Japanese School lunches

[Palladion]

I'll just offer up an alternative view on the Japanese school lunch. I teach English on the JET program, at a middle school. Here, the school lunch simply isn't that great. Some days it's just bad. It's not particularly good to start with, but the major problem is that the food is all old and cool. The rice and the soup (if we have either of them) come hot in their own insulated containers, one for each classroom, and so are dished out somewhat fresh. But everything else for the meal comes already divided in individual servings in a little tray (one tray for each person) and ends up slightly below room temperature. Food is cooked in a centralized facility and then brought to school. It's delivered sometime during the second to last period before lunch, so it spends (on average) an hour and 15 minutes or so sitting outside the students' classrooms. The system that Torakris describes sounds wonderful; I wish it were used here.

Anyway, here's last week's menu:

Monday: Sliced kobbe (hot dog bun-style bread) with strawberry jam, hanbagu (Japanese meatloaf patty), vegetables cooked in ketchup, french fries, a piece of grapefruit

Tuesday: chiken and pork hayashi rice, fruit salad with white gelatin cubes 甘夏 (I don't know how to pronounce this)

Wednesday: Plain rice, miso broiled sawara (Spanish mackerel), "crab" "siu mai", some mixed Japanese vegetables, sumashi soup

Thursday: Crescent, Vegetable Kurokke, yakisoba, boiled wiener, wonton soup, piece of kiwi fruit.

Friday: Bamboo shoot rice, broiled pork, potato salad, miso soup, strawberry and piece of grapefruit.

Doesn't sound too bad on paper, does it? Now imagine it at room temperature. Greasy yakisoba, a fast food delight, but now all the grease has congealed on the noodles and vegetables..

Here's a couple pictures:

Last friday's lunch

Today's lunch (Fried squid, udon, a hard-boiled egg, fruit somethered in a sweet cream and yogurt sauce, and two little mochi balls with a sweet syrup and sesame seeds)

The other JETs here and I all like the days when it's just rice and a sauce, like curry rice, hayashi rice, or sukiyaki. Not because it's particularly good (though they are better than most of the other dishes served), but also because the sauce comes in the soup bucket and is ladled onto the rice before serving, so it's served hot, rather than slightly below room temperature.

(I actually tried to post this last friday, which is why it deals more with last week's food, but I didn't realize that it would take so long for my account to be activated.)

[Hiroyuki]

甘夏 (I don't know how to pronounce this)

Thank you for your informative post.

In my town, public nursery schools also adopt the "jiko" system (lunches made in the facilities within the schoolhouse).

***

甘夏 is pronounced a-ma-na-tsu, meaning sweet Chinese citron.

[torakris]

Palladion,

Welcome to egullet!

Thank you for the informative post, that really does show the downside of a central kitchen.

I was at my elementary school yesterday helping the 1st graders out with serving lunch (my school has 2 to 3 mothers volunteer for the first month of school to help the kids get used to the kyushoku system as not all of the kids came from kindergartens that had it). It was actually quite hot, they had beef stew yesterday and the mothers ended up dishing it out instead because it was so hot.

After dishing out the food all the kids that had been helping remove their gowns, hats and masks and then sit with the rest of the class (in the classroom) at their desks (pushed into groups to 4 to make a table), they the two "leaders" for the week go to the front of the classroom and lead the class in a "gokurousamadeshita" (thank you for all of your work) to the kids who had helped and then in a loud "itadakimasu" and then they all eat!

[Katherine]

Most people in America do want their children to be served healthy foods at school, and they have a pretty good idea of what's healthy and what's not. The problem is that this is all theoretical to them.

In reality, most people eat not only eat lots of fast food, sugary drinks, and snack/junk foods themselves, but they consider these foods to be the appropriate foods to serve children. So many children rarely eat fresh foods at all. Given a choice, they will choose to buy fries or corn chips with cheese at school over the somewhat more nutritious meal which is served. (Yes, I see this at the schools I work at, table after table of chips and fries.)

So on the one hand, you have a "movement" (pitiful though it is) to serve quality foods in schools, talked up by people who rarely eat this way themselves, and never feed their own kids this way. On the other hand, you have school kids who can't be forced to eat anything they don't want to, and won't eat good stuff, even if their parents pack it for them.

But when it comes down to it, nobody's going to be willing to pay what it would cost to serve good, fresh food anyway, so this is all moot.

