CAF · E · TE · RIA

Function: noun
Etymology: American Spanish cafetería coffeehouse, from cafetera coffee maker, from French cafetière, from café
Date: 1894
Definition: A restaurant in which the customers serve themselves or are served at a counter and take the food to tables to eat.

So says the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
Highland Springs Springers know better.

The Cafeteria at Highland Springs High School is not one of those weird, newfangled multipurpose Cafetoriums, where you might have your lunch one hour and have an Assembly the next. No, this place is made of stainless steel, ceramic tile, and had tables and chairs that are in the same place every day.

The ladies that prepare the food there are good at what they do, very good. Try putting together a couple thousand meals each day, working in that hot, steamy environment, and then genuinely smiling at the kids in the checkout line. These folks were really a part of our extended family, but most of us probably didn't feel that way.

We were more concerned with what was on the menu. Was it Pizza Day? Spaghetti? The dreaded Mystery Meat? Were they all out of Sealtest Ice Cream?

One thing we all agreed on: The fresh hot rolls were great. They had the perfect combination of yeast and airiness, and butter melted on them just right. Yum.