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Please, No More Liverwurst Lunches

It’s really no surprise that pizza topped the list when Oscar Mayer polled kids across the country about their favorite school lunches.

What’s more interesting are some of the responses to the “least favorite lunch” question:

“Liverwurst.”

“Anything on soggy bread or with hard crusts.”

“Warm drink, brown banana.”

The more unusual midday meals youngsters reported eating included “pink fish sandwich,” “honey and celery sandwich,” “yogurt and sardines” and “an all-candy lunch - with six different kinds of candy!”

Some of the most likely lunch items to be traded: apples, avocadoes and eggplant. Among the most-sought: candy, Jell-O and baked beans.

The survey showed moms are the main lunch makers (64 percent), followed by kids themselves (21 percent) and dads (11 percent). (We imagine dads were responsible for a few of the combinations mentioned above.)

More than half (58 percent) of the kids questioned said they would like to help make their own lunches. Hey, Mom - where do we keep the candy?

Cow-less colleges

Meanwhile, the Milk Processor Education Program polled college students and was mighty dismayed to learn that the top two drinks they “can’t live without” are soda (34 percent) and coffee (18 percent).

Actually, there was another popular liquid that our college crowd couldn’t seem to get enough of - and we’re not talking milk.

Face value

Elementary school classes can again win up to $2,500 by building the best edible noggin out of fruits and vegetables in the National 5-A-Day Salad Head Competition, part of a plot to encourage kids to eat green things.

Along with the grand prize, there are awards of $1,000, $500 and $250 in three categories: kindergarten through second grade, third through fifth grades and special education.

Entry deadline is Nov. 1. For complete rules, send a stamped, self-addressed, business-sized envelope to: National 5-A-Day Salad Head Competition, The Association for Dressings and Sauces, Suite 500-G, 5775 Peachtree-Dunwoody Road, Atlanta, GA 30342.

Sedimental journey

Adults who’d like to keep learning about food might be interested in the organic and sustainable farm tours offered by the Palouse-Clearwater Environmental Institute.

Tours are scheduled in the Pullman-Moscow area Sept. 20 and the Spokane-Coeur d’Alene area Sept. 24. Early registration is $20; for information, call (208) 882-1444.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Drawing