I still need ranch with my pizza

It had 4 right angles and pools of grease. It came on top of a paper boat of french fries. it was the only thing that resembled food in the hot lunch line. I ate it almost everyday for three school years.

School pizza was made in the building next door to my junior high. It came to the school every morning on full sheet pans and was cut into 4×6 pieces. We had a choice of cheese, pepperoni. The pizza had a cult following. Every kid in the large commons area ate it the exact same way. As so much of junior high, there was system that everyone followed but never spoke about.

1. Trays not required. The paper boats were precariously balanced with schoolbooks tucked underarm and chocolate milk in your teeth. Grab a fistful of napkins after you pay.
2. Slowly walk over to the condiment table. Slide the pizza over and add three pumps of ranch dressing to the side of your fries. Ketchup is for nerds.
3. Make a beeline for your table without appearing to be in a hurry. Chairs are in short supply and the sack lunch kids always take them first.
4. Sop up the bright orange grease with your napkins. It will take four to six napkins to keep it off your clothes. Plus, our moms say it’s a proven zit prevention.
5. Dip your pizza into ranch before every bite.
6. Never eat your fries individually. We don’t have time for that. You”l never have time to wander aimlessly around the commons if you don’t palm them. Be sure to dip them in remaining ranch dressing.

At every lunch period, at every table, this was they way to eat pizza. That school went through six to eight #10 cans of food service ranch dressing every day. No one could explain when or where this phenomenon began, it was as if it had existed since ranch dressing was invented.

This Lunch Box Essay is an 15 minute writing exercise is the second weekly challenge of Write of Passage.