10 school lunches from around the world

In a recent discussion about Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, I discovered this time-sucking blog documenting school lunches all over the world.

I have to admit to not watching Jamie Oliver on TV. Despite the magical, knicker dropping properties any American girl finds in a British accented man, something about that dude is like chewing tinfoil. However, the subject matter is fascinating, and the comparison between American school lunches and those in other countries is really striking. While some entries are stark (the group of children eating out of a single bowl is pretty moving), some are just more carefully done and the kind of thing that makes you think, “well why the hell won’t my annoying child eat a whole fish with the head on it?”

The picture at the top is one of the several, nearly identical entries from the US. Below are some interesting pictures of lunches elsewhere in the world, where kids eat off real plates sometimes.

In Sweden, it appears IKEA does the school catering. Is that lingonberry juice?

Singapore’s entry is just straight up fancy. Here we call that a Bento Box, and it costs $17 plus tax and tip.

Students in Haiti seem to dig on rice and beans.

French kids have mussels, pommes frites and a carton of beaujolais with their lunches. (Okay, maybe it’s milk or juice, but I wouldn’t put it past them!)

In China, schoolkids get a whole entire fish!

But in Japan, they get two fishes.

South Korea’s breaded pork cutlets look quite tasty.

Lithuania’s got fried chicken and coleslaw, or something like it.

Chilean kids in this picture get to eat some kind of avocado salad and some really fresh looking juice with their meat and rice lunches.

Somehow, I can’t see the whole-fish-eating kids in other countries demanding nuggets or pizza. I also think that a short browse on the blog linked above might do more to teach Americans about healthy eating habits than several hours watching Jamie Oliver have at a bunch of West Virginians.