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

[inescher.livejournal.com]

My daughter (3rd grade) takes lunch from home every day. Last year she ate school lunches but we assumed that she started to have some health problems that completely disappears after finishing of her school year.
But it's not the situation when we completely refuse school menu. Sometimes if she wants... why not? :)))))
Interesting that my older son had home lunch in elementary (private school), school lunches in middle (public school) and... home lunch in high (public school). Came back to the home food was his choice, I only pack it every day.
By the way, I NEVER pack peanut butter sandwiches to my kids. :)
This morning my daughter took her lunchbox with mini-mozzarella cheese and peaches cup for her first snack, grilled turkey sausages garnished with grilled zucchini and fresh tomatoes and fresh strawberries (desert) for her lunch and apple souse and crackers for the second snack in afterschool program.
As for me... I don't remember very good memories from my school lunches in elementary school in Soviet Union. Yes, it was not bad food but it looked weird and sometimes taste the same. :)))

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

How does your daughter pay for the school lunches? At my nephew's school, the parents put money on a type of prepaid card. I think kids also like this, it makes them feel very "adult" to whip out a card and have the cafeteria cashier scan it. :)) Your daughters lunch today sounds delicious...suddenly, I'm very hungry! I wish someone still packed my lunch every day for work. :)) Usually, I eat only a small yogurt and fruit.

[inescher.livejournal.com]

We have a school account link to my daughter. Usually we put the money on and it's automatically charged when the child take lunch/ only milk. There is no card in kids hands. :)

I just finish my lunch so I could talk about the food. :)))