Something that deeply affects my day-to-day life here that many readers may not know is what I have for lunch everyday. School children and teachers from kindergarten to Jr. High School have lunch provided for them everyday. Here it is called Kyushoku (きゅうしょく). The diet is extremely varied and very healthy. (It is worth noting that in Japan a varied diet is considered an important component of a healthy diet). The portions are small, meaning that sometimes I am left hungry, but this is also an intriguer part of a healthy lifestyle. The history of the program is interesting, after WWII, the government established it to make sure that the nation's children received a generous potion of the country's limited food resources at the time. I don't have a feeling for how the school lunch program is seen today, but considering it is still running I assume it must have some merit. Many area's - Tokachi among them - have school lunch programs if they can afford it, but it is not nationally legislated.
I'll be blunt and admit that kyushoku may not look particularly appetizing. It does take some getting use to. All students diligently finishes every scrap of food; not finishing and the whining that would accompany it, is simply not an option. Many students, like kids everywhere, sometimes don't like certain foods; still they eat the school lunches here without complaining. I was amazed.
The program is currently run locally through our Board of Education. Teachers have to pay and it costs me about $2 a day (meaning an entire month works out to about $40). I have come to really like kyushoku because it is such a good deal, it's healthy, plus I never have to think about what I need to do for lunch in the morning. My least favorite days are noodle days with ramen or udon (which just happens to be pictured). I'm sorry; but you just can't make large batches of cheap ramen and have it taste good. The best meals are Shikaoi's Curry and Rice Kyushoku and I always hope I get a big portion. Some of my schools are so small everyone eats together which can be a lot of fun. I get made fun of mercilessly because I don't ever drink the Japanese milk. (To start with it has 3.9% fat, so it's like cream. Secondly it just taste so different from Alberta milk I grew up with. Lastly, I don't think it's healthy for adults to drink large amounts of milk. Generally, however, Tokachi milk is considered top-notch.) Below is the grade four class getting ready to eat. They are saying "Itadakimasu!" which is an ancient word roughly meaning "Let's Eat!"
Something that deeply affects my day-to-day life here that many readers may not know is what I have for lunch everyday. School children and teachers from kindergarten to Jr. High School have lunch provided for them everyday. Here it is called Kyushoku (きゅうしょく). The diet is extremely varied and very healthy. (It is worth noting that in Japan a varied diet is considered an important component of a healthy diet). The portions are small, meaning that sometimes I am left hungry, but this is also an intriguer part of a healthy lifestyle. The history of the program is interesting, after WWII, the government established it to make sure that the nation's children received a generous potion of the country's limited food resources at the time. I don't have a feeling for how the school lunch program is seen today, but considering it is still running I assume it must have some merit. Many area's - Tokachi among them - have school lunch programs if they can afford it, but it is not nationally legislated.
I'll be blunt and admit that kyushoku may not look particularly appetizing. It does take some getting use to. All students diligently finishes every scrap of food; not finishing and the whining that would accompany it, is simply not an option. Many students, like kids everywhere, sometimes don't like certain foods; still they eat the school lunches here without complaining. I was amazed.
The program is currently run locally through our Board of Education. Teachers have to pay and it costs me about $2 a day (meaning an entire month works out to about $40). I have come to really like kyushoku because it is such a good deal, it's healthy, plus I never have to think about what I need to do for lunch in the morning. My least favorite days are noodle days with ramen or udon (which just happens to be pictured). I'm sorry; but you just can't make large batches of cheap ramen and have it taste good. The best meals are Shikaoi's Curry and Rice Kyushoku and I always hope I get a big portion. Some of my schools are so small everyone eats together which can be a lot of fun. I get made fun of mercilessly because I don't ever drink the Japanese milk. (To start with it has 3.9% fat, so it's like cream. Secondly it just taste so different from Alberta milk I grew up with. Lastly, I don't think it's healthy for adults to drink large amounts of milk. Generally, however, Tokachi milk is considered top-notch.) Below is the grade four class getting ready to eat. They are saying "Itadakimasu!" which is an ancient word roughly meaning "Let's Eat!"
2 comments:
your photos make them look tasty wei.. haha
and sigh, your entries make me wanna go jap to teach english...
No. After checking again with Kevin. We agree; two thumbs down for noodle day..
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