School Lunch

School Lunch

When I was teaching at Diego I would have never dreamed of eating the school lunch. In my year and a half there I only bought lunch twice, both were emergency situations where I had forgotten my lunch and didn’t have any food stashed in my classroom.

Here in Japan, teachers have the option of buying school lunch. Many members of the staff do this quite regularly, which I took as a good sign. On Tuesday, when I had no leftovers to bring and very little food in the house, I decided that it was about time for me to give school lunch a whirl.

My supervisor helped me to get signed up for it. All you have to do in the morning is just put 350 yen (a little more than $3) into a small envelope, put it in the box and put a circle by your name. Then, at about 12:20, lunch is delivered to the staff room, piping hot.

In this particular lunch I enjoyed most of what was offered. Starting at the upper left-hand corner and going clockwise, I will describe the lunch.

Black Stuff with Sesame Seeds – I have no idea what this is actually, even after eating it several times already. It is slightly sweet.

Pork Cutlet with Sauce – This is tasty. I was so glad to see it in my lunchbox.

Sarada – A salad of sorts, it was mostly pickled. Since I don’t really like pickled things, I didn’t really eat this. I did try it though, I will try just about anything.

Tofu, Mushroom and Cabbage – This was all in a viniagrette, pretty tasty. I really liked the little tofu bits.

Flourescent Pink Food of Doom – I just don’t think people are ever meant to eat foods of this color. I didn’t eat it, I don’t know what it is, I didn’t even try it.

Spaghetti – Their version of spaghetti is interesting. Very similar to canned Spaghetti-O’s from home. I ate it anyways.

Rice – Just plain white rice and lots of it. Very yummy.

So, that was it. And, for the bargain price of 350 yen, I think I will definitley enjoy school lunch again.

Posted on Wednesday, August 29th, 2007 at 7:27 pm. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

3 Responses to “School Lunch”

  1. Marc says:

    I agree with your philosophy. Just say no to day-glo foods….

  2. april says:

    hi danielle!

    don’t know if you’ll see this response, as it’s quite a bit after you’ve posted.
    i’ve got a japanese school-lunch related question…
    after elliot’s been in kindergarten nearly 2 months, we’re at a loss of what to feed him for lunch (as we prefer him to eat vegetarian, school lunch isn’t an option). the classic pb&j isn’t even an option b/c his school is a “peanut free zone.” anyway, long story short(er), this problem led me to consult the oracle (aka google search). this is how i discovered the japanese take-anywhere bento lunches. oh my goodness! this is like a whole other world of afternoon dining! there are many blogs specifically for making and acquiring the necessary equipment for bento lunches. the more i read, the more i realized this is what needs to happen for elliot at lunch time… he needs his food to be interesting enough so he actually eats it (and that every little thing in a bento has a place fits his personality). so, my question is… have you guys encountered many bento-style meals yet? i noticed that generally food is partitioned nicely, like the school lunch tray in this post. but i’m wondering if you’ve had any of the specific portable lunch varieties… and if so, what are your impressions? do you have any shops around you that carry all of the cute little bento accessories? thanks a bunch for allowing us the privilege to see a bit of your fascinating (and often humorous) lives abroad. omom.
    much love,
    -april

  3. danielle says:

    Yes, we have encountered many bento style lunches. They sell them everywhere – at train stations, at meetings, festivals, etc. Bento is a very popular way to go. Almost all teachers and students in my school bring bento to school each day. Their lunches are usually elaborate, beautiful, and take a lot of time to prepare. I, myself, can’t quite get to doing it usually myself and either end up buying lunch or sending aaron and I to school with leftovers.

    Bento accessories are sold everywhere. Even hyaku-en stores (dollar stores) sell them. Some are simple, plastic boxes with a container for rice and little containers for other bits. Some have characters on them. Some are beautiful and elaborate. Lots to choose from.

    I am thinking that this would be a cool way to provide lunch for Elliot at his kindergarten. You could easily modify the concept to create a uniquely western-style bento lunch. I am thinking you could get a little bento box, a small, half sandwich on the bottom. Apple slices in one compartment, yogurt in another. Raisins maybe. Some small cookies/crackers. You could fill this thing with fun, little finger foods – a wide variety ensuring that he would at least eat something that day. His lunch may even become the object of envy by other kindergarten kids.

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