Did you know that on a typical day, 32 million children in the U.S. eat cafeteria food? Or that most of these students consume over half of their daily calories at school?
Recently there has been discussion about what constitutes a quality lunch, so we took a look at some typical school meals around the world, and how our own country stacks up.
Italy
Local fish on a bed of arugula, pasta with tomato sauce, caprese salad, baguette and some grapes
Finland
Pea soup, beet salad, carrot salad, bread and pannakkau (dessert pancake) with fresh berries
France
Steak, carrots, green beans, cheese and fresh fruit
Brazil
Pork with mixed veggies, black beans and rice, salad, bread and baked plantains
South Korea
Fish soup, tofu over rice, kimchi and fresh veggies
Greece
Baked chicken over orzo, stuffed grape leaves, tomato and cucumber salad, fresh oranges, and greek yogurt with pomegranate seeds
Ukraine
Mashed potatoes with sausage, borscht, cabbage and syrniki (a dessert pancake)
Spain
Sautéed shrimp over brown rice and vegetables, gazpacho, fresh peppers, bread and an orange
USA
Hot dog, no bun, apple, 1 cherry tomato, catsup, milk.
I have been in many lunchrooms, setting up for school shows, and not only are many of the meals skimpy, but even then much of it ends up in trash barrels because it is unappetizing.
A funny video by students expressing how they feel about the new Obama lunches.
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