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I'm Japanese, but the most fun part of school was school lunch lol. They make it with good nutrition and balance. It also offers different meals all year round. So I never get tired of it. Adults say "I miss school lunch" lol
@@Salmon_Toastie Yes! By noon, we will make about 800 "school meals" by noon (although the number varies greatly depending on the school). Then they put it on a wagon and bring it to the front of the classroom! Most schools do!
@@NemesisFromResidentEvil This is a pretty typical common sense comment and this is really relatable to a lot of people. Can't really consider this stealing lmao
I'm food safety certified in the states, and I have to say, this facility's food safety protocols surpass the US standard by far. It's incredible the procedures they have in place to prevent cross-contamination, especially the airlock they create when receiving. I'm sure they also have a strict wellness check for employees. They understand that children don't have as strong immune systems as adults and take steps to minimize risk. It's fascinating.
Every aspect of Japan surpasses America. Japan focuses on elevating all its citizens because they understand that the youth are the future. America only elevates a small elite class. America believes their system of ensuring only a privileged elect are educated and enriched while everyone else wallows in poverty & debt is the right way. This is why America is falling behind in so many areas and Japan isn’t. I lived in Japan & I loved it.
My biggest takeaway from this video is that the Japanese truly care about and prioritize their kids' health and well-being as well as their food education. American lunches have improved since I was a kid, but this absolutely blows our school lunches out of the water. So impressive. This is a perfect example of how things should be done.
yeah in US it's about optimizing profit first, then doing the absolute minimum to keep it going without getting into trouble with the very minimal regulations that do exist, you know, free markets and stuff
I feel like, if anything, the school lunches have gotten worse in the US. My elementary school aged sister flat out said she’d rather go hungry than eat school lunches.
I live in a rural area of Japan, and the way lunches are made here is a bit more…relaxed. Still, the basic principles still apply, and the end result is still great. (ALMOST always. I assume there is a little more variation in quality here than in the Tokyo area.) One interesting bit of tradition… at least in this area, The school principal always eats lunch first. But not for the reason you might think. This practice is know as ‘DOKU-MI’, or “poison check“. As the one responsible for the safety of all of the students and staff in the school, the Principal must ensure that the food is safe for everyone else to eat.
That's fascinating! Yeah, I imagine the procedures for making food are slightly different in different parts of the country. The principal checking for poison is also really interesting too! It's cool how traditions like that are passed down through generations.
It's funny hearing that all rural areas are pretty much the same. I wondered if the country side folks were as anal about all of the rules as the big cities, guess you gave me the answer. Rural areas in general are known for having more laid back, not as super serious people and the major coasts/cities are typically know to have obnoxious people.
They never half ass/cut corners with anything and truly value their youth. I’ve worked in restaurants in NYC my whole life and this kitchen is cleaner than Michelin star restaurants 🤯 The workers all take pride in their work, loved this video
I've worked in restaurants, catering businesses, hotel and high end senior living facilities. You're not lying. This is the cleanest kitchen I've ever seen. They're crushing it over there.
@@kiddankula5480 Haha That is a good joke. That cant possibly be true. Michelin tires only shares a name with the stars, they arent the same company Haha -does an internet to make sure- Haaaa.... WAIT WHAT? Thats freaking WEIRD TIL: michelin stars are awarded by the tire company
Well restaurant kitchens usually cook more than one type of food and made by order, it's harder to stay clean when it's not a single production line. Even McDonald's are cleaner just because they have an assembly line
I used to teach part-time in a Japanese elementary school and lunch is something I would really look forward to. The cost was roughly $2 and it’s hot and complete with veggies and protein. Before serving lunch to the kids, they would explain (older kids (5th&6th graders through PA system) where the veggies came from and some trivia about the food (something interesting from the prefecture it came from). Sometimes, local farmers would visit and ask the students what they think of the fruit/vegetables and explain why it’s juicy or sweet… so the kids learn to appreciate fresh and good quality produce. Nothing goes to waste too, because the kids would do janken (rock paper scissors) and whoever wins will get the extra fruit dessert/yogurt/bottled milk. I only went there twice a week, and my former colleagues who work there full-time would sometimes bring their own lunch because there will be times the menu will repeat ☺️
This simple way of promoting healthy diet would dramatically reduce obesity in their country. But I'd assume that food corporates like Mcdonalds wouldn't like that and lobby the hell out of congress to never let that pass to keep the influx of people going in their restaurants.
@@blazingfire_0712 at the same time. Something like 90 percent of American k-12 schools could only dream of being able to afford something like this in the video. At least currently with the way most schools acquire their funding. Education would definitely need to be heavily subsidized.