A woman I have worked with, who takes all kinds of weird supplements and lectures me on sustainable agriculture, and how we should all be eating organic all the time - eats mostly junk food herself, and got upset when the cafeteria wouldn't give her (diabetic) son two starchy entrees, when he wouldn't take the vegetable or fruit. She just saw it as interfering with his freedom of choice.

For most people, balanced diets are good in theory, just so long as they never interfere with anybody's freedom to choose to eat whatever they please. So it'll never work here.

I packed my own daughter lunch every day she was at my house, and she got what she wanted, so I know she always ate it. Peanut butter for four years? No problem. When she got older, she got attractive plates of leftovers. She's since thanked me for it. All around her kids were bringing in lunchables or discarding "healthy meals" packed by a well-meaning parent, who decided to give their child variety, and ended up making the meal seem just weird.

[Hiroyuki]

Some basic facts about my son's elementary school lunch system

Today, my son brought a school lunch letter home from school. According to the school lunch program for fiscal 2004:

Cost per meal: 260 yen

Subsidy from Shiozawa town and JA Shiozawa (for rice): 736,669 yen

No. of personnel: 3, who make lunches for 304 people (282 students and 22 teachers and other personnel)

Rice served on 4 days a week

Bread served on the 1st, 3rd, and 5th Fridays

Noodles served on the 2nd and 4th Fridays

[hjshorter]

I also like how the kids in Japan take turns serving the lunches too, rather than thinking they are above such work. And therefore, above the people who do it.

This was actually common practice in the U.S. when I was a child, at least at some elementary schools in the midwest. Not only serving food, but receiving trays back into the kitchen and loading the dishwasher. The duties were rotated, and it was considered a bit of a perk, as you got to leave classes a few minutes earlier than the other kids. I recall wearing aprons and hairnets or caps.

The food was just as bad, unfortunately.

My junior high did this (circa 1977-79). Students helped in the kitchen, served the meals and cleaned up the cafeteria afterward. It was a coveted job because you got lunch for free, and the food was really good. I remember one favorite entree was spring rolls.

The dinner rolls were made in house and freshly baked right before lunch, so the whole cafeteria smelled wonderful.

[Sleepy_Dragon]

Here is a link to a local Farm to Cafeteria campaign here in Washington state:

http://www.pccnaturalmarkets.com/issues/ir...mpaign2004.html

I hope it succeeds.

Pat

[Hiroyuki]

Today's lunch at my daughter's nursery school (for kids 0 to 5 years of age):

1. 豆腐の五目煮 Tofu simmered with various vegetables

2. 切干大根サラダ Salad with dried strips of daikon (Japanese radish)

3. かぼちゃの甘煮 Squash simmered with sugar

4. グレープフルーツ Grapefruit

Oyatsu (snack served at around three o'clock):

1. 牛乳 Milk

2. みたらし団子 Mitarashi dumplings

Every day, a sample of the lunch served on that day is put on display in the showcase in the hallway so the parents can take a look at it.

Lunch is made right in the facilities in the schoolhouse, so I think it's hot when served.

[Yuki]

I really like the Japanese school lunch system and the wonderful homemade bento! All we get here in the cafeteria is mostly burgers with fries, the only vegetable is coleslaw which no one eats. Most kids just get the large plate of fries everyday with gravy or cheese and gravy(poutine). Across from the school, the only food available is pizza, sub, greasy chinese food, and the so called Teriyaki Rice.

If you serve a meal like the one on your daughter's menu in our school, no one would ever order it because it contains no fried food, no visible meat "object", and too many vegetables. Making lunch myself is the only way to go.

[Sleepy_Dragon]

Boy, that's the truth about the lack of fried food or visible meat item.

It was interesting observing some of the students in my school on the day one of the teams in my class prepared sukiyaki for everyone. The majority of the students liked it, but there was a group that simply wasn't going to eat it; it's brown and stewed glop with too many vegetables to them. More's the pity.

And these were adults. In culinary school no less. I can see elementary school kids reacting the same way in the US, unfortunately.

Pat

Edited May 18, 2004 by Sleepy_Dragon (log)

[Hiroyuki]

Have Americans gone that far? All meat and no vegetables? Well, I wouldn't be surprised if you said yes...

[torakris]

I have posted a photo essay about the kyushoku at my children's school here:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=45272&st=0

[Hiroyuki]

School lunch on Saturday, Sept. 25 (open day), at my son’s elementary school

Plain cooked rice

Bamboo leaf-shaped fish sausage deep-fried with batter containing green laver(?)

