make sure they're all right. See what they want. You have kids that'll chase you and hug you every day.

Sometimes you gotta run. Yeah. Oh, I run. Sometimes I have to shut the door. I'm like, here she comes.

And everybody laughs because she's so beautiful and sweet, but she drives crazy alone. Yeah. Someone get a little bit, uh. They get kind of. Just kind of, uh.

They really click. Yeah. Hug you too much. Yeah. They'll lick you even.

Oh. Oh, yeah, you're right about that. I've seen a child just start looking. You're just like, what is going on with this child? But, dude, my friend told me that if you look at anything, anything, you know, what it would feel like on your tongue.

Speaker A
Because as a kid, you licked everything, checked everything out, probably. I'm sorry. Yeah. And at first I thought that was crazy, but then if I look at. Anything, you're probably thinking, if I lick that.

He said, because when you're a kid, you just put everything in your mouth. You don't even think about it. And you develop, like, this, mem. This memory for, well, there's nothing I wouldn't try. That's why I said, kids don't try anything nowadays.

Melissa Ansell
There's nothing out, you know? Oh, yeah. Is that a chocolate girl for Chris? Let's eat that. Let's try it.

Speaker A
Is there anything you guys will make BTS? Like, be honest with me. Is there some bts food that you guys will make at the lunch area that's just for you guys? Like, you ever could brew something up just for the gang, but it's not for the students. Well, I won't tell anybody.

Melissa Ansell
No, no, we. We eat the lunches there, you know, but no, like, I can't wait. Like, they're all Spanish, so I want them to bring me some rice and beans and stuff. So I want their food. Yeah.

So they bring me food all the time, and I'm like, all right, this is how you get to your boss, you know? This is good. I just had some yesterday. Oh, yeah? Yeah, they got a lot of good food, man.

But, yeah, I love it. So the ladies come in, and they make me food. I'm like, that's the way. Oh, that's beautiful. And now, when is the day kind of shut down?

Speaker A
So after lunch, what happens? How do you guys shut it down? Like, the last person leaves, and then what? After the last kids gets fed, we make sure everybody's fed, and then it's time the. Them ladies clean.

Melissa Ansell
Clean up, count everything, because I got to count everything. Like, all the milk, everything, you know, gets counted. Really? Yeah. I do paperwork, and everything has a count, so.

And then it's got to go on the computer and go down to them of how many kids we fed. Just switching it back around, moving the coolers back for breakfast for the next day. You know, everything goes back to, you know, it's like you flip a switch. What? I mean, we go for breakfast, lunch, lunch, breakfast.

Speaker A
Like transformer. And just try. I always said that. I said, see how we just did that? I said it was like transformers.

Melissa Ansell
I'm like, we just transformed the kitchen now. Bam. And people come out and they'll be like, dang, melissa, you just had breakfast. Now it's like lunch. Because I'll be like, pew.

Throwing together. And I'm like, we can't play. Somebody's gotta do it. We don't have to play. Somebody's gotta do it.

Speaker A
Yeah. And I'm one of those people that are always, you know, ready to go. Yeah, yeah. I run around like a chicken with my head cut off. Cause I'm a little nutty, you know, but it's okay.

Yeah. The more I move, you know, I just like to. That's important, and it is. And I'm getting old, so I have to. You gotta keep busy.

Melissa Ansell
Heck, yeah. And what's it like? Like, do you have time for dating stuff? You guys have to get up pretty early, huh? What's the love life like of someone in the lunch industry?

Oh, I've been married 30 years. Oh, yeah? Oh, you got married to the. Not the pregnant. Not the.

No, no, no. Not the baby. Dad. Yeah, I got married to somebody else. Oh, nice.

Yeah. Where'd you meet your husband at? In the yard.

Speaker A
Really? Not like a prison thing, huh? Well.

No judgment. Half my family's incarcerated. Well, yeah, I mean, he. Yeah, he just got out. Hey, babes.

Melissa Ansell
You look good. Welcome back. Welcome back. He didn't do it. Make me a breakdown.

Speaker A
You should guys get. Oh, I guess he probably's not allowed over the school then. No, no. This was so long ago. He's good now.

Okay. Yeah, we won't talk about that. We'll keep that out. So that's nice, then. So you got a love.

You have. You have a love in your life. You have one child. That's your only child. Oh, yeah.

Melissa Ansell
I was one and done. Yeah. Oh, yeah. What made you not want more? Well, I guess that was a whole experience.

I mean, what the heck? I don't. Women just keep popping them out. Are they crazy? It's unreal.

All that stuff we had to do. And I told that doctor or whoever, I tell him this was all too much for me. Then he came out with Kyle, and I'm like, what the heck? I watched kids for years and they never acted like that. Then I have my own.

And I'm like. Everybody kept saying, you're gonna have another one. I'm like, nope. Yeah, nope. So when he was ten, I got my tube side, said, nope.

I'm making sure I'm done. Wow. Oh, yeah, that was it. Shut that all down. That was it.

Shut that all down. The lunch line was over. I got 600 kids a day. I don't even need it. You know what?

Speaker A
You gotta open it up for breakfast every now and then. Well, I mean, yeah, but see, I don't have to have it. Yeah. You know, that's gonna make it easy now. Wow.

Do kids. Let me get into the financial of it. Do children pay for school lunch? A little bit. A long time ago when I started.

We had X and Y tickets. I remember they did. We had X and Y tickets. They would get. X was full, paid and why was.

Melissa Ansell
You got it free lunch, you got it. Or partial pay. Yep. They had the full power show and free. Oh, they had full.

Speaker A
Dude. I remember. So I would get to school. God, dude, it was the most. This was like one of the skit.

This was like one of the tougher things, I think, when you were a kid, like, yeah. You would get there and see if you can bring up this. Yeah, the school on tickets. Keep looking for mine looked a little bit different. Oh, my goodness.

Melissa Ansell
Look at those lunch cards. No, keep looking to see if you find some other ones. Oh, yeah, no, right there. The red and blue. The whole mix of all of them.

Speaker A
The game tickets. Those are the ones we. Right there. Yeah. And so you get up to the lady.

Right there'd be the lunch lady. Cause they didn't allow men to do it. It. Because I don't believe men should do it. We got a couple men in the system now.

Really? We'll talk about that some other time. Have changed. Yeah, but we would get in there and you had to go up to her and you had to tell her if you were. If you paid, you had to just buy the ticket from her and if you were free, you had to tell her you were free.

And I was just always felt so embarrassing because I'd always be like another kid right behind you or in front of you. She'd always say it like, I'm free, you know, and if the bus got there early, you could get breakfast. That was the thing. If the bus. Right.

So based on how Miss Hazel was doing, and bless her heart or whatever, if she's alive or not. Hopefully she's alive, but she might not be. But she was awesome. But she. Sometimes she would lolly gag.

Sometimes she would stop or drive slow and smoke. And so we would get there a few minutes later, and we would miss breakfast, and then you were just beside yourself. You didn't even. You know. Cause you had to get all the way to, like, 1140.

Melissa Ansell
Right, right. That's what they. Right. And you would just keep going to the water fountain and just drink as much water as you could and. Yeah.

Speaker A
And I remember even one of my teachers, like, go get you some of that breakfast water out there. Breakfast water. Smith would always say that. But anyway. Yeah.

And then at lunch, I don't know if we got our tickets in advance for the week or if you had to go and do the same thing at lunch, but you would always try to sneakily say, yeah, free lunch, or whatever, you know, I'll take a y one. Or just something like that. Or I would try to pretend like I was giving them money, even though I wasn't. It was like I was a magician. Just cause I didn't want the other kids to see.

Cause, you know, kids get so embarrassed. No, they do. Yeah. But then once you got the ticket. Yeah.

