The Pickle Truck

My best guess is that very few people had a “Pickle Truck” selling pickles across from their school.

I did.

Being a child of the 70’s I was part of the great social experiment called “Mandatory Busing”.

It was an appropriate concept to address and remedy school segregation that was ludicrous in its execution.  In my area it included being bused to a “7th Grade Center” that was at a traditionally or should I say formerly minority school.

In my case this school could at best be described as being – in the ‘hood.  80% of the students were bused in from the suburbs and the remaining 20% came from the immediate area.

My biggest complaint about the school wasn’t  the the bus ride or location it was the LACK OF AIR CONDITIONING – IN FLORIDA.   That school was a total and complete sweatbox.  The only room I ever was in on a regular basis that had air conditioning was my homeroom which I was in for about 15 minutes a day.  It had air conditioning installed the year before because it was the chemistry lab, but my science class got to use the lab maybe once or twice during the year. It was probably some time in the 1980’s that the school district finally passed a bond issue to raise the money for air conditioning all the schools in the district.  Prior to that I guess they spent all their money on buses, drivers and gas.   

I don’t remember any security issues inside the school but it was a fairly common occurence to have to get down on the floor of the bus as we left to avoid the rocks and eggs thrown at the buses by the people and students in the immediate surrounding area.

Every single day as we came and went to school on the bus there was one primary thing we passed.  The Pickle Truck.  It was parked across the street from the main entrance of the school and was a local neighborhood gathering spot.  Since neither I or any of my suburban friends ever frequented The Pickle Truck, I have no idea if they sold anything else like chips or soft drinks. 

It was a common everyday occurence to see the non-bused students walking through the halls or in class with a whole dill pickle wrapped in wax paper which did not seem to have been purchased for eating.  The pickle was apparently purchased to bite the top off of and then the pickle juice be sucked out as desired.  These things, based on how late in the school day they were seen could last most of the day. 

I know some people who went to this same school read this blog.  Please leave a comment verifying that what I have just written is accurate.

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