Coop.

*note: The coop is the place where we eat, at school. The only place.

It's an escape. As soon as you walk through the clanging double doors, a myriad of pungent smells and raised voices overwhelms you. This is the place where students come to relax, to eat, drink and be merry. Their laughter reverberates off the garishly painted walls as the students eat off sturdy plates with trusty utensils, rinsed briefly in the washing area. You can actually see their hunger being satiated, their stress and anguish being relieved. It's noisy and hot and leaves only moths in your purse, but we need it. It's where we can be human again, without the pressure of being perfect. After all, food doesn't judge us.