And you were free to the line, usually you would get a tray or, like, a little carton, like a little plastic kind of little carton, and then you would go, like, to the milk or beverage area first. Get that. Then you would go into the room where the actual kitchen was, and you would have the line there. You would get your line. Items come out, and then that was it.

You was free to go sit down and eat. It was awesome. It was. Yeah. That was, like, the best thing ever.

Dude, what? What is the funnest thing to serve to the kids? Is there something you really enjoy? Like, I like to serve the pizza. Cause it's one piece.

Melissa Ansell
Because I get to throw the pizza. But when I got, like, mashed potatoes, corn, chicken, a raw, you know, I'm sorry. Now I'm like, it's too much. Everybody. Yeah, everybody's picky, so they don't want gravy.

Some want gravy. You know, it's like. Yeah. And now they're, like, allowed to pick what they want. We used to give them all of it, so.

Speaker A
Oh, they used to. Yeah. That's crazy. You get to pick what you want. We would have to get whatever.

Sometime they give you a bunch of junk. You're like, some of this. It wouldn't even. I don't even think some of it was food or whatever. And you would just have to take it back to your table, you know?

Melissa Ansell
Oh, yeah. I seen so much waste back in the day. We'd have the, like, a bean burrito. All these kids would just. You know what I mean?

Speaker A
Just throw it away. Just throw it away. You just cooked all those. Just a bit. Be in the garbage, like, dang.

The apple, I feel like would always. Get thrown away sometimes. Yeah, yeah. You would be like, I don't know if I'm eating this. Yeah, you know, that would always be a tough one.

Melissa Ansell
I've ordered less apples now. Yeah, yeah. Because of the other ones are more popular that we have now that they're trying different, you know, watermelon. If it's gone, I'm watermelon man. I have to.

We'll be cutting ten water. We'll be cutting those watermelon. And what type of cutter are you using back there? Do you guys have a sanctioned knife that you have to use or something? Knives?

Yeah, like that. We got a couple knives we use for those, which we just started. Sometimes it was hard. Oh, yeah. Actually, with my hands hurting all time.

I was like, man, he's walking around. It's crazy. But then we got this one that you put, like, the orange or the apple thing, and you could go, sh. Oh, really? And it comes out.

I like that one. Yeah, I could do that all day. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's nothing. Yeah, I guess if you get that faint, that fancy one's really nice.

Speaker A
I'm trying to think of what we had. Oh, they would do baked potatoes. Do y'all still do those sometimes? No, we haven't did a baked potato for a long time. But I remember a long time ago we did have a baked potato.

Melissa Ansell
They seemed like it. Yeah, it was nice. Cause they had, like, sour cream with it. Oh, yeah. And get you a little bit of bacon bit or whatever.

Speaker A
Because they didn't let you use bacon bits in our community if you was a child, first of all. Oh, yeah. That was. That was an adult thing. So then they get to school when you pull up and they got a damn.

You got access to bacon, bitch. Yeah, let's ride. Hey, they're excited now. We give croutons. Oh, is that a big thing for the kids now?

Melissa Ansell
Yeah, we never gave croutons with a solid. We're poor over there. We give croutons. We're cool. A lot of you guys know we started off with our first advertiser ever was gray blocks pizza.

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the links will be on the YouTube and again there's no commitment when you. Commitment when you reach out to them. But I promise you, only something positive will come from you reaching out and figuring out if, what type of help, if any, could benefit you. Thank you. Yeah, man, that was so much fun, man, going to lunch.

It was just like a baby. It was like. It was kind of the best part of the day because it was. That was your break. Right.

And then do they go into recess after lunch? Yep. For. And after we give it, them switched. Like, we got 20 minutes of.

Melissa Ansell
20 minutes. Like, some of them are outside, then they'll come on in and those ones will go outside. So we're just keep going like that. Yeah. Tell me about.

Speaker A
Take me down some of the tough moments. Like, has there ever been, like, a food recall or something that happened where there was just a food? People got sick from that day. Was there ever just a flu that went around? Oh, that is so funny.

Melissa Ansell
You said that so years ago, and it was quite a while. I don't know, maybe 18 years ago, we did have this problem, and there was flu going around and everything, and a couple kids came in lunchroom, and they threw up. Well, that started, uh, the other kids looking at them doing it. Next thing I know, they call. They got buses, Amber.

They got everybody pulling my food, doing it, and I'm like, tripping. I'm like, what? And they're like. It's a vibe, really. Like, you were witch.

Like the Salem witchcraft parents saying, don't eat the. And I'm like, oh, yes. And then the. What was that one guy, he was trying to come from the. And I was running with my hoodie on because I was like, I've never.

Yes. No. Yeah. I swear I was tried. You do?

That's what it is. And they wrote this article, and then, I don't know, a couple weeks later, when they realized it was. They wrote this little thing. Like, it wasn't the food. They were sick.

It was over. But they made me like, look, and then downtown would be like, and, Melissa, tell them about that. You know, when the kids got us, and I'm like.

Speaker A
Like, you were Hester prayer. I'm so glad that those kids are probably long gone out of it by now. Yeah. Because that stuff with me for a little while. Yeah.

Melissa Ansell
I'd be walking down the street. Yeah. And all of a sudden, they'll be like, we had the best. Oh, my God. I did a piece.

Oh, my God. I start tripping. We had the bad macaroni. Yes. Do you remember the bad macaroni?

Speaker A
2001. Yeah. Where were you? Where were you when people ate bad macaroni?

You're like, I survived. You should have made t shirts. I survived the macaroni of 2001. I know. That would have been a good one.

Melissa Ansell
That would have been. People forget that there's a marketing possibility even within famine and disease. Right. Inedible diseases. Yeah.

Speaker A
People forget that all the time. Yeah. Cause we would have. People would get. We'd have bad milk come through or bad cattle would come through town.

Melissa Ansell
Sometimes they're, you know. And you get spoiled milk. Yes. And you had no idea why it could have been that the truck was parked overnight next to like a. Something that had.

Speaker A
Was heating it up. You just never know. Too much time in the sun on the way there, something. And everybody would just be having bad milk. You know, the kids will let me know if they.

Melissa Ansell
Trust me. They'll let me know if they have something. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, there were a couple times we got milk and, like, there was like, that much like the cartons, they didn't fill it up.

I kept saying, why is all these kids want another milk? Until I figured out it wasn't really getting there. Yeah. I'm like, aw, shit. I'm telling them, no, damn.

Like, now I gotta get all this milk. But that's it. Look, that's how it is out in some of the, you know, that's how it is. You can't. You just never know what's gonna happen.

Speaker A
That's life, too. You don't ever. You don't. You always don't know the milk that you're gonna get. That's true.

Any food fights? Kids always say, we're gonna do a food fight. It never happens. That's what I feel like. There's always the rumor of them, food fight today, we're gonna.

And then never ends up going down. At my school, not as much, but I did sub at a school that's closed now a long time ago. And the kids said, food fight. I went with mashed potatoes in my hair. I had stuff hanging off me.

Melissa Ansell
So they decided they really was gonna do it. And they did it. And they did it. Yeah. Praise God.

And I'm like, all right, man. I wasn't too male upset with it. It was kind of cool, you know? Well, that was. That was like the big thing.

Speaker A
I don't know if kids care about that anymore. Yeah. I don't. Yeah. I mean, they might throw, like, peelings, right?

Melissa Ansell
I mean, they might throw those little things, but they're not like, getting up, having the big. You know. Yeah. They're not like. It's like a big organized thing.

Speaker A
There's always, like, this thing, like, kids. Were gonna organize, and then it comes down to it, and it never happened. I think it was more of. Wasn't there a movie that there was a food fight in? Can you look that up?

What was that movie that had a food fight in it? It was a nineties movie. The great race. Matilda. Oh, hook.