The Japanese are respected by us in the UK very much so, you are welcome to our country anytime, the japanese people are the nicest people, humane, friend on earth, be proud.
It looks like Japan really cares for the young generation and want to feed them food that will not only benefit them with nutrition but also prolong their lives. They even have natural deworming foods in there. As someone who grew up in the US eating frozen pizza and hot dogs that had maggots, makes me wish we had a food education here too.
I washed dishes in Tulsa in Grade 6 to get a hot meal. There was no way my parents were in any position to cash me up for food. But each state/province/canton is a different world. The biggest food crime in the USA is PROCESSED fake food AND the weight it puts on Americans by their own Corporations. And that's in your whole life, not just school kids.
I had the chance to visit a primary school when I was in Japan and we had lunch with the students. I was pretty amazed by how organized the whole thing was and by how mature students were. Basically students are responsible for serving food to their classmates and after everyone eats, each is responsible for washing their tray and cleaning.
Wow. The idea he explained of giving kids healthy food so they’ll grow up to subconsciously always eat healthy and well prepared food is a crazy thought given what I ate in American schools. I know it’s not on any fault of the staff but the governments outlook on education. This food looks incredible.
Oh, there are elected officials and parents who can take the blame. Michelle Obama was trying to get our schools to adopt healthier lunches. Somehow she was worse than Hitler and trying to indoctrinate our children.
It's funny because if I remember correctly prisoners in America eat better because their food is required to be nutritionally balanced as opposed to schools
@@RayneGrimm1 I've been in the public school system and prison system, the food is similar but significantly worse in jail. The food in public schools depends on the money of the district. My neighbor was the food director for our school and he was who decided who to buy the food from/what meals we got. The food manufacturers held conventions. The one I attended had a big Star Wars (prequels) give away and tastings of their foods. The guy didn't go into contract/buy any of their stuff (it was all amazing) because our school district was poor, but he continued to go to the cons because they were fun 😂
When I taught in Japan, school lunch was probably my most nutritious meal each day. I looked forward to it. I got to visit the center and was surprised how they made exact portions for each class in each school on time each day.
It is the same in South Korea when I taught there in 2002. After teaching a few kindergarten classes, I got to eat the school lunch with the students. Nothing too fancy, but good, simple soup, rice some meat some kimchi - good plain food, and healthy!
@@missplainjane3905 1) Japan is the most technologically developed nation according to worldpopulationreview. Due to its relatively low landmass that has to support large populations and megacities, efficiency is optimised and there is high consistency. There are some aspects it lags behind but that mainly pertains to its culture, like still using fax machines or (depending where you are) stores not accepting card. 2) My personal rating of Japan is an 8. Stay away from black companies, find a good stable workplace and this will be a 9. If you're just going to Japan for a holiday, it goes up to a 9.5. However, being able to speak Japanese will greatly improve your appreciation of the country's culture and everything it has to offer so living there can also offer a different perspective than visiting and seeing it strictly in its good lights. 3) Japanese people are polite, but not just polite for the sake of manners. The culture of being polite has reinforced a subconscious kindness in everyone. Japanese people have high work ethic but this means the work culture can become toxic, especially in black companies. Some restaurants don't allow gaijins (foreigners) to enter but they are relatively rare. All the megacities have experienced many foreign tourists so it's not like you're the first foreigner people have seen. Overall, Japanese people are, in my opinion, the most well-balanced people I know that priorities harmony over conflict. However, many people (in professional settings) behave too reserved instead of pointing out things directly. If you go to Okinawa, this is like the best of both worlds. The Japanese people there are not just kind and polite, but they are also overwhelmingly friendly and outgoing. It's less advanced though. 4) Modern, cultural, beautiful.
@@missplainjane3905 the thing that stands out the most is they have had a long history of exacting ritual. So the precision and consistency with which they perform everything is better than anything I have seen anywhere. Like yhe best McDonald's or pizza or coffee I've ever had is in Japan. Everybody just follows the recipe to a T. The downside is the things a Japanese person can take don't translate outside. Like the crazy number of steps in a software program might be fine in Japan but Americans will get fed up with it. Their technical hardware is world class but American software is better. This was to answer your tech question. First world but in a different way
I have very distinct memories of my school lunches. The vegetables were always completely unseasoned, steamed until they were disgustingly soft, and felt completely inedible. No wonder kids in my country grow up hating vegetables, because they’re never cooked to actually taste good.
Same here. The first day of kindergarten I took a nibble of the steamed carrot. It was so offensive I spat it back out immediately. The US feeds us garbage
As someone in my 30s I still have this inbuilt feat to veg (UK is also un seasoned and mostly steamed to mush) - It's exploring Asian food where veg is decently cooked that is finally slowly turning me around.
