Несъедобные обеды американских школьников

[peacetraveler22]

At my school, there was no cafeteria. Each morning, my mom awoke early and packed lunch for my sister and me. It grew monotonous, eating the same sandwiches and fruit each day. Secretly, I dreamed of being like my friends who went to public schools, lining up each day to have some old woman with a net around her hair throw slop on my plate. In the U.S., there's constant debate over what school children are fed in the cafeteria. A lot of schools have removed snack and soda machines, and guidelines about nutritional values for school meals are always shifting. Over the weekend, I looked at the menu from my nephew's elementary school, listing the meal choices for each day in the month of May. Common choices include pizza, tacos, hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken nuggets and pastas, all served with some type of vegetable and potatoes or rice. There's always one healthy option like grilled chicken or fish, and a wide-variety of fresh fruit is available for purchase. Yet only the most disciplined of children would pick such options when there are tastier and more indulgent choices placed in front of them each day. All of this creates a very sad picture on the white tray. I grew curious, and began to read about school lunches around the globe, and here's what I discovered!

Look at the culinary delights thrown on these plates from Brazil, Greece and France. The Greek dish looks especially appetizing to me, while the plate from Ukraine has the same sad and pathetic appearance as the USA lunch, filled with greasy sausages, potatoes, cabbage, borscht and a pancake.


If the topic is of interest to readers, I can take my camera and join my nephew for lunch one day to explain more about what school kids in the USA eat. Of course, many parents still pack lunches for their children, so they aren't forced to eat this cafeteria slop each day. However, I think there's some level of excitement for most young kids to go through the cafeteria line each day, pick from a choice of foods, and create their own meals. It's a rite of passage for almost all American school children.

What did you eat during your school days? Cafeteria food, or homemade lunches? I have no idea what Russian children are served in cafeterias or dining halls, because I've never once visited a school there. Has it changed a lot from the Soviet era? What happens if the family has no money to pay for a child's lunch, does the Russian government subsidize it?

Comments

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

Okay, these foods don't sound so horrible. :) I always like drinking compote during my Russian visits. You're right, I don't know how to cook porridge or buckwheat. These are not common dishes in the USA, but almost everywhere in the world people are eating a lot of potatoes. I think this vegetable should achieve a medal for being the most "global" food. :))

[saccovanzetti.livejournal.com]

The world eats potatoes and smokes tobacco after meal (or chocolate, if you are a girl). America has changed the world!

[pin-gwin.livejournal.com]

Rice cooker works great for buckwheat. 2 cups of buckwheat, 3 cups of water, some salt. We just used it in .... campground shower )))

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

Can you buy buckwheat in U.S. grocery stores? I've never looked for it because I don't like this food.

[pin-gwin.livejournal.com]

I saw it on the shelves with kind of "special" food, but not always. It is sold there in half pound packages and cost too much so it could not be used as a regular side often.
Here it mentioned in our food chain article.
https://rewards.cub.com/viewhealtharticle.action?path=%2Fus%2Fassets%2Ffood-guide%2Fbuckwheat%2F~default

It make a nice breakfast if add some milk and a bit of honey, like I had today. We buy it from euro/russian stores, way cheaper. The story is that Canada produces a lot of buckwheat, but they sell it to Japan, where they make a special kind of spaghetti of it. In fact, it is a very good source of protein and may be recommended for people who suffer from kidney disease, for example. Unfortunately, it is off American food traditions, as well as black currant.

[once-for-all.livejournal.com]

You can find it at Whole Foods.