French cuisine - at school

Do you remember what your school lunches used to be like?

  I do,  .....  you don't want the details!

As children in France return to school this week, there is inevitably much talk about the quality of school meals:  how well balanced they are; the portion size, the choice of dishes  - excuse me! .... the choice? !!! 

Yup, children at French primary schools take for granted their bright friendly canteens, the well balanced menus with choices for first course , main course, cheese and dessert!

Schools regularly have 'tasting' weeks or theme days, where children are encouraged to try small portions of new flavours; to tell the difference between regional cheeses or to understand why wholemeal bread doesn't look the same as white baguette.

They also find it normal that every French child in primary education takes a napkin to  school, generally in a hand-sewn napkin bag.  Clean one into school on Monday morning, home to be laundered on  Friday afternoon.  Child's name on the napkin and on the napkin bag.  Motherly pride can get slightly out of hand on this one, and some of the personalised napkin holders would make Martha Stewart look like an amateur.

The school are also meant to display the menus for the coming week,  and you often see parents pausing to study the chart as they drop their offspring at school for the day. 

 

What  happy days the primary school age brings, when the most they have

to worry about is what they get for lunch!