Hook had a great food fight in it. Like, at the Bangarang scene. That was very big. Oh, animal house. That was it.

I think animal House had a huge one. So that's. I think it's so funny. A lot of times you take something right back to, like, a popular movie or tv show, and that's where it started.

Do you remember your lunch ladies from being a, um. Not very many. I don't think they were very nice then. Really? And one thing that I always said after I got in there was that I'm not gonna be like that because, you know, we get a rap, you know?

Really? Yeah. Because some people are, you know, they act like that mean little lunch later. You can only have one ketchup. Yeah.

Melissa Ansell
And I always thought, I'm gonna be, like, the cool one, you know? So then I am. So then I think it works out. Cause I don't remember too many, you know, really good ones. Yeah.

Speaker A
Yeah. I remember a couple of time they had. I mean, also, for a lot of young men, you know, like, you would think that lunch lady's pretty cute. Cause it's the first woman you kind of get to talk to that's like, kind of not like a teacher or your mom. It's like the first person that you're like, well, who is this person?

You know, and they smile at you or whatever. You ever have a student try to, like, get your number or do it like, you try to. No. They might flirt a little bit, like trying to get some extra chicken balls or something, but they're like, yeah, all right. You know, get a coy.

Melissa Ansell
Yeah, yeah. They trying to pull up on them yams? Yeah, they think so. I'm old enough to be your great grandma. You better roll.

Speaker A
Yeah, you gotta shut them down earlier. Oh, you got to. What about fights? Any fights they have at school? Are you guys allowed to get involved in that?

What's that like at school, if that happens? Well, there's fights, but we. You're supposed to get security. Mm hmm. I mean, I don't.

Melissa Ansell
Wait. Sometimes I will try, but now with big kids, no way. Those guys, those guys are huge. Yeah, they'll swing me across the floor somewhere. I'm like, nope.

So I'll just go over and try to find one. Security. Go on, you know, and then they'll try. But other people in their teachers and stuff, you know, I won't get involved. Not the big kids, no.

Speaker A
Do the teachers. Is there a good relationship with teachers and lunch women or lunch women and now men because men are attacking the industry. But is there a lot of good or are they arch nemesis of each other? Is there like what's the energy like between lunch, lunch people and teachers? I never thought about that.

Melissa Ansell
At different schools it'd be different. But for me I've got along with most of most of them and stuff like that. And I don't. I don't. I have a good relationship with them, you know.

Cuz everybody wants a milk every once in a while. It's not mine, you know. I guess it depends on who that powerful statement. Everybody wants a milk, you know, because they do. I always think when they walk in and if they're like acting mean to me, I'll be thinking, you want a milk for me one day?

Speaker A
Yeah. You'll come if I give it to you? Yeah. You'll need me. You'll pull up on this?

Yeah. You'll pull up on this udder? Yeah, that's right. You want me to order those bag lunches for you, don't you? Yeah, over field trips.

Melissa Ansell
That's why I said so. Some, yeah, if you'll have a couple, but not very many. But if they act a little too, you know, it's fine because, you know, they gotta come to me for you gotta come through. Yeah, that's true. I might be the little one down there.

Speaker A
You're like the government. That's right. Yeah. The food. Gotta pay your taxes.

Food is government. It really is. A lot of cultures it is, yeah. Well, yeah, it's like if you're in a. Even in a village when somebody comes back with the food, that person is the government that day.

They have the food, they determine how everything's gonna go. I always tell my ladies, I'm like, man, sometimes I walk through the hall and I think they're looking at me like a chicken leg or something, you know. So. Yeah. Who you talking about?

Some of the janitors or whatever. The kids, the staff, you know. Depends what they smell like. They have loaded. Nacho day.

Melissa Ansell
You know, it's like everybody's looking like Melissa's got nachos and I just could see everybody. Hi, Melissa. Like, yeah, they know. They know. Yeah, they know to be nice, too.

Speaker A
People know where their bread is, but. That'S what it is, you know, just like me. I know. I need the custodian, so you got to be nice. And I need toilet paper stuff.

Melissa Ansell
You know, you learn who you have. To be good when little Ricky pukes. That's right. You know, you're going to need to know it. Yeah.

Speaker A
What's a field trip day like? So how does that break down? Well, the field trips and stuff, they order, like, bag lunches and. And what goes into the bag lunch? Um, when I make it, it's like a sandwich.

Melissa Ansell
A PB and J sandwich on crustable. Mm hmm. Um. Oh, yeah, they love those. And I get strawberry and grape, and I kind of like them, too.

So if I'm. Y'all will make those yourselves? No, they come. You order from on those. Yeah.

Speaker A
That's nice. Yeah, those things are pretty good. But then I'll make a bag with those and some goldfish crackers, a string cheese, applesauce, and some carrots. Bam, there's our lunch. Damn, they're out.

We got. I remember meat sandwich with mustard. Yep. And sometimes you got extra mustard somehow. I know, and that's.

Melissa Ansell
I know. You're like, first of all, I'm a child. I don't eat mustard the first time. I'm a child. I got a lot of mustard.

Speaker A
Mustard is for polish adults. Let's be. Let's be honest. So there's no reason I should have to eat it. And then you gave me more mustard, so that would be scary.

You'd always see that one kid that would end up being an alcoholic, and he'd be over there just eating the mustard. Oh, you know what? We got him with the hot sauce. Y'all got hot sauce? Oh, yeah.

Melissa Ansell
Now we give hot sauce. And the kids love hot sauce, but I catch the little ones over there with the packs just eating it. Yeah. I'm like, what? Or they're keeping it back.

I'm gonna take this home to my dad for some hot sauce, like, okay. For Christmas or whatever. That's crazy. Hey, you know, they ain't got no sauce.

Speaker A
But. So you pack those, you send them out on the field trip. When do you pack those? The night before? You pack them in the morning or the field trip.

Melissa Ansell
I get everything ready except for the sandwich, and then in the morning, I just throw the milk in a cooler. How many you ever go in and then put the sandwich in there, and it follows through the day so they could eat it by lunchtime. Because you don't want to leave those out too long. Because one thing is nasty is, like, the next day, you know, it gets, like, harder. Yeah.

Seeping through. So that very first day, when it first just thaws, it's the best. So you guys will put. You mean for the lunchable? You mean for the crust?

Yeah, for. I use those for the bag lunches. For the bag lunches, right. The PB and J's. And do they get a meat option in there?

Speaker A
No meat option. They used to, but I haven't had one in a while. Okay. Yeah. What's some of the best things about the job?

Melissa Ansell
Time goes really fast. Cause I'm always busy. I don't feel like it's a job job, even though I'm getting paid because I'm having fun. I try to make my work fun, and I make the ladies dance. I'll tell them all.

Okay, we're getting too serious. Stop. Put some music on. Start to get the groove. For a minute, we all started laughing, doing dishes, just joking.

I told him, I want this to feel comfortable. I want us not to feel like, you know, just because we're working doesn't mean you can't have fun, you know? So in my kitchen, it's about having fun. Do your job and let's have fun, you know, while we're doing it. And then I like to act crazy around, you know, the principal or anybody because they all know me, and they're like, there's.

There's Melissa, you know? Yeah. So I do some crazy stuff like I don't know how to swim. And I went on a. Yeah.

And she took me on a trip with her, and her son was like. I said, I always wanted to jump in the deep water, you know. Oh, yeah, here he goes. He gives me his mama's life jacket. I put that sucker on last summer, and I was diving off the diving board with little kids.

I was so excited. First time ever. Yeah. I was like, yeah. Now the kids was.

The older people were kind of like, I don't really know what she's doing. I was like, right. Wow. And you just got right out in there in the water. Just got right in.

