Eisenhower Student Protests Yucky Cafeteria Lunches on Instagram

BLUE ISLAND, IL — Students have been complaining about lousy cafeteria food since time immemorial, but one Blue Island high school student has taken to Instagram to document the yucky lunches being served at Dwight D. Eisenhower High School, where three-quarters of the student body qualify for the free or reduced lunch program.

Amber Christensen’s Instagram page — Ike Prison Food — is a daily study of moldy fruit, mystery meat and congealed mac n’ cheese resembling a greasy shoe heel, that Eisenhower students claim is being served in their school cafeteria. Most disturbing are the photos and videos that feature hair and other foreign objects. Amber and her classmates hope that by posting pictures their school lunches on Ike Prison Food, it will bring about change in the school’s cafeteria service, or least food that is more edible. (WARNING: Some images and student commentary may be considered disturbing or offensive. In such instances, Patch has disabled captioning.)

“This year has been the worst,” she said. “The food has been bad in other years, but not bad enough to post pictures."

Before winter break, Amber claims to have gotten sick from eating a “blob of meat” that she had for lunch in December, which inspired her to start posting photos of the cafeteria food on Instagram.

“Right after I ate it I went to the nurse’s office and threw up,” Amber said. “I got so sick that I had to go home for the rest of the day.”

Amber says she came up with name “Ike Prison Food” because of her interest in prison documentaries and murder trials. Since its debut, the Instagram page has developed a cult-like following among her classmates. Fellow students are now sending Amber pictures and videos of their own yucky lunches to post on Ike Prison Food. In one video, a student turns over his plate, on which his mac ‘n cheese sticks like glue without falling off. There are also photos of any variety of under and over cooked meat, and tomato slices on bread. Other food items are unrecognizable.

Asked why she doesn’t bring her lunch to school, Amber said she wants to save her mom money on the household grocery bill. We talked to Amber’s mom, Mandy Silva, who said she’s spoken to school administrators about her daughter’s concerns.

“The pictures are disgusting,” Silva said. “We’ve had conversations with the school, and we were told they were following the USDA guidelines of what to serve.”

Ike Prison Food has apparently captured the attention of Dist. 218’s cafeteria vendor, Chartwells Food Service, which also services Shepard and Richards high schools. The company claims on its website to feed hungry students “fresh, delicious and nutritious meals they love,” illustrated by rosy-cheeked kids posing around bowls of fresh apples and vegetables -- unlike the moldy fruit the Eisenhower students are posting on Instagram.

“I’m aware of her Instagram page,” said Amy Carrigan, a regional representative for Chartwells. "Obviously we address any concerns, and we take them all seriously.”

Dist. 218 Superintendent Ty Harting says the district hasn’t fielded any complaints about the quality of food being served in Eisenhower, Shepard and Richards’ cafeterias. The superintendent also stated that there have been no outbreaks of food borne illness at any of the district’s high schools.

“While there have not been complaints about the quality of food, there have been some suggestions for different types of food that are currently not part of the menu,” Harting said. “We have been pleased with Chartwells as our provider.”

On Feb. 14, Chartwells representatives met with a group of Eisenhower students, including Amber, to assess the food situation.

“They wanted to know what types of food we wanted to see,” Amber said. “The more we talked about the hair in food and rotten fruit, the more frustrated they seemed to get. They said we should see changes instantly.”

Still, the galley of disgusting food pictures continues to grow. In the days following the meeting with Chartwells, students’ photos of under cooked burgers and charred-black chicken breasts have landed on Ike Prison Food.

“We just want better food, and food that isn’t going to make us sick,” Amber said. “We’re not asking for a five-star meal.”