Salad with gourd and kounago (type of small fish)

Chicken soup

Japanese pear

Milk

The lunch room, where preparations are under way:

Note that not all schools in Japan have a lunch room.

[torakris]

Yesterday I recieved a flyer from the elementary school announcing that our school will be celebrating the anniversary of the first kyushoku (school lunch) with a 給食週間 (kyuushouku shuukan) or kyushoku week from the 24th to 28th of this month.

The first kyushoku in Japan was on December 24, 1946 (Showa 21, on the Japanese calendar), our school is celebrating a month late as school was on break until January 11.

The menu for 1/24 will be the same as the very first kyushoku menu:

rice, milk, grilled salmon and pickles

on 1/25 they will serve suiton, suiton are like dumpling made out of wheat flour. After the war rice was very expensive and soups made with suiton were very commo, the soup may look something like this:

http://hanno3-web.hp.infoseek.co.jp/200301...0126suiton2.JPG

on 1/26 they will have chimaki and yakisoba, chimaki are rice cakes wrapped in leaves and then steamed and they are Chinese in origin:

http://www.parkcity.ne.jp/~sesiriam/kannta...himakigazou.htm

yakisoba are a kind of stir fried noodle:

http://www.taketomi.net/takenoko/yakisoba.jpg

on 1/27 they will have tonkatsu

and on 1/28 they will eat whatever dish turns out to be number one on the poll of favorite kyushoku foods that will be going on this week.

[torakris]

and on 1/28 they will eat whatever dish turns out to be number one on the poll of favorite kyushoku foods that will be going on this week.

←

We recieved the results of the poll and number 1 was bibimbap!

2 was curry rice and 3 was a hamburger patty.

I am pretty sure that 10 years ago most Japanese didn't even know what bibimbap was.....

Mia said she voted for bibimbap while Julia voted for curry rice.

[Hiroyuki]

Yesterday I recieved a flyer from the elementary school announcing that our school will be celebrating the anniversary of the first kyushoku (school lunch) with a 給食週間 (kyuushouku shuukan) or kyushoku week from the 24th to 28th of this month.

The first kyushoku in Japan was on December 24, 1946 (Showa 21, on the Japanese calendar), our school is celebrating a month late as school was on break until January 11.

←

Today is the day. At my son's elementary school, they will serve local dishes of Shiozawa town and the Uonuma district, as well as a menu determined by the forth graders, with rice as a staple, in the kyushoku shuukan, according to the flyer.

[Hiroyuki]

and on 1/28 they will eat whatever dish turns out to be number one on the poll of favorite kyushoku foods that will be going on this week.

←

We recieved the results of the poll and number 1 was bibimbap!

2 was curry rice and 3 was a hamburger patty.

I am pretty sure that 10 years ago most Japanese didn't even know what bibimbap was.....

Mia said she voted for bibimbap while Julia voted for curry rice.

←

Coincidentally, my son reported that they served bibimbap as the main dish at school lunch on Thursday, as determined by the poll by the fourth graders. My son likes bibimbap.

[MomOfLittleFoodies]

I've been thinking about this thread for a while. I think that Japanese school lunches are pretty amazing, especially how they handle food allergic students (near and dear to my heart seeing as two of my kids have food allergies).

The school lunches in the yuppy suburban school district my kids go to school in aren't too bad. They're all made at the intermediate school and transported to the elementary schools. The portions are a reasonable child size, and there is always a fresh fruit or veggie availible. The children have choices of two entrees, or yogurt or cereal.

My oldest son always brings his lunch because we're not comfortable letting him eat the cafeteria lunches. He usually brings a turkey or salami sandwich, although I got clearance from the principal to use the microwave in the teachers lounge if he wants something hot. His favorite lunches are when we pack leftovers for him, or bring sushi up for him (he loves kappa maki).

[TurtleMeng]

I didn't go thru the whole thread, maybe later...

my son goes to a public school here, they bring theirs or buy the "hot lunch", $3, needless to say usually consists of chicken nuggets/hot dog/pizza, etc, we live one block from school so my mother-in-law often takes lunch to school, homemade pot stickers, homemade suchi rolls, homemade fried rice, BUT these are greeted with a frown. My son will trade with other students to get his American stuff. I go there to watch once a while and see parents give in--Lunchables! (hey, I buy them). The ultimate crap on this planet.