@@lukecummins5371 so true I thought I hated vegetables as a child and as an adult I’ve learned how to cook them properly and now I eat vegetables constantly and I get cravings for them
Teaching English in Japan, I get to experience these lunches every day! Today we had kids’ favorite, hamburg, bun and some delicious soup on the side alone with an orange. I’m always surprised with what combinations I get during lunch here!
@@ShinseiUK Congrats on getting in. I applied and made it to the interview stage, but didn't get accepted at the end. Do you have any tips for the interview (things to say, keywords, etc.)?
I grew up in the 90s in New Jersey and our lunches were typically a rectangle of Ellios pizza, french fries, maybe 1/4 cup of salad/veggies and a chocolate milk. An you had to pay $1.50 for it. If you couldn't pay, you get a PB&J and a normal milk. Seeing this is insane, and is making me hungry.
It's for public consumption . I was in charge of a food mgf QA dept. The labs are perfect at all times yet the plant have to be completely cleaned from front to bk for USDA inspection. sanitation like that, It's for show.
You can see it by watching the video called "God of the Toilet". In Japan, there is a Shinto idea of eight million gods, and since God dwells in all things, it comes from the idea that we must keep it clean for the sake of God. In modern times, of course, it is for hygiene.
I live in London. My husband is the Head Chef in a school that provides its students healthy lunches, pre-approved by a certified dietician. They have a bi-weekly menu with either a meat, seafood or vegetarian option for main, and salad to accompany every meal. He and his team come in at 7am every morning to prepare everything onsite from scratch, from pasta to sushi. They also introduce dishes from around the world. Twice a week he also teaches practical lessons, such as knife skills or making a particular dish. I am incredibly proud of him and envious of his students, as I ate alphabetti spaghetti, smiley faces and jelly with custard at school.
That's amazing! Are all schools in UK the same? Or is it just London or just his school? I'm a Japanese married to an American but we both value food education and looking for the best place to live for our future kids.
@@MisakiNishidate short answer is a big fat no. Whilst schools have been making small and healthy choices since I finished 15 years ago, I recognise the example I gave is also an extreme one. You raise a good question and perhaps we can get more responses from others in the UK. For reference, my husband works at a voluntary-aided primary school in East London.
This is absolutely outstanding. Everyone work unanimously to ensure the work gets done AND the children are well taken care of through the nutrition. One thing I’ve noticed is that almost every worker that has been interviewed in this channel stays with the company for years, that’s commitment and loyalty. I love this nation I live in, and I’m thankful for it but we have big strides to make.
I teach at public schools in Japan. The effort that goes into these meals is insane, and the fact students serve and clean up the food really adds to the experience. I remember my food in the US as a student barely being edible. Other places could definitely learn a thing or two from Japan. This is the ultimate long term investment, better fed kids are happier and smarter.
@@gatts1989 we needed to bring our own lunch in the Netherlands, mostly it is bread with peanut butter. But after a half a day being it in your backpack it's dry and just gross, and it's almost the same. Nonetheless, that isn't the main problem because of this system there were kids with nothing to eat because they were less fortunate and had less money, of course you share, but that isn't the solution. We need to learn from Japan.
Gluttony is what defines the power-brokers of America. The US governments have let literal mountains of decent foods go to waste rather than donate them to starving communities around the world because they haven't had buyers for them.
@@bananapuffs1 You mean its a small country with a large population lol its 1.5x landmass the size of New Zealand and has 25 times the population Also if im right Both countries produce enough food to feed about 40 to 50 million per year.. one has 5mil pop the other 125mil
@@bananapuffs1 WTF 🤣😭 is this a Troll Post? Also your Post Makes no Sense at all. Then the USA just Has it to make for Every State or Disctric etc. WTF 😭 But lets look at this USA school sh**tings: 288 Rest of the World togehter: 5 I guess That says it all….
I taught English classes on contract with some public schools in Kansai. On days my lessons fell on either side of lunch, they invited me to eat lunch with them. Students selected to help (about 1/3 of the class) would go pick up the meal from the kitchen, bring it back, and serve the rest of the class. Everyone ate in the classroom. It was completely different from what I remember school lunches in the US to be like. The food was fantastic and we had a great time. My kids went to Japanese public schools and were pretty disappointed with school lunches in the US after we moved here. They went from eating great Japanese quizine to US school lunches provided by the lowest bidder. My son said the other day (about US school lunch) "It's all just mystery meat and plants molded into different shapes. I bet tomorrow they stick a bone in it and call it chicken." Both my kids say that their favorite Japanese school lunch was the curry and rice. I think that was my favorite too.
