By Tomoka Eri
When, where, and how did school lunches begin and spread around the world? There are a lot of theories about the beginnings of school lunches, but it is said to have started in the 18th century in Munich, Germany, when aristocrats fed poor children. Later, school lunches were provided in a lot of countries around the world as an effective means of combating poverty. School lunches are very familiar in Japan, and most elementary and junior high schools offer them. Similarly, school lunches are available in the United States. However, there are interesting differences between Japanese school lunches and American one.
Firstly, where school lunches are eaten is different. In Japan, each class eats school lunch in the classroom. Then everyone in the class, including the teacher, prepares for school lunch together. After saying “Itadakimasu” a greeting of gratitude for the food, everyone eats together. In the U.S., however, students are instructed to eat in the cafeteria or outdoors at lunch tables. Therefore, in the U.S. there is no need for school lunch duties such as, serving food. Lunch breaks in the U.S. are very casual, so they can eat lunch wherever they want with whomever they want.
Secondly, there is a difference in the frequency of eating school lunch. In Japan, all students eat school lunch almost every day, so Japanese students pay a monthly school lunch fee once a month. In the U.S., however, students apply to the school only when they need a school lunch and eat it. Therefore, many students in the U.S. bring their own lunch boxes from home, and when this is not possible, they eat school lunches so that each student can have lunch as they like, so American students pay for every school lunch, and in some schools, when students authenticate their student ID cards, the money spent on school lunches is deducted from the registered parent’s bank account.
Thirdly, there is a difference in the school lunch menu. In Japan, a nutritionist prepares a very healthy and varied menu, considering the nutritional balance of the day. For example, there are menu items such as rice, miso soup filled with vegetables such as onions, carrots, and radishes, fried chicken, a salad that has been cooked and milk. However, school lunches in the U.S. have fewer varieties than in Japan and are rotated among several types throughout the year. Furthermore, they are relatively high in milk and fat and low in dietary fiber. Examples of American school lunch menus are hot dogs and French fries, raw vegetables, potato-chips, pizza, and whole apples, and the style is to pick and choose what they like.
From the above, both Japan and the U.S. consider school lunches important as a remedy for children to grow up healthy and not to be deprived of food. However, there are a lot of differences between Japanese and U.S. school lunches, in terms of location, provenance, and menu, and both are suited to the characteristics of each region.