Dove right off the diving board in it. But once I know that, you know, yeah, you're safe. Yeah. Had you ever tried swimming before? I've tried.

I'm not that great at it, so. Yeah, it sounds like you're not good at it, but had you ever tried before? Cuz, yeah, I was bad at swimming. For a while, I could backflow, but I. What is back floating.

Speaker A
I've ever.

Melissa Ansell
That's all I'm gonna do to save my life.

Speaker A
I think that's called waiting for rescue. I think. Well, I could wait for rescue for a while, but I can't do this too long. And I don't know how you guys are staying in there, just standing there. I don't get it.

Well, that's magic. If I say something. I know. I just don't get it. I'll call the cops, dude.

Melissa Ansell
Right. Some things are just. Yeah. Beyond me. A long time ago, they used to think that gay people would sink in the water and straight people.

Speaker A
People would float. Like back in the witchcraft days. Isn't that crazy? Bring that up. Look at that sinking gaze or whatever.

Sinking. Sinking. It could have.

Or. Yeah. Sinking gaze and witchcraft. If you put that in there, too. There was a lot of that.

Melissa Ansell
Yeah, yeah. People, well, they had a thing. If you sank or float, it would determine something, you know? And they would then sometimes, well, shit, I sink, so. What's that mean?

What are you trying to say? I'm not saying anything, man. Maybe I took a wrong turn in life.

Speaker A
Who knows? I know, right? So what's the social life like when you're outside of work? What do you like to do for fun, personally? What keeps you busy?

You know? Obviously, you really find a lot of joy in your work, and that's awesome, you know? Yeah. And it's important to notice that. Well, they noticed I was employee of the year at school, too.

Melissa Ansell
Oh, yeah, 2009, yeah. Now, the mayor, mayor's brother gave me a war. I was like, brother? What's his brother doing? I don't know.

He was there anyway. But they gave me a party and a gift card and all this. I was like, all, Richie, give me a $100 tickets. A steakhouse. I was like, yeah, I'm gonna get the biggest steak, you know.

Speaker A
Yeah. And I felt cool, but I was a little excited, you know? How did you know you won? Was there finalists or what happened? Yeah, it was.

Melissa Ansell
It was employee of the month, like all of us, like the toba. And then they said, we're gonna pick one. So I was waiting. I was like this. Waiting to eat, you know.

I was looking at the food like, man, that looks good. Oh, you were all at the bay up. Yeah. I was like, hurry up and you. Dress up for it.

Yeah, I dressed up a little bit, but I looked a little crazy. I always change, you know, and I did the smile and it's like, you can see my whole tonsils in my mouth because I smile too big, because I laugh. And they put that picture big downtown. So now you walk in and you see me, and everybody's like, yes, that's me. So that's the picture they picked.

I guess I could see everything. Count my gas. There's me. Yeah. That's awesome.

Yeah. But it was cool. It was really cool, though, just for being funny and trying to, you know, because everybody's so serious sometimes. Oh, yeah. And then the big boss come out every so scared.

They're so. And we're all there to do the same thing. You know, I just make them laugh and tell them, let's just. You know, let's just be fun. Yeah.

Speaker A
Yeah. I have a lot of fond memories of going into the lunch room. And sometimes you would get the. So where you would get a. A fork that was all banged up.

Melissa Ansell
Oh, yeah. What happened? I don't know, but I've seen some, and they look like all of them are mushed to the paper towel thing or something. Or you'll see just the tall. The.

Speaker A
Like, the fingers of the fork will be like, you know, one of them will be way out like that, and you're just like, what happened? What happened? Like, sorry, you can't have another fork. You're gonna have to eat with your finger today, bro. We're on a crisis.

Melissa Ansell
Budget cuts.

Speaker A
You're like, what happened? That's what I'm saying. Um. Do you. What would.

What would you change about school lunches? You know, one of the biggest things I think I would change, because, like I said, they're getting better, but everybody eats the same portions. I would give the bigger kids more portions. Okay. I think, like, instead of that one chicken leg that everybody's getting, besides, you know, the other stuff that they could get on the side, I'd give them two.

Yeah. I just think that the bigger kids are big. I mean, we got some big boys. I mean, big girls, you know, and they're gotta be hungry. That's just not enough, I don't think.

Melissa Ansell
You know, but, I mean, we do have the salad bar. They can fill up with that. But, you know, they want the. They want the real deal. Yeah, that's what I'm saying.

They want more of those. So when I hook them up, they'd be like, miss Mills. Okay. I give them a couple more nuggets. Oh, you're my girl.

You know, like, I know I got you. That feels good. It does feel good. It feels good. When I see kids that I go places, like to a wedding or something, and I see all these kids are at the wedding because I had family friends.

I've had all the nieces and nephews. I've had everybody go through school. So they'll be like, I remember when you gave me that other. Oh, she was cool. Yeah, that's right.

Speaker A
It feels good to just mcnugget up a child, right? Oh, it does. You want some more fries, boy? Here you go. Fucking put a McNugget in.

Melissa Ansell
They'll be talking about me. They'd be like. Like, ma'am, looking me up with this plate. I got some nephew children. I'll damn mcnugget them bastards up.

Oh, yeah. God, it feels good. Makes you rest easier. Well, it does. It really does.

I know. That's why I said, some of the kids, you know, they're hungry. Yeah. Or they'll tell me that they have an aid, you know? And do you play any music in there?

Spanish music? Yeah, a lot of. We play. We in our kitchen, we play some. Cause like I said, all my ladies are spanish.

Speaker A
A lot of latino co workers. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Amazing what they could do with a broom. Oh, yeah.

Melissa Ansell
Oh, my God. Did they scrub that place with a broom? Really? Oh, yeah. They're wonderful cleaners, but very true.

Speaker A
I have a lot of friends, and my grandmother was a house cleaner and my mom was too. Okay. And then a lot of my friends parents growing up, we're in house cleaning and stuff. And some of my latino friends, their parents still clean houses. I tried it for a minute.

Did you? Yeah. Oh, so you tried a different business? Oh, yeah. When the.

Melissa Ansell
In the summertime, if I didn't work down at school, I did other jobs. Oh, really? Oh, yeah. Like, so what are some of the summer jobs? Nobody ever thinks about that.

Speaker A
What do freaking lunch ladies do during the summer? Oh, I was the year before because I got surgery last summer. So I goes down with my stupid carpal tunnel, my trigger fingers stuck like this. And why'd you have to get surgery? Be honest.

Just too much. Much scooping. Oh, yeah. They said repetitious movements. So now my back, you know, things.

Melissa Ansell
Cause you do them so long, sometimes it'll be burned. Like. Yeah. How much scoops can one wrist do overall, man? I don't know.

I just keep em rolling. Really? Like I said, some people are like, man, look at her. But I'll be sweating. But I'm getting older now, though.

So many have slowed down. This is what I mean. I'm like, you might have told me but don't ask me to do nothing with my hands when I get home. Cause, hey, look.

Come on, rooster. No wonder your guy went to prison.

Speaker A
You gotta do what you gotta do. I know, I'm sorry, I just got. There, I've served all I'm serving, honey, that's it, no more seconds, no more firsts. Right, but no, I just try to go fast. Cuz I've watched people and they'll be like, we got 600 kids.

Melissa Ansell
I'm like, dude, you gotta move, right, keep rolling. But people, not fast. What is a kid that comes in that's kind of heartbroken? You ever notice a kid that's having a tough time? Have you ever had like a.

Oh, gosh, yeah. And what is some of that, are you ever able to, like, over time, do you be able to pinpoint some of the commonalities of what some of those moments are like? A lot of it is like, another kid don't like them. Yeah, they're getting picked on or they want to be friends with this child and they don't want to be friends with them. Oh, it's so.

