The fourth period bell rings out as the stampede of masked seniors and sophomores emerges, eager to eat their delayed lunch. Clusters of students venture outdoors, an uncommon occurrence pre-Covid. The seniors congregate in the parking lot, sitting with their friends on lawn chairs or on the hard pavement. Others opt to dine in the theatre lobby or the other socially distanced lunch spots in the building. The staggered lunches leave more room for options during this new era of distancing. Regardless of how you choose to eat lunch, Beth Tfiloh’s lunch culture has evolved to become radically different from previous years.

Lunch has always been an important part of each Beth Tfiloh high schooler’s days. It used to last an hour, providing ample time to speak with teachers, cram for tests, and relax with friends. Bustling with music, laughter, and the smell of knishes, the high school cafeteria served as the epicenter for lunchtime endeavors. However, this all changed when covid-19 began its rampage last March. Now, the cafeteria is simply a socially distanced classroom.

The change in Beth Tfiloh’s lunch culture manifests in a plethora of ways. Firstly, location. The vast majority of students opt to eat outside. The rest either choose the tables in the theatre lobby or high school lobby. People even bring their own chairs and tables to accommodate their dining preferences. When it rains, plenty of students choose to eat in their cars, something that has never been seen before at BT. The length of lunch has also been altered. It has been reduced to roughly 55 minutes and has been staggered throughout two periods. Freshmen and Juniors eat after third period while Seniors and Sophomores eat after fourth. Another change is seen in the recent development of bagged hot lunches. Students acquire them in the Highschool lobby before venturing to their scattered lunch locations. I’ve heard positive remarks about the system, simple and convenient; a small remnant of what hot lunch used to be.

As the virus continues, we must adapt. Beth Tfiloh has done so in its lunch culture. Retaining its vivacity and creativity, Beth Tfiloh lunch certainly looks different this year, but it also continues serving as a time for fun and productivity.