One staple concept of lunch is commerce. Many people choose to bring their own items to lunch and just eat them in solitude without considering the idea that their items might have some trade value with their friends. Here is my list for the most classic lunch items that have the highest or lowest trade value at a lunch table.

Highest

Brownies, Cake, Cookies:

Most junk-food items including desserts will have good trade-value because they are rarely ever seen and are extremely appealing to most people. Because of this, people will most likely be willing to trade items of high sustenance including whole entrees. These transactions can often work out if the entree is of quality and the person with the dessert does not have an item like that in their bag.

Beverages:

While drinks seem pretty standard at lunch, they are super appealing to many people in many situations. One classic scenario for a beverage trade is a person who does not have a water bottle will trade their snacks for a cafeteria drink. The demand for drinks can also be super high on hot days.

Fast Food:

Most people at a lunch table have their classic lunch that they bring with them. For those who don’t worry too much about nutrition, a fast food item can be really appealing. For example, if a person brings in a Chick-Fil-A sandwich to lunch, almost everyone will be down for a trade simply because it is much tastier than whatever lame sandwich they have every day.

Lowest

Basic Cafeteria Food:

Although the cafeteria food is pretty good, there is never any opportunity for trade value for it because of the accessibility and the overall quality. Almost everyone can walk into the lunch line and grab a slice of pizza if they want. No one in their right mind would give up a home sandwich or a snack for a mere slice of pizza unless they really needed sustenance.

Fruit:

For people who don’t bring fruit in their lunch to school, trading their food for a fruit is never even thought of as an option at a lunch table. Although it might be the healthiest option to trade for, there is no desire for good nutrition at a high school lunch table. Maybe on a good day someone could trade away some good strawberries for a bite of a sandwich. Also, fruit is free in the cafeteria so anyone has access to a fruit if they want one. 

Soggy or Greasy Food:

The last thing that anyone would want to trade for is a food that is good when it is hot but at that moment is cold and gross. For instance, a grilled cheese sandwich that is soggy at lunch or french fries that were saved overnight. I do think this can go without saying, but I wanted to include it anyways.