Speaker A
Isn't that so big? To kids it's very. Yeah. And I'm like, looking. But then to them it's so big.

Yeah. So I always tell them, you know, if they don't want, it's okay, you know, don't worry about it. They'll be liking you tomorrow, you know what I mean? This and that. Just try to make them feel better and they get over and then you see them talking to.

Melissa Ansell
They'll be best friends. Yeah. They just need help getting through that. They just need to get through and there it is. And they're.

Yeah, so whenever we do see one down, we. I immediately want to go over to that one and see why. Yeah. Especially since we got a lot of. Of kids that are smiley, like me, and bubbly when I see them.

So if they're not bubbly, just like they do the same thing to me if I come to work and I'm not feeling it that day, like there's just something wrong, they can fill it. Oh, they'll lift you up. Oh, they come in and they're like, Miss Melissa, you're right. Cause they know that I'm not laughing. Don't hear that big, loud laugh everywhere.

Then there's something wrong with Melissa that day. That's true. Yeah, she. I didn't heard her laugh too much, so. Yeah, that's interesting.

Speaker A
You know, we're the keys to each other's locks. That's what my buddy always says. He always. Oh, yeah, they do. They.

Melissa Ansell
They can pick up on it. What are some of the other summer jobs you've had? God, I can't believe I never knew that. That those beautiful women were wandering off into our town and doing other employment. I was a secretary.

Which. Sitting down isn't my thing, huh? No. I was like, man, let me clean this place. I don't want to be a secretary no more.

Cleaned your place. Okay, girl, you gotta get up. Yeah, I can't just sit. It's crazy. That's too much for me.

I've worked at Dave's grocery store cashier, and I like that. I was a cashier for a bit. I liked it. All these people coming through and some like, what's up? Yeah, it is pretty fun.

Speaker A
Cashier was fun. Stocking was fun. I didn't love getting the carts. A lot of times I didn't like to get the carts and putting the stuff back. And sometimes they were wet and you're like, what?

It hadn't even been raining. Why is this cartoon? Yeah, you wonder what you're touching. Yeah. Just people are gross.

Melissa Ansell
I'm doing take backs and I think they're peeling, they're open. I'm like, it would be very hectic. A lot of you never know what they're doing. Oh, yeah. Just felt insane.

Speaker A
Like, it was like a lot of eustachian fluid or something. I don't even know. But, yeah, but a lot of times it's very. Then I cleaned. I cleaned some houses, and that one was kind of fun, unless our house was really dirty.

Yeah, some people. And they, you know, these were some Richie people number, like, yeah, but one time this old lady made me a sandwich, let me go in her pool. That was really cool. Yeah. Why?

Was it your birthday or something? No, she just must have liked me because we started talking, you know, and sometimes I'll just make a friend. I get invited to a party. Yeah. Heck, yeah.

Real easy. Oh, yeah. Wow. Yeah. I get around somebody else and their friend was like, hey, you want to come to them?

Melissa Ansell
I'm like, yeah. You know, I can be sitting at home doing nothing, having nothing. Then bam, I'm at a party eating shrimp, and I'm like, this is insane. Yeah. So you never know what's gonna happen.

Your day could change. Yeah. Yeah. Your day can change. That's a great point.

Speaker A
Yeah. Rich, fancy. Yeah, fancy people love shrimp. I feel like. Yeah, they do.

Melissa Ansell
And they like me.

Speaker A
So where's your son at now? Is he my son, he's a cable man in mass. Lynn. And he told me to tell you because he's big fan. All them guys watch y'all.

Oh, praise man. Yeah. What's his name? Joe. Joe.

That's what's up. Jo Ansel. Joe Rocca. Joe Rocca. Yeah.

Wow. It sounds like he should be in prison. It's that name, right? Yeah. And I don't mean that.

Don't go. No, we want you out here. But, hey, if you go away, bro. I'll send you commentary. Free.

Joey. I got your mother. That's a good one. Like, free willing. Free joke, dude.

Melissa Ansell
Yeah. And he. And he's married. I got a great teacher. Daughter in law.

Speaker A
Oh, she's a teacher. Oh, yeah. No way. She's a great teacher after I've been around. Nope, she's in mass.

Melissa Ansell
And I'm in Cleveland. Wow. Yeah. She's from the better part. And I'm from the ghetto.

So we, like, share our stories. Yeah, we watch her little kids, like. And then you go to mine. You know, it's two different. Very different universes.

Different universes. And I've been to both of them, so it's really funny to see. Oh, you have? Oh, yeah. I've went to places.

Cause I got grandkids. Oh, so you've worked at other schools in your own? No, I've subbed, but I've went to other schools with her. Oh, I see what it's like. Yeah, see what it was like.

Speaker A
So lunch ladies will sub at another school? Back in the day they did, but there was a point when I just stopped because I have a home plate and I didn't have to do it no more. You know, that was for the other people. So they still send subs and stuff, you know, around. But I quit sub in.

And do you get, at a certain point, do you get a pension, Delongho? Do you get a pen? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. I get sirs. It's like a retirement plan.

Melissa Ansell
So. S e r s. So how long. Does that take to build up? I don't know anything about it.

Well, like, I've got 31, but my age. So, like, when I'm 57, I'll have 35 years and I can retire with the full benefits and cheaper insurance, all that. But my age is still there, you know what I mean? I'm not gonna be 65, so I. Couldn'T get, um, Medicaid.

Medicaid and all that. So there's a little. Because I started too early. But hopefully I could if. As long as I'm healthy and running.

I want to keep running. You can keep working. Oh, yeah. I don't want to sit at home. What am I gonna do to homie?

Bomb bombs and get fat? Yeah. Yeah. Just be. Yeah.

Speaker A
You just hit. Yeah. There's nothing to do. No, my brain won't quit talking. It's like, I gotta go.

Yeah. It's much better to talk to people than myself all the time. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. Did you ever try to go into your own business at any point, or do you like working with a group?

Melissa Ansell
No, I like the group. I've never really tried. Yeah. Yeah. Just didn't know if that was something that different people think about or not or sometimes do.

If I could have thought of something, I didn't know what else I would be. Good.

I mean, I'm sure I could have probably did something else, but, yeah, I think smart and I liked other jobs, but, you know, this is where I've been. Yeah. Some of this. I think it makes me more happy, too, to be around so many people. That's what I was thinking.

Speaker A
Because doing your own thing can definitely be the other side of the tracks. You know, you just really. You can isolate a lot. Right, right. Um.

Any parents ever confront the lunch staff about anything? Does that ever happen? Oh, yeah, a couple times through the years. I don't think a lot of principal stuff wouldn't, like, let them, you know, but I've had fathers or something. Ask me something, you know, like angry.

About a soup or angry about a porridge or something. My kid said that he didn't like that something, you know? And it's like, y'all serving bad lamb, you know, and I'm like. But not too many with me. I mean, I even talked to a lot of the parents because I've seen the kids so long.

Yeah. So I try to be friendly with all of them, explain if they ask me something. But I don't try to get into too much riffraff because, you know, I live in the neighborhood. Right, so you want to keep things. Right.

Melissa Ansell
You see? And me up at the grocery store with some parents, like Heather. There she is. Gosh, you're kind of like the Don Corleonena, right? No.

Speaker A
I noticed in nature a lot of animals will kind of, like, fatten up for winter or whatever. Does that happen with children, too, do you think? Yeah, I think so. I do. I think that they eat it and they get more in them for it in the summertime.

Melissa Ansell
They're, like, wanting to run around so much out there I see that they eat less and I see their lunch. The garbage is heavier. Oh really? In the summer than it is in winter. I made a comment once, I'm like, wow, I noticed that, huh?

Yeah, because they want to run outside, I think. And so you think in the summer they're throwing more stuff away, whereas. Yeah, because they want to do. Yeah, I do. Because they're sitting there and there's nothing else to do.

