Grade School Lunches

The average cost of a public school hot lunch in the United States is between $2.70 and
$3.10, according to surveys and estimates by the School Nutrition Association. However, during
my three years living abroad in Geneva, Switzerland, my hot lunch was an average of $20 every
day. My food wasn’t only expensive because Switzerland is one of the richest countries in the
world, but also because the food I was eating everyday was prepared by certified world-class
chefs.
When I first started school at College du Leman, I chose to be a “picnic” student. Picnic
meant that I would pack my own lunch and not receive my school’s hot lunch. I had always been
the student to pack her own food from home so I figured I would keep up with it at my new
school. What I didn’t know was that the picnic students and hot lunch students were not allowed
to sit together during lunch. The cafeteria was separated by students who had hot lunch and
students who were picnic. This was difficult for me because the two closest friends I had made
both had hot lunch and this prevented me from being able to eat with them. I explained the
situation to my parents and they agreed to let me switch over to the hot lunch, not realizing how
much more expensive it would be than hot lunch in an American school.
My first hot lunch served was pan-seared salmon with green beans and white rice. It was
served on a white glass plate with actual silverware. I was shocked when I saw my food. It was
such an upgrade from the mass produced frozen food that was served at my school in the U.S..
There was also a bread basket filled with an endless amount of Italian bread. I felt like I was
eating in a restaurant.
The chefs preparing the food were not only qualified for the part, but also completely
dressed for it. They donned their traditional white chef’s hats and chef’s coats with black and
white checkered pants. Sometimes, they chefs would even give away their hats to a student
during lunch time. They always seemed so happy to serve us and were even happier when they
saw us enjoying the food that they had prepared.
When my parents received the first hot lunch bill, they were shocked. They had never
seen such an expensive school lunch before. When I explained the type of food and service I was
receiving, they thought the price seemed more justified. It soon became a little joke between me
and my parents that I was always getting a better lunch than them even though I was in third
grade and they were the adults. Whenever I got home from school, they would ask me what I had
for lunch and they were constantly in awe when I told them. Some meals I talked about even
inspired my mom to try and recreate them in the kitchen.
When I moved back to the United States, seeing the hot lunches gave me culture-shock. I
was so used to the finely prepared meals on actual plates with actual silverware. Seeing the
recently defrosted food on styrofoam trays with plastic utensils puzzled me. Needless to say,
once I was in the U.S. again, I gladly became a picnic student once more.