Why do American kids rely on the school cafeteria than bringing their own food? (feddit.online)

submitted 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) by animemann80@feddit.online to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world

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For perspective: I come from a country where "cafeteria" food at school is good and affordable (most is less than the equivalent of 5-10 USD max and it's not slop, it's actual food), but it's not an obligation for everyone since it's up to the student if they want to buy something or bring their own lunch.

The "cafeteria" in my school isn't a typical American one, rather it's closer to a canteen where they sell food you can purchase from cup noodles, fried stuff, sandwiches, baked goods, etc. also appliances like a kettle or microwave are available in the dining hall for students to heat up left overs if they wanted.

The thing I tend to notice from American schools (according to US movies, there's bias whether it's true or false) is that they tend to depict kids always heading for the cafeteria for recess or lunch picking up whats available instead of bringing their own food from home (left overs from dinner), why is that the case?

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[-] taiyang@lemmy.world 11 points 19 hours ago

My kid just started TK and the school is serving such a high poverty area that they give free breakfast and lunch. It's hard to pass up, and isn't the worst quality in the world but still a little more sugar than I'd prefer. Fruit yes, vegetable no, and loads of dairy (which is a thing thanks to US subsidizing farms, this is where that surplus goes. Corn syrup, too though, unfortunately).

It's also kind of a lot of trouble for two working parents to prep a lunch for multiple kids every day. Leftovers are great, but they don't always hold for the few hours they're in a bag. I'm allowed to bring food to them at 11:30am, but I'm working so it's a non starter. My daughter also attends a Japanese Saturday school though and prepping a bento box is required.

[-] Catoblepas 6 points 18 hours ago

My daughter also attends a Japanese Saturday school though and prepping a bento box is required.

Wow, that’s a pretty strict policy. Is it just so they get a consistent cultural experience with meals during school? As opposed to ‘you have to bring lunch but a brown bag is fine’

[-] taiyang@lemmy.world 6 points 18 hours ago

I mean it's one of those implicit things. We've snuck some leftover pasta in there though, along with a rice ball... hehe

[-] th3dogcow@lemmy.world 3 points 12 hours ago* (last edited 12 hours ago)

Interestingly, elementary schools here (Japan) provide school lunch, so no bento required unless it is a half day or field trip etc.

It is very nutritious, and rotates through a variety of Japanese and international cuisine. We get a menu each month so we can talk to the kids about it. The children take turns helping to serve lunch in their classroom. You can go back for seconds if there is any left, and you can ask for less of certain things depending on preference.

Kindergarten usually has the option of school lunch or bento (but it depends on on the actual kindergarten). I think JHS may be bento. I’m not at that point yet.

[-] taiyang@lemmy.world 3 points 11 hours ago

Yeah, that's good to clarify; my girl attends a special school in the US that originally was designed to keep native Japanese kids up to date with language while living in the US because of a father's international work, etc., sometimes not even for a full semester. They've since had you start accepting US born kids too, so long as they're proficient in Japanese.

They're housed within a public school but are ultimately private so they don't have access to facilities like that.

this post was submitted on 23 Aug 2026

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