Pretty sure everyone's favorite is curry rice! It's soooo delicious. But so are many others. After teaching in Japan and having school lunch, I am even more shocked by what passes for school lunch in the US.
It's amazing that not only are these school lunches nutritionally balanced and delicious, you can actually cook almost all of these recipes at home as the ingredients are locally sourced. Most impressive!
These meals are way much healthier than what they serve here in the United States. I wish that our kids will be able to experience and appreciate healthy and delicious food in their schools too. The work and dedication put into the preparation is just amazing!
No too mention how they’re served as well. Look at the precautions even taken in place. Covered head to toe literally have a airlock etc. my college cafeteria kids would wear their outside clothes dirty crocs while serving their food. It’s American culture why school food is the way it is
Unfortunately, school lunches are merely a reflection of the way kids eat at home. Processed foods and sugary drinks. Parents who don’t feed their kids this way at home don’t allow them to eat like that in school and send them with their own lunches.
Because I am that bored and want to help you all out I made timestamps for each section! 0:00 - intro 1:45 - deliveries 2:56 - Fruits and vegtables cut and peeled 4:31 - Squarespace sponsor 5:21 - Rice steaming 7:18 - Tonjiru (soup) 8:33 - Grilled fish 9:47 - Udo no kinpira (Japanese side dish) 11:02 - food carts loaded 11:38 - outro and Paolo tries the lunch! Edit: thank you for the comments and likes! It means so much to me!
I might be totally wrong but it honestly looks like I would really enjoy working in that kitchen. It's so clean and they make nice fresh food and constantly switch up the menu so it wouldn't get too repetitive.
As a gaijin-half of a mixed family that lived in Japan, I totally get your comment (as would my wife)... however... as a parent, I've also heard many complaints about how the kids don't like this, or that, or anything. The difference is that while kids are kids (and they generally find a reason to not like things), the reality is the lunches are at least healthy and varied.... and my wife and I agree...an incredibly amazing advertisement for the value of a strong public influence over education and food.
I feel bad for yall. I could never eat that kind of school lunch for a year. Growing up southeast asian, we're used to homecooked meals or freshly cooked meals in the canteen for lunch.
As a Japanese who grown up with Japanese school lunch and currently live in the US, the shokuiku (eating education) is definitely helping me. Yes sometimes i crave some unbalanced food but, i usually cook balanced food because that's what I want to eat. My body remember that they taste way better than greasy food. I really appreciate the system.
I just appreciate the precision, consideration and passion they have doing this for the students! I lived there from 4 to 7 years old and this is how it was back then. Over 20 years ago. Love Japan! 🤗😍
I used to work in the catering department of a major airline (as admin, but taking clients on tours of the kitchen was part of my job), and it fascinates me on how similar the operations are, especially with all the manual prep of the fresh produce. The main difference I see is that airline food is chilled to almost freezing after it's been made because it can be many hours before it gets on a plane (this prevents the food from staying too long in the "Goldilocks zone" temperature of bacteria growth). Seeing these operations gives me an appreciation for those who work hard to give us food that's fresh and healthy.
We have the same system in Sweden. I know that some schools make their own food and from experience, the schools that cooks their own food has the best food. In Sweden we always have a salad bar so that we could get vegetables to the food. We ate typical Swedish food like panfryed fish with potato and a cold sauce that were so good! Spagetti bolognese, mashed potato's with meatballs and brown sauce. We never got fast food but the food was often very tasteless. It´s almost 15 years ago that I graduated from high school so many a lot has changed. Loved this video as always.
So different from Singapore, here, the students buy their own lunches in the school cafeteria. But there are always so many stalls to choose from and it’s also cheaper than meals outside school.
They probably have a contract where some aspects are subsidized, like rent. It cuts down on costs, and schools can ask the caterer to pass some of the savings on to the students.
A lot of countries can learn from this, the food looks great. Quality food and education might go a long way to explaining why I saw very little obesity in Japan. Unlike some other countries where fried fast foods and no variety seems to be the norm.
@@yoshiegg6537 That’s a lie, parents and kids have a choice by preparing food early before school. Especially kids where they have opportunities to learn from their parents, peers or internet. But they are conditioned to be dependent and lazy, especially children who would rather be on social media trying to earn clout or play games all day.
I worry for the USAs future for a number of reasons. Our schools simply cannot complete with this level. Over time it's showing, and will continue to show.
