History Main / FoulCafeteriaFood

** ''Captain Underpants and the Invasion of the Incredibly Naughty Cafeteria Ladies from Outer Space (and the Subsequent Assault of the Equally Evil Lunchroom Zombie Nerds)'': Three aliens disguise themselves as humans in order to become lunch ladies, where they put Evil Zombie Nerd Milkshakes on the menu to turn the kids into [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment evil zombie nerds]].

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'': While Lakewood Elementary's cafeteria usually averts this, in "The Great [=MacGrady=]", when the lunch lady, Mrs. MacGrady was OutSick ([[VerySpecialEpisode specifically with cancer]]), and her nephew, Skip, who was her substitute, served food that looked and smelled bad and tasted bland.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'': While Lakewood Elementary's cafeteria usually averts this, in "The Great [=MacGrady=]", when the lunch lady was OutSick ([[VerySpecialEpisode specifically with cancer]]), her substitute, Skip, served food that looked and smelled bad and tasted bland.

* ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'': Usually discussed by Calvin whenever he tries to gross Susie out at lunch. However, there is a strip that depicts a part of Calvin's cafeteria food as a gooey, revolting pile of tapioca that makes Calvin imagine it being a blob monster that eats Spaceman Spiff alive.

* In ''Literature/TheScholomance''’ the food in the school cafeteria is not only disgusting, it may be literally poisonous and/or concealing monsters that want to eat you. And the kids can’t go home for dinner. They’re stuck in the school till they graduate.

* ''[[Literature/Babel2022 Babel]]'' by Creator/RebeccaFKuang: Wealthy, prestigious institution or not, the cafeteria food at Oxford's University College tends towards "tough boiled meat, unsalted roast vegetables, and [[MessOnAPlate indistinguishable pottages]]". It's an endless source of offense to Ramy, a Calcutta native who remembers real seasoning.

Literature/WhateleyUniverse: Usually averted (as [[SuperheroSchool Whateley Academy]] is seen as something of a proving ground for serious chefs, given the number of demanding, well-heeled students and the sheer volume needed), but it rears its head during the renovation of Crystal Hall (the usual cafeteria), as the staff have to cope with the smaller, run-down kitchen in Dunn Hall. While most of the students don't complain too much, some - most notably Phase - are at their wits' end due to the poor food.

* In the pilot episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Recess}}'', one of the cafeteria foods, "Tomato Surprise", is an acid that is so strong that it [[AteTheSpoon melts a spoon]] (and is later used by Gretchen to melt the hinges of a door). T.J. also mentions that they've previously been fed fish sticks made out of cardboard and macaroni and cheese stuck together with paste. This prompts T.J. to break into the kitchen to find the good food, and he finds a fridge full of it. However, when he touches the handles of the fridge, an alarm sounds and he gets caught by Ms. Finster, followed by him having lunch detention.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfJimmyNeutron'': In "Revenge of the Nanobots" the Nanobots notice that the lunch lady is cooking a "tasteless chipped beef special" which they flag as an error. They have a disagreement over whether to add steak sauce or spicy mustard which ultimately leads one of them to throw in an old shoe. Doing so makes the lady remark "But I already made shoe twice this week!"

* Justified in the ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'' episode "Diss the Cook". Chef Pat, the cook of Royal Woods Middle School, has a grudge against Rita Loud, so in retaliation, up until the events of that episode, she's been subjecting Rita's kids to disgusting or subpar food while serving normal food to most of the students at the Royal Woods Middle School.

* The FrenchForeignLegion parody ''Crock'' had the cook serving out the food with a loud ''SLOP!''. When asked what he's serving, the cook retorts: "What did it sound like?"

* ''Film/TheLeagueOfGentlemen''. In order to steal weapons from an army training camp, the robbers do the SurpriseInspectionRuse, claiming that the area commander has received complaints about the food. The commanding officer runs about in a panic trying to get everything shipshape for his arrival, and orders the cook to take tinned fruit from the officer's mess and serve it up to the troops. After he leaves, the cook says he shouldn't get excited as the stuff was probably tinned for the Boer War.

** During "Dib's Horrible Life of Doom", the stew of the day attacks a student and gives Zim retching fits.

This trope is usually played two ways: Either for comedy to relate to kids, or for horror if the food is made out of [[ImAHumanitarian people]]. However, this trope is mostly used in media for kids, so expect it to be for comedy.

* ''VideoGame/NickelodeonClickamajigs'': In "Chef's Mystery Surprise", you tap each student's tray as they walk by to give them their lunch. Every meal is completely disgusting and inedible, but the students just get scowled at when they whine.

* ''VideoGame/SincereDeceit'': An Elsen worker in Gaius' factory complains about the food they sell there.

* ''VideoGame/DemonLegacy'': * FoulCafeteriaFood: The food in the Ragan hotel is really bad, according to Sharn and Iris, the former of whom compares it to prison food.

* ''VideoGame/DemonLegacy'':

* The [[Literature/DoctorWhoNovelisations novelisation]] of ''Recap/DoctorWhoS10E1TheThreeDoctors'' shows even TheBrigadier is not above making the obligatory joke about in which war the rations in UNIT HQ were canned. But it's not like they have much choice as the only food in Omega's realm is what's been transported there along with the building.

* The [[[[Literature/DoctorWhoNovelisations novelisation]] of ''Recap/DoctorWhoS10E1TheThreeDoctors'' shows even TheBrigadier is not above making the obligatory joke about in which war the rations in UNIT HQ were canned. But it's not like they have much choice as the only food in Omega's realm is what's been transported there along with the building.