From Deseret News archives:
School lunches vary around the world
China
Children seldom bring lunch to school in Beijing. Their lunches are arranged by the school and they pay a monthly fee.
Schools order boxed lunches — usually rice, meat and vegetables in a takeaway box — from food companies supervised by the local educational authority. The cost is usually about 5 yuan (66 cents) to 10 yuan ($1.32) a day.
France
Three- or four-course hot lunches are the norm for French kids, even in preschool. The meal might include veal cutlets, paella or apple clafoutis. And while some go home for lunch, children generally don't bring food from home.
India
It's unusual for schools in India to serve lunch, so most children carry what is called tiffin to school.
Tiffin usually is a home-cooked meal or snack, which varies by region. For example, children in the north might eat parathas, a fried flat bread, with yogurt and pickles. Children in the south are more likely to have some kind of rice.
But sandwiches aren't uncommon. Fillings include cucumber, butter with jam and eggs.
With the arrival of American fast food, some well-to-do urban children may pack pizza or a chicken burger into their tiffin boxes, or a candy bar.
Children in the city usually carry westernized lunch boxes, often withcartoon characters.
Israel
Children in Israel go to school six days a week, so the school day is shorter than in the United States
Elementary school students finish studies around 1 p.m. and go home for lunch. However, they take a snack for what is known as "aruchat eser," the 10 a.m. meal. This is usually a small sandwich, such as pita and hummus, a hard-boiled egg or a package of yogurt and a piece of fruit.
Lunch boxes aren't used. The food is simply put in a small plastic bag inside the children's backpacks.
Italy
The first question many Italian parents ask when they pick up their children after school is "How was lunch?" or "Did you eat all your lunch?"
Just as at restaurants and home, children are served a "primo" (first course), which often is pasta (pasta corta, or short pasta, since spaghetti would be inviting a messy disaster). Other typical primi include risotto or vegetable soup.
For "secondo," there is a protein centerpiece, with vegetables such as peas or roasted potatoes. The protein might be a veal cutlet, a frittata or caprese (mozzarella with tomatoes). Friday often sees fish sticks or some other fish, reflecting the country's centuries-old Roman Catholic traditions.
