Elementary School Lunch in Japan
What do you remember about lunch when you were in elementary school? Did you bring your lunch or eat lunch in the cafeteria or go home for lunch? I ate in the cafeteria. I remember it cost 35 cents a day. I don't remember all the meals, but I think they were more kid friendly than healthy. On Fridays, my school had fish sticks. I also remember tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. There was always some kind of dessert, like a piece of cake or a brownie. And the little cartons of milk.
Here are photos of lunches at an elementary school in Hokkaido. No dessert, lots of vegetables, fish, and rice. And the little cartons of milk.
12 comments:
Yum, they look delicious!
Barbara xx
I remember ours and that I usually liked them. These look even better.
Schools in Australia don't have cafeterias. In my day (sounds old!) there were school canteens run by Mothers' Clubs, where you could buy take-away style food (pies, sausage rolls - nothing healthy). You ate in the playground, the same as if you brought lunch from home. I usually had a packed lunch, so buying my lunch was a special treat.
I don't know if any schools here still have canteens, or even Mothers' Clubs!
Growing up in Japan in the 50s I was home schooled, so lunch was...just lunch! The one year we were back in the states I did eat cafeteria lunches and I do remember the little cartons of milk but nothing else. My 7th grade year we lived in Sapporo and the American missionaries and others living there got together and started the Hokkaido American School. There were a handful of kids and one teacher. The closest in age to me was a 4th grade boy whose father worked for the nearby US air base so the family got to shop in the commissary, so my memories of lunch that year was what a thrill it was to trade sandwiches with him when he had such unheard of American luxuries as bologna or salami! I still like the occasional bologna sandwich...
Len, south of Seattle
No school canteens for me when I was at school, sandwiches it was!
1960s We ate in the canteen, it was typical Swedish fare, not adjusted for kids' taste, hard rye bread was served daily, as was milk dispensed from huge milk pails. NO deserts. Lunch was free but we had to eat it all up. Leaving scraps was not allowed.
In the 70s, there was a choice of two dishes, and more variations with a modern touch. No desserts. There was a pail for scraps and left overs.
In senior high there was more foreign influence in the meny and they had started to serve optional dishes for vegetarians and students with allergies. No desserts. The food loss in the waste pail was shocking.
I THINK today the policy is to serve eco friendly food, organically and locally grown veg, farmed oily fish, fruit of the season, ethnical dishes for different faiths, and NO dessert. Left overs are turned into bio fuel or fertiliser.
I'm impressed. It looks good: esthetic, healthy, basic.
In my school days - no cafeteria or canteen, just sandwiches from home.
Ingredients seem special products in Hokkaido. Pupils are lucky to be able to enjoy the taste of Autumn.
I find it interesting that kids in Japan help prepare and serve lunch, and clean up after. My spouse says that his class did this on a rotating schedule, taking turns. I think that participation in the meal process fosters a healthier relationship to food, teaches vital life skills, and reinforces a sense of community. Wish I had had that!
In the 1970s Bay Area in California, milk everyday, but my elementary only provided lunch once a month-a special treat-a McD hamburger or TB taco. It’s funny to think that fast food was a rarity in those days. No dessert though. The schools also seemed to assume that everyone had a mom at home that could pack lunch every day. I later went to a high school in a inland city that had no real meals, only chips, fries, or soda from what I remember. So awful! I often skipped lunch all together.
Those lunches look delicious. I cant remember much about school lunches except that they were more filling than tasty! However, when it comes to puddings, some were yum and some disgusting. Crumbles were good - vast ammounts of crumble and little fruit which suits me perfectly. But tapioca and a dollop of jam - ugh.
I don't remember much about school lunches. One thing the cafeteria served was a half of an english muffin with meat pizza sauce and cheese to be a kind of pizza. I really wish I was taught to eat more healthy. My family came from eastern Europe so my mom made a lot of meat, potato and gravy dishes. My granddaughter in law is of Cuban heritage so my great grands eat a lot of rice and beans. My little great grand Corey does not like potatoes. but it's hard to get him to eat anything green.
xx, Carol
I never had school lunch - we only had school in the mornings in elementary school, and in the afternoon maybe once a week in highschool. Those Japanese school lunches do look good, though!
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