They're not going outside, you know, but when they're like raring to go and it's beautiful out, like you, you'd be like, oh, forget it, I don't want to finish this, you know? Yeah, I mean, not me. I'm gonna eat it real fast and then go. But you know, that's a good point. Some kids like, oh, it's too much fun out there when you can feel your body, want to go play like hide and go seek or something.

Eat. Oh, it's the worst for a kid, right? It's like, God, I don't want to be eating. Right. I could be having fun.

Yeah, you know it. What are the kids, do they interact when they're at the table together and stuff. Like what do kids do? Or they just kind of eat their lunch. No, they talk, argue.

Yeah. They interact with each other and stuff through the whole lunch period and stuff like that.

I can't really, I'm like dumb for a minute. I've been dumb for so long. Here, take a minute. Yeah. Do you ever see like milk come out of a kid's nose?

Speaker A
People always say that. Yeah. Oh, I saw that a couple times. Oh yeah, and the other day it was just funny. Just the other day they're coming through the lunch line and they were playing outside too hard and the little boy just throwing up right in my lunch.

Oh yeah. And I'm like, okay, I'm gonna look up and everybody's like, melissa, I can't look at it. I'm like, well come on guys, let's hurry up, let's do this. Get him out of here. Yeah, and I'm telling little ones, quit looking.

Melissa Ansell
They're like, oh yeah, but yeah, when stuff starts coming out of their nose because they're laughing or, yeah, they probably think of other things that they're gonna do, you know, and you gotta tell them, don't take that food cuz it's gonna get warm and then you'll get sick. Yeah, yeah, kids, I think they're, and they're just so like energetic at the time. They'll vomit for no reason. A lot of times, like, somebody just pats them on the background. I know.

That's why I was saying the same one. Silver, he better quit playing. I would like to him to eat first before he goes outside. Yeah. And then let's put a diaper on.

Yeah, that's right. Are kids allowed to bring phones in school these days? Yes. No way. Yeah.

They're supposed to not use this and that, but they. So some of them have phones out during the day. I see kids with phones. No way. I cannot even imagine that.

Yeah. I never had a phone back then, so I. Yeah, right. It was such a better vibe. I feel like.

Yeah, me too. I think there's too much on it on the phones. Yeah. What would you change about, like, the lunches that we serve to kids? Anything, or do you feel pretty good.

About them right now? I'm feeling a little bit better about them. Like I said, this year, because there is bringing out more different things that I think the kids would like. We do general souls and bridesmaids. They'll do a general Tso's chicken.

Yeah, it's good. I love it. I'd be messing it up on general so's day. Yeah, yeah. There's certain days that I get excited, you know?

Cause I'm like, oh, I'm gonna eat that. So. And we all save a little bit of the better side of things for yourselves. I mean, I might have a little bit more sauce on mine. Hey, you know, I think that's fair.

So. Yeah, I think that we. I do really believe that this year, I think is, like, one of the best with. It's coming with lunches and stuff for the variety of different things that we have. So he's moving up.

Like I said, I'm interested to see more of what he does. The new guy. That's the new food guy. Yeah. Because he's the order.

Speaker A
He's the boss. He's the boss of, like, changing all that. And I've worked with. I've worked for about four different ones so far. Each one brings something different to the table, but right now I'm liking what he's bringing.

Melissa Ansell
You know what I mean? What was one of the craziest things you guys ever served over the years?

The hot dog that used to be in the beans, and it would turn colors. And I had parents and aunts and people old to this day. So I asked me about those green hot dogs with beans. Really? Yeah, but I liked it.

But it did it. It would, like, turn some color because it was stuck in the beans. Yeah, well, that's nature. I know. That's what I said.

I was like, it's probably preservatives or something in it. I don't know. Oh, some of that's just natural preservatives. Yeah. I mean, we had this egg roll that was rolled.

Yeah. There's been a couple items that I would have been like, no. And I eat everything. I'm like, Mikey. And there's nothing I wouldn't eat.

Speaker A
They had an egg roll, too, for a while. Yeah. The kids didn't really care for that egg roll. So bizarre. Yeah.

I remember the bread they used to have. So the bread was always made in one big pan. Right. It was like a whole pan full of rolls. And ours always had this dust on them.

And people would be like, that's flower. And I'd be like, it doesn't seem like flower. It just seems like dust. Oh, that's super. Yeah.

Melissa Ansell
So. So we were wrapping our rolls, and some of them will come like that, you know, with a whole bunch of. And I said something. What is it? Like, just flower?

That's a lot of flour on there. And the kids will see it, and I'm like, they're not gonna believe it's flower. I said, it looks gross. I don't want to stir that one to it. Just flower.

Yep. Exactly. That's exactly. Kind of like. I'm trying to think of the ones.

Speaker A
Oh, we had a couple of these different ones. That one. Could you look up dusty school lunch rolls? Yeah. Is that what he's looking up?

Dusty school. Dusty school lunch rolls. Lunchroom. Yeah. Maybe soft red rolls.

Melissa Ansell
But, you know, I've had the kids tell me, let's look what's up? What's on this? And I'm like, it's flour. Because that's what they tell me. It's flour.

I mean, it is flour. It doesn't seem like flour. It seems like science dust or something. Yeah. Maybe yeasty dust.

I don't know. Yeah. It could be some powder, something. I thought it would be like a powdered butter or something that I'd be putting on, but I could never figure it out. And they were never.

Speaker A
They never got the rolls really that good. I didn't feel like, yeah, we get different rolls, like, and bread we order from different departments at different times. We had swables once. We had this, so the bread's not too bad, but you always find some that comes in, like you just said, with a whole pile of dust. I'd be like, was it a hamburger, but it's covered and.

Yeah, that's what I would be like. Look, all this white. It was the hamburger buns. A lot of times when they make them, they must just throw that flour at them after they impact them. It was.

Melissa Ansell
But it does look funny. Cause people don't want to eat that. Cause, you know. Yeah. And kids do make those comments.

They notice anything on the food, anything. If it looks just a little strange or something, they're gonna make a comment on, you know, so. But I hate to be like one of those, you know, it's just flower super. Like, it's not. I know, but I'm like, is it?

Speaker A
Do you guys ever serve sloppy Joe's ever? We did. We haven't this year or whatever, but there was years we did. Some of the kids liked it. We had a teacher there years ago, and he did a little skit with me on this sloppy Joe's.

Oh, yeah. About Adam Sandler. Yeah. And I wore the white when I first started, they gave me that white dress and all that. And you had to look.

Oh, you had to dress a certain way. Yeah, but. Well, thank goodness that didn't last long for me. Pull up that outfit. We switch.

Melissa Ansell
Yeah, go on with that one lunch. Like, and I'm young now, mind. And I'm like, look, like with these loafers.

Speaker A
Oh, you to wear the hair now. Yes, I remember that. And I. Sneakers. Exactly right there.

Melissa Ansell
That's what they gave me. One of those white, white. Wow. And so we did a little skid or whatever. It's around there somewhere on YouTube somewhere.

Who knows where it's at? But I put a mole on and all that. And we do sloppy Joe's. Yeah. So it was fun.

Speaker A
But they never serve them anymore, huh? No, they haven't served sloppy joes for a long time. And the kids seemed like it. Yeah. It was.

The only place you could get it at was school. That's what I'm saying. And it was such a bizarre thing. You were like, I don't even know what it is. It's like it's made out of meat.

Melissa Ansell
Like, you know what really is like. It'S not a hamburger. Are you sure? Is that a sauce? We name them different things, but we just change a little.

Speaker A
Well, you could always kind of tell, is there stuff that if there's leftovers from the first day, then you'll use it in different recipes throughout the week? Yeah. Huh. You don't want to waste. No.

