Turkey dogs are tops

Pasco County's turkey dog taste test turned out terrific.

So say the kids at Pine View Elementary School, who sampled the substitute sausages Wednesday on a trial run before the school district decided to replace beef franks county wide.

"To me, they were delicious," said fifth-grader Mitsy Audate as she picked at her chicken salad in the school cafeteria Thursday. "I had two. ... If we could have thirds, I would be in line."

The students didn't know the replacements were turkey instead of beef, and they didn't care.

"What's the difference, anyway?" remarked fourth-grader Steven Collins between sips of chocolate milk. "They weren't all brown and they tasted better than the old ones."

The feedback justified the food and nutrition department's decision to stop buying the beef hot dogs and instead use the turkey franks in all 72 district schools. It's a $25,000 savings - that's 13 cents per hot dog at the elementary level, and 20 cents when trading one jumbo beef dog for two turkey dogs at the secondary level.

Pasco students chomp through more than 192,000 hot dogs a year. The department is poring over its budget for ways to save money as the cost of everything from bread to delivery truck fuel keeps on rising.

Emboldened after learning they were the sample group, the kids began offering other ideas for the cafeteria. Although the turkey franks were great, fifth-grader Hailey Westbrook said, the buns need to go. They fall apart.

And please, the students said, replace the macaroni and cheese. "Get the Kraft," Mitsy suggested.