School Lunch

I have fond memories of school lunch from my childhood.  Or 'Hot Lunch' as it was termed back then.  Which also happened to be a bit of a treat for a kid that toted a lunch pail to school almost every day.  Once and a while mom would relent and give me a quarter with which to purchase a hot school lunch.  My recollection is that the lasagna was excellent.  Same for the mock chicken legs served with mashed potatoes and gravy and whole kernel corn.  Prunes and sauerkraut not so much - although I have outgrown those biases with age.  Pizza day was a slam-dunk and you could always count on the bakery to be baked fresh daily by the lunch ladies.  The smell was torture for the classrooms close to the multi-purpose room.

In any event, I’ve been plowing my way thru Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown on Netflix recently and was absolutely tickled by his visit to an elementary school in Lyon, France. 

Schools in France serve real food so as to nurture an appreciation for good food and fine cooking in growing minds and bodies.  Food is a terrific way to win hearts and minds I suppose.  It’s an interesting cultural difference between here and there.  Another difference is they can do it for a lower cost per meal between here and there. 

Enjoy these clips….