Melissa Ansell
All hot foods got to be thrown. Oh, really? Yeah, that's this is why you like. If you're the manager, you have to know not to overcook too much, because. Right.

But they like pasta and meatballs. Yeah. Oh, those meatballs. Boy, they're hard to deal with. Yeah.

For my hands, they seem to want to just throw. Then I start singing to the kids that I dropped my poor meatball and be rolling. Oh, from that song. Remember? What was it?

Speaker A
That was a book, wasn't it? When somebody sneezed and rolled off the table, not to the floor, then my Morton beat ball was out the door. I remember that. We like to tease them and joke. On top of spaghetti, there it is.

Separate spaghetti, this coconut cake. And they love the Mac and cheese. Never mind. They love the Mac and cheese. Yeah, they love the Mac and cheese.

God. Who doesn't, though, right? I was just gonna say, who don't like cheese? You know, anything you gotta put cheese on is good. Yeah.

So, yeah, that's really the thing that everybody loves. How big is y'all school these days? You're at this side school? Yeah, I'm at the side school, but we're doing 600. But when we go back to this new one that they're building down the road from me, it's gonna be huge.

Melissa Ansell
And then they're gonna take. To take and knock down the school down the road and put two schools to one. So I should have over a thousand by then. Wow. But hopefully I get more help, you know?

Speaker A
Yeah. Short staff day. What you want to hear all the time. That's true. And you've already had carpal tunnel already.

Melissa Ansell
You know, that's what I said. I just keep going. Yeah, I'll figure out. You're like the Aaron Rogers of the lunch ladies, right? Yeah, I know.

Right? That's good. I like it. You really are right. But we need you back out there.

Speaker A
What happened during the time off with the surgery? Well, I did the summer. I didn't take off. Cause I don't like to really miss work. So I didn't take off.

Melissa Ansell
I just went and had the surgery right after we got out of school, but then it wasn't really healing as good. Think I messed it up a little bit as I went back earlier, you know? Did you? Yeah, but it's all right. You know, it's hard not to use your hands.

I mean. Yeah, it's hard. I mean, if I try. If you put a hand, it's too hard. So this one, I just got a shot.

Speaker A
Roosters do it or chickens kind of do it, right? Yeah. If I could be like, I don't. Want to say they're dumb. I don't know a lot of them.

Melissa Ansell
But some of them are. I mean, a lot of them are doing. I don't want them to hear me say it. I know, right? One might chase after.

Yeah. We see chickens all the time. Yeah. And I watch them cross the street and then come back. Yeah.

Yeah. People got chickens everywhere. Really? By you? Yeah.

Speaker A
Huh. Wonder why. I don't know. For the eggs. I think I sell the eggs.

Melissa Ansell
Maybe they're gonna get a golden egg. Yeah. My sister has some chickens in her home, I think. Or she did. Anyway, some of them might have gotten out.

Speaker A
What else? Anything in the news was. Let me think. It was something I was gonna ask you about. I'm still looking for floating gay witches.

Yeah. When you look at gay. Yeah. You know what? Yes.

Did you anything on that sinking gay witchcraft? I found not the gay part, but the. Which part you're spot on about. He said not the gay part. Bring it up.

The ordeal usually involved the tying of a sus. Of a suspect's wrist to their ankles and then throwing the individual into a body of water with ropes attached. Wow. Contrary to popular belief, if the suspect sank, they were presumed innocent and hauled up. It was not common for them to perish unless they did so accidentally, should they float.

However, this was taken as confirmation of their alliance with the devil. So you had to sink. So if you didn't know how to sink. The premise of this ordeal was that it provoked direct intervention from God in determining the guilt or innocence of the accused, and the result was therefore seen as a revelation of God's judgment. Man, you better put something in your.

Melissa Ansell
Make sure you're sinking. You better eat a heavy lunch. You know something? Well, I don't know how to swim, so I'm sinking. You better eat a heavy lunch.

Right. Um, anything else we need to know about the trade? About the lunch trade, about the. The industry, anything? Um, you said there was men infiltrating the business.

Speaker A
Is that. There's. There's a couple men. Yeah. That's working in the kitchens now.

And. Is that new? Is that. No, I think they've been there for a minute. I've only worked with, like, one.

And are these bisexual men? Or is it all types of men, you think? All types? Yep. Yeah, all types.

Everybody loves lunch, baby. Oh, they do? Yeah, I love it. Oh, they do. I love it.

I don't care if I loved men or women, I would still make lunch for myself and others. Well, yeah, me too. I don't care who it is. Yeah, same here. You gotta eat.

Everybody's gotta eat. That's what I tell them. You gotta eat. You know, that's important. That's how I feel.

Melissa Ansell
I don't care what you like. Yeah, I'm just trying to think of anything else. We want to learn about the industry. We've learned who that the kids come in. We've learned that sometimes you have to step over and give them a hug if they're having a tough time.

Speaker A
We learned sometimes they bring cats and snakes through just because that's what's going on, the food plan. What about. I know. Didn't they have Michelle Obama had a program a few years back? Yeah, we got quite a few things dropped off and stuff, and she gave a lot of stuff out to parents.

It was called get right. What was that program called? It was the healthy hunger free kids act. Changed nutrition standards for the national school lunch program by requiring that schools serve more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat free and or low fat milk more frequently and less starchy vegetables or foods high in sodium and trans fat. Did that take effect?

Did you actually see that happen in the school system? Because a lot of things that politicians and, you know. Yes. That she. They really did that.

Melissa Ansell
And they came out and gave boxes of the whole entire, like, meals to parents and stuff and told them how to do it with the spices, everything. Oh, wow. And also they give them a bag of fruit each week to take home.

They have a lot of free fruit and vegetable program, and then once a month we have a free, like, produce and everything outside. So parents, everybody comes and gets it. Oh, wow. So there's a lot of stuff from y'all school that's available for the community a lot that you guys don't use as school. Yeah.

That's nothing to do with you. Exactly. Wow. Yeah. It's amazing.

Yeah. Like I said, there's always trucks dropping off that they put stuff in the kids book bags for them, take them for having a meal for the weekend. So. Yeah. Your mom ever come over to the school and get a meal from you?

Well, I had my. I had a step mom. Oh, you did? Oh, she passed away. Yeah.

But I didn't like her food anyway. You didn't? Or her much, but it's cool. Talk about that. Hey, look, it's tough.

Speaker A
Stepmoms are hard to. I have a real mom, but she's never came to school. She hasn't? No. Oh, she should come get a meal.

She's still alive. Yeah. Oh, yeah. And where does she live? In Illinois?

Melissa Ansell
No, wrong corner from me. Oh, she does? Yeah. You guys aren't super close. Um, we see each other, she just.

Speaker A
Doesn'T come to the school. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm trying to think. Don't they have parents day or something at the school where parents come? Parents?

Melissa Ansell
Yeah, they come in, they see stuff, but miss my principal and stuff feeds them like it. They don't eat like our school's food. She'll have other food brought in for them and they'll eat. Can us, can a kid have a older brother or a family member come and have lunch with them at school one day or no? Oh, yeah.

Oh, yeah, sure. That happens a lot. Oh yeah. Oh, that's cool. Mmm.

Speaker A
Yeah, that's fun. We got a lot of. Yeah, and you got a lot of sibling. You'll have like five related, you know. In the, in the school system.

Melissa Ansell
School, yeah, yeah. So there's nothing for that. Um, do you guys ever do like pep rallies and stuff like that? Ever? What's that?

Speaker A
Energy? Yeah, they, well, they'll just start. Yeah, cuz we think we, they could have high energy, you know, cuz we get rowdy and then when I hear them, I get rowdy. So then I go running through the thing, you know, them clap and then the teacher like there she's Melissa again, you know, so most of them kind of know that I'm gonna do it. Oh, yeah.

