For everyone who lived ten months for two and counted down the days until summer starting in September, the food was never the most enticing aspect of the summer that everyone longed for. Camp food was always notoriously terrible but with slim to no standards from the beginning, the food seemed to grow on us all.
1. Chicken patties
Enough said.
2. Sloppy Joes
Always sloppy, but always a crowd-pleaser.
3. Square slices of pizza
Nothing is better than slightly soggy slices of pizza.
4. Taco night
…which was always accompanied by sombreros, fiesta music and dancing on the chairs in the dining hall.
5. French toast sticks for breakfast
You knew it would be a good day if it started with a few… dozen french toast sticks.
6. Choco tacos and Chipwiches from Canteen
And of course the argument about how to eat the chipwich correctly. Which of course was never resolved (although I still hold strong to licking all chocolate chips off first and eating the cookies last).
7. Soda at Canteen
The only reason anyone ever drank soda was to make bracelets out of the pop tabs in arts & crafts.
8. Bagels on Saturday morning
Saturday mornings meant late wake up AND bagels. Best day ever.
9. Pizza Bagels for lunch
And the fact that it was supposed to be a secret that the bagels from breakfast were used for lunch later in the day.
10. Cup of Noodles
Everyone was always in hopes that the water in the bathroom sink would get hot enough.
11. Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup
Never alone, always together. And always a fight for the batches made with white bread.
12. S’mores with Kosher marshmallows
Campfires called for sing-a-longs and melty marshmallows on sticks picked up directly from under your feet.
13. La Choy noodles
The only reason you would go up to the salad bar was to scoop up some mandarin oranges and noodles. Otherwise, salad was not a thing.
14. Smiley face french fries
Reflective of the emotions brought upon each campers’ face, smiley face french fries were always the best part of any meal they were served with.
15. Belly Ache Night after Visiting Day
As if we hadn’t eaten since our parents dropped us off, belly ache night deserved the name for a reason. The nurse’s worst nightmare come true, the night after visiting day composed of absurd and endless consumption of goodies.
16. Dunkaroos and Poptarts
Whether they were hidden in the stuffing of a Build-a-Bear along with your flip phone or under your pillow after visiting day, these classics only tasted so good because of how rebellious you felt hiding them.
17. Dino nuggets
For some reason the nuggets tasted better in the shape of prehistoric creatures.
18. Off brand cereal
All I can say is Berry Colossal Crunch.
19. Ice cream cake
Somehow your bunk won the cleanest bunk award again… even though you’re certain the bathroom hadn’t been sufficiently cleaned since visiting day.
20. Melted chocolate brought back from Hershey Park
And thinking it was invincible against the heat of the summer under your bed.
21. Chicken noodle soup on Friday nights
Even when it was 100 degrees, everyone slurped it down in seconds.
22. Shabbat dinner in general
And having to wait extra long to eat after all the songs were sung and tables were banged on.
23. Hot dogs and hamburgers
A summertime classic, hot dogs and hamburgers always came out for Fourth of July, Alumni Day and open house days.
24. Flav-o-ice popsicles
You knew who you’re BFF was going to be based on who liked the blue popsicles and who liked the green ones so that all the red popsicles would be left for you. Teamwork, am I right?
25. Chocolate pudding
Pudding eating contests always morphed an innocent dessert into the biggest competition of the day.
26. Prune juice
The infirmary’s solution to everyone’s biggest problem.
27. Tri-colored pasta
As an option during every meal, pasta was complemented by pretty much anything including ketchup, margarine, or when things got creative, peanut butter.
28. Fruit… sometimes
Fruit wasn’t really a thing at camp. Usually plums or peaches were available upon request during meals, and if your bunk was lucky to go berry picking at a nearby farm, you could snag some on the way.
29. PB&J
By the time you hit summer #6, you were getting a little sick of all the food and succumbed to a good ol’ PB&J for pretty much every meal. Or you might have just skipped straight to the peanut butter on a spoon.
But now that these foods are in your past, there are days that you wish you could go back to melty ice cream and carbs on carbs for two straight months.