2. Visit to the canteen at Friedrich-Schiller-Gymnasium Pfullingen
On our visit to the school canteen at Friedrich-Schiller-Gymnasium in Pfullingen, we were kindly welcomed by Mrs. Pfleiderer, the canteen manager. After putting on suitable clothing and receiving a short hygiene briefing, we were allowed to watch the entire food preparation process.
The canteen is open on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11:55 am to 1:30 pm. On Wednesdays, there are student workshops, so instead of the regular canteen, there is a healthy breakfast in the form of a sandwich with toppings and vegetable sticks, for example. There is no afternoon school on Fridays, so the canteen remains closed.
A special feature of the canteen at FSG Pfullingen is the active involvement of parents, pupils and teachers. Around 80-100 cooking parents volunteer in the canteen and prepare around 215 lunches every 4 weeks. The menus are varied and are only repeated every 8-10 weeks. Parents prepare the meals, students regularly help with the dishwashing and the teachers take over payment at the tills. Meals are paid for in cash in order to teach students how to handle money well. Meals do not need to be ordered in advance, unless special allergens need to be taken into account.
On the day of our visit, the menu included a vegetarian and meat version of shepherd's pie. It was served with a salad and optional curd cheese balls. All the dishes were made from fresh ingredients and the curd cheese balls were formed by hand and baked one by one. While observing, we gained a good impression of the harmonious atmosphere and the fun of cooking together.
When the food was served, the portion sizes were varied as required and it was possible to have seconds. Water is available to the students free of charge. Apple juice is also available to buy, which is made from apples from nearby fields as part of a school project.
Any leftover food can be taken home by the cooking parents, thus avoiding waste and giving the volunteers a small part of their work back.
In the morning, we also had the opportunity to meet Mr. Reinert and interview the pupils in his class. Mr. Reinert is very involved in the canteen and, among other things, organizes the dishwashing service and also works at the till. Later, he showed us how the supplies are stored and explained to us how waste is disposed of via a biogas system. We were also able to learn about the wide range of school activities relating to the environment and sustainability. For example, there is a sustainability club and the "rubbish-free Friday" initiative.