When I grew up in Taiwan, the system was kind of interesting. We bring bento lunches, but they are always in aluminum bento boxes (compared to Japanese, Chinese eat a lot less "cold" food, like rice balls). Each student places the box in a huge metal bin. Once everyone was there, the on-duty students (rotated daily), 2 of them, would pick up that heavy bin (50 something students in each class!) and take it to the Steam Room. It seems like yesterday when my friend and I walked across the huge field holding on the two handles, gossiping and giggling. Lunch time comes, the students go back and bring back the bin. The students pick up the rather hot boxes and eat. We had some richer kids with fancy, 3-tier boxes, with rice, meat, veggi all separated. Most regular folks have the standard rectangular boxes with 2 buckles to keep the lid in place.

Why didn't I take a picture of all this?

Taiwan was definitely not as affluent as Japan, and this system surely is much cheaper. But we did have "mother's love", as it was affecionately called.

I went back to the school after 20 years and discovered now that they have individual steamer (or microwave) in the classrooms. No more big steam room. No more trips. In my mind, I saw myself running to that big room and begged the guy to put my little bento box on top of the steamer (as I was always forgetful and the bins were all already in and the door closed). I would get my lunch with a burnt bottom. Numerous times.

The best I can do for my son now is to make semi-evil foods: pasta with cheese, but screw the veggi...

[Hiroyuki]

A nice description of Japanese kyushoku:

http://www.tjf.or.jp/shogakusei/kentaro/de11good.htm

[helenjp]

Turtlemeng, my kids kindergarten used to steam the bentos! I'd forgotten all about that...

[Hiroyuki]

On June 28, members of Ambassadors in Sports came to one of the elementary schools in Shiozawa (not my son's ). They gave the 5th and 6th graders a soccer lesson in the morning and had kyushoku with the pupils in their classrooms. (The school does not have a lunch room.) In the third-grade classroom, five members had it with 17 third graders. (I was there as an interpreter.) The menu was curry and rice, pork fillet cutlet, boiled vegetables, and milk. One member said to me, "This is the best meal I've ever had." I asked the others. Their responses were the same. I thought their comments were complimentary. Or, do they really mean it?

Suppose you are a boy at the age between 9 and 18, what will you say about the kyushoku they had?

[Comfort Me]

I've only read 1/3rd of the posts, but I couldn't get this nagging question out of my head.

What happens to the vegetarian child?

[Hiroyuki]

I've only read 1/3rd of the posts, but I couldn't get this nagging  question out of my head.

What happens to the vegetarian child?

←

That can hardly be a problem in this country. There are few vegetarians here. If there were vegetarian children, they would be treated the same way as those who are allergic to certain foods such as eggs and buckwheat, I think.

A thread on being a vegetarian in Japan in the Japan Forum:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=36292&hl=

Most Japanese are quite indifferent to vegetarianism.

[Evan]

When I grew up in Taiwan, the system was kind of interesting.  We bring bento lunches, but they are always in aluminum bento boxes (compared to Japanese, Chinese eat a lot less "cold" food, like rice balls).  Each student places the box in a huge metal bin.  Once everyone was there, the on-duty students (rotated daily), 2 of them, would pick up that heavy bin (50 something students in each class!) and take it to the Steam Room.  It seems like yesterday when my friend and I walked across the huge field holding on the two handles, gossiping and giggling.  Lunch time comes, the students go back and bring back the bin.  The students pick up the rather hot boxes and eat.  We had some richer kids with fancy, 3-tier boxes, with rice, meat, veggi all separated.  Most regular folks have the standard rectangular boxes with 2 buckles to keep the lid in place. 

←

Ahh brings me back some memories, I was in a Taipei elementary school (East Gate Elementrary) for a semester back in 1982 and was shocked at the fact that they have your lunches heated for you. Realize that there were 4000 kids going to school there so it must of been a huge steam room. I guess that's chinese culture for you since they never ever like hot dishes served cold.

I also had the pleasure of having Japanese school lunches while I went to school, back in the day. The menu rotated between western and wafu lunches, which ultimately meant, you either had rice or bread as the main starch. Most of the classmates and I always looked forward to the curry, cream stew, or spaghetti days. It was very much frowned upon to leave any food since the teachers still had memories of the time after WWII when they had little or no food to eat, so they made sure that we were greatful for all the food given and the teachers were not going to allow any food to go to waste. I also remember having had my only ever whale meat served during a Japanese school lunch and remember it being very good. That's all I remember from my Japanese school lunches. I also had American school lunches and looking back at it now, I realize that the Japanese school lunches were much healthier with more variety and more appetizing than the American school lunches, as many have posted.