Melissa Ansell
You know, or like when they have dance, they're like, here she comes, watch, because you get antsy, you know, I'm like, I'm hearing it. Am I supposed to just stand here and work when I got to go over there, you know? Yeah. So, yeah, yeah, I'm trying to think. Do you still feel like you're in school?

Speaker A
A little bit. Is there? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm like 50. I still feel like, like I've never got out of school.

Melissa Ansell
School life. Yeah. Yeah, that's pretty cool. It is kinda. Yeah, it's like.

And then it's funny because I talk to people and I'm like, yeah, I gotta go to school, but really I'm going to work. But they probably are thinking, man, she's the longest in school. Yeah. I never seen somebody in school so long.

Because I never say work, I just. Say like, God, you think that she graduated? You know, they're probably thinking, dang, she's still in school. Do you think some kids probably mostly eat at school and don't eat at home in your area? Yeah.

Speaker A
Really? A lot of them, yeah, we have children, you wouldn't know from that are homeless and from everywhere. And they go to school. No way. Oh, yeah, they're.

Melissa Ansell
Yeah. Is there homeless in your area? Yes. Oh, wow. A lot.

Speaker A
Wow. Mm hmm. That's crazy, huh? Yeah, definitely. Yeah.

Melissa Ansell
It's got different over the neighborhood, too, you know? Yeah. Lower and lower. Yeah. Yeah.

Speaker A
I think you're seeing a lot of homeless. With homelessness on the rise, the supreme court weighs ban on sleeping outdoors. Oh, yeah. What is that going to do? I love how they rephrase it to being sleeping outdoors.

Pull this up a little bit more. The Supreme Court wrestled with major questions about the growing issue of homelessness on Monday as it considered whether cities can punish people for sleeping outside when shelter space is lacking. It's the most significant case before the high court in decades on the issue and comes as record numbers of people are without a permanent place to live in the United States. What? So the case started on.

The case started in the rural Oregon town of Grants Pass, which began fining people $295. Now they can't even pay for it. They're homeless. They don't even have nowhere to go for sleeping outside. As the cost of housing escalated and tents sprung up in the city's public parks.

That's unbelievable. Cause, yeah, you're like, where are people supposed to go? Well, they got a lot of. They make a lot of spots over there. Like ten city and stuff.

Yeah. So there's places that you see a. Lot of homeless, but I wonder if they would also have to. Is that considered sleeping outside? I don't know.

Melissa Ansell
I couldn't see how. How you're gonna give them. If you have a tent, I feel like you're. Because if people don't have a place to go and they make a tent. Right.

Speaker A
Then they're trying to. Either. They're trying to make a home. Yeah. I mean, somebody's making a house.

Melissa Ansell
Right. Well, yeah. And some rent is so expensive. Like, what do you expect someone to do? Oh, yeah.

Speaker A
You know, especially if people get caught up on. You know, people get caught up into drugs pretty easily. Well, there's a lot of that going now. Yeah. Well, especially when we advertise drugs on television in this country.

Like, it's. Like it's a new toy. Right, right. You know, every single one. So you can't be shocked when people end up on drugs.

Melissa Ansell
Right. And then now they're stuck outside and, yeah, we don't have a place for them. Gosh, that's unbelievable. Yeah. Imagine getting a ticket.

Speaker A
It. Yeah, I'd be I'd be laughing at him, like, what do you want me to do with this? I'll use it for wipe. You know, because I don't even have a home. I don't even have a job where you're gonna get 295 for me.

I'd be like, hey, give me a whole. Give me a whole roll of. Could you give me some more tickets? Right? Hey, give me the soft one.

Melissa Ansell
They gonna do it. Put them, put me in jail for a minute. Then I have a home and I could go to the bathroom and get a meal. I mean, if that's gonna be. Gosh, right?

How rude. Unbelievable. Or they'll probably make them start. They'll make schools start feeding the people, maybe. Did you ever try, like, a homeless feeding program at your school?

Yes. Really? Yes. And as a matter of fact, in 2020, when all of them was at home, I was out there with n 95 mask, and we made, my custodian made me this drive through the door because it was close enough. Your custodian made it for you?

Speaker A
Yeah. Okay, cool. When I come in. Yeah. And so I could just was like, but anybody come at the door, and we would give them food.

Melissa Ansell
So I gave a lot of food away around those couple months. Yeah. Students and homeless people. Students, homeless people. Wow.

Yeah. Anybody. Anybody and everybody. Dang. Yeah.

You saw some crazy stuff, did you? Oh, I mean, you know, but, hey, at least it was free food. There wasn't. You should, you wasn't hungry because there was lots of places to get free food from. Yeah.

Speaker A
People got to eat. Yeah. You know, I feel like if I put my glasses on, we look a little bit the same. You're a lot cuter, though.

A little bit. I'm half polish. Are you? Yeah. Yeah, my.

Melissa Ansell
Yeah. Hold up. Yeah. Hold up, hold up, hold up. Weeding boys.

Speaker A
What are some over. What are some things you've ever heard kids say that have been funny? Anything funny that comes out of your head over the years? There anything interesting or, like, because you're right there on the eavesdropping, you're. I know.

Melissa Ansell
It's just like, it's so hard to think of things at the time. I mean, I eavesdrop all the time. Don't get me wrong. Amen. Because I hear stuff I'm not supposed to hear.

I just. I just tried not to even, you know. Yeah. I'm thinking they did what? And they're only.

What? So. Oh, kids making out or whatever and. Different things that they talk, and I'm like, a lot of these kids even want to hear all that now. So I try to act like I'm not listening.

Speaker A
Mm hmm. But, like, some will talk sometimes, like long time ago maybe about their parents or you get a little bit more scoop than you should know. Things going on and. Things going on. Yeah, you probably shouldn't know.

Yeah. People smoking this. Yeah. Well, their close smell, like when they come in.

Anything on those. Sunken gaze, man. Bring it. You got an image on it at least? Absolutely nothing.

Just show me the first image it comes up if you do it. Sunken gaze or witchcraft. There we go. Hey, look and just go to google, too, and let me see what they have for it if you put it in there. Okay.

Sinking gay men and put backslash witchcraft.

I'm serious, man. This was a big thing. And go to images. See what we get right there. Bring that picture up.

Oh, so we get a picture of the navy. Yeah. See, this is. Well, I don't think that's what. Right?

I don't think that's what we're talking about. Melissa Ansel, I want to thank you so much for your service, literally, for being a smile that people can see when they cross through the middle of their day. You know, you're kind of like the meridian in the ocean, you know, where, like, the time zone kind of changes when you cross it. And I think that that's special. I know that that's important for a lot of kids.

Just have somebody in the middle of the day to offer them a big smile, you know, that goes a long way, I think, just in the universe. And, yeah. Thank you for coming and spending time with us and helping us reminisce a little bit. Thank you about what it was like to go to lunch and have a lovely lady stand there and help us out, help us get through it. Thank you so much.

Melissa Ansell
Thank you. Yeah, and thank you so much for coming. Thank you for having me. Now I'm just falling on the breeze and I feel I'm falling like these leaves I must be cornerstone oh, but when I reach that ground I'll share this piece of mind I found I can feel it in my bones but it's gonna take a little.

Speaker A
Now I'm just falling on the breeze and I feel I'm falling like these leaves I must be cornerstone oh, but when I reach that ground I'll share this piece of mind I found I can feel it in my bones but it's gonna take a little.

Melissa Ansell
Now I'm just falling on the breeze and I feel I'm falling like these leaves I must be cornerstone oh, but when I reach that ground I'll share this piece of mind I found I can feel it in my bones but it's gonna take a little.