The one high school I went to had real food like this everyday, maybe not this intense, but it wasn’t frozen garbage. The difference was so amazing and I actually bought school lunch versus what is normally here in America. If they did it everywhere it would improve so many students diets and might be the biggest health initiative in the US.
@Chickens and Gardening Sounds like a lot of fat and cholesterol. I mean yeah, maybe tasty, but probably contributes massively to the Southern states' populations (besides Florida, which is mostly healthy-looking people) being shown as examples of stereotypical fat Americans.
It's actually incredible how Japan has a system for ensuring school children get healthy and local food! A lot of our food and lunch programs for our public school systems are mostly pre-packaged and fast foods that are not healthy or tasty.
Considering this, I find it hard to understand why, when some Japanese people travel abroad, they are some of the rudest and most untidy litter scattering disrespectful tourists I've ever encountered. 🤔
This is really interesting to watch. I grew up in an Australian public primary school, where you could bring your own lunch or pre-order food at the school canteen which was prepared elsewhere and sent to the school before lunchtime and collected by each classroom. About $4-5 AUD for some lasagna or sausage rolls which tasted like microwaved supermarket food (which was alright), but only one item and not very good nutrition wise. I went on to a private high school and there we had an on-campus canteen with around 4 staff members working for ~400 students. We could elect to bring our own lunches or purchase made meals. It was around $7 for a burger/pasta/risotto/Caesar salad/etc. It was much better tasting but only one main dish. Of course, you could always elect to add a muffin or yoghurt for $3 extra. On top of that, if the canteen miscalculated the amount of students who would order that day, they would run out of meals and if you were late you’d just have to settle for a muffin. I also went to a Chinese high school to study for a few years. I was in the international department but we had shared canteens with the local division. There were 2 on-campus canteens with about 12 food openings, each carrying a slight difference of food items. All of the ~1800 students were required to eat on campus, of which ~1500 lived on campus as well and that meant 3 meals per day. I never knew how many staff there were but each food opening had a staff who handed out food. We had a card where we topped up money and used when we order. The staff giving out food calculated the price and deducted it from our card. ¥6-7 for rice + 2 kinds of vegetables, ¥9-11 total for an additional meat dish. You could pick the veggies and meat dish you wanted out of the selection at each food opening, and could buy extra if desired. There was also things like premium curry rice for ¥15, and all the soup were free (although bland). For breakfast, there was also dumplings and gyoza etc. We would occasionally find snails and weird particles in the vegetable dishes, due to unthorough cleaning, but that was the only downside. The food was quite tasty, especially taking into account the price. It was 1AUD : 6Yuan when I studied there. Just an interesting perspective to look at compared to Japanese lunch, and how each country handles and values it differently.
Yeah the Chinese schools care quite a bit about nutrition too. It's also thanks to communist era canteens being part of the culture for so long. Even today you'll find companies in China that features these company canteens for their workers. Schools are of course, no exception. It's all part of that old school habit of communal work and living.
@Ibrahim And Youssef Some parents don't have the time or money to get their children lunches in the morning or to get fresh food every week. It's convenient for many.
YOU HAVE BETER FOOD THAN ME I HAVE STAL CRUNCHY DISINTEGRATES IN YOUR MOUTH FRYS AND THATS NOT A GOOD THINGS AND YOU GUYS HAVE SOAP THAT WOULD BE HEAVENLY TO ME
@@The_Beast_666 India? School lunch is free and they serve about 120 million kids a day. Its called the Midday Meals program. They take care of their kids out there
"By providing a balance and delicious meal everyday for lunch naturally teaches them a good eating habit and they should eating outside of school". US schools feed junk food naturally teaches them to eat junkfood outside of school
This is something about Japan that I've always admired and respected. These meals look very good and very healthy as well, I've spoken up at school board meetings here in my town about this before but they just laugh it off asking who's going to pay for it? They dont understand how easily this can be to achieve and how sustainable you can make it if you grow most of the ingredients locally or at the schools. And imagine the jobs we could create with it too! But unfortunately the US pulls funding for schools to the point they are practically bare bones in terms of staff, and lord forbid we actually take care of our children.
Honestly, no one blinks an eye. Then police are threatened to be defunded and there's people taking over the capital... Schools have been getting defunded for years!
I definitely admire what the Japanese have done in this area but I think aside from funding it (sidenote, I think we can by cutting some of the fat such as administrative pay which is absurdly high in general) the real problem is gonna be work ethic. In general the work ethic in the United States is just a heaping pile of trash compared to what is the norm in Japanese culture. I mean we have folks in our current cafeterias complaining how overworked they are just making trash. Imagine their complaints at having to prepare fresh high quality meals like a restaurant.
Watch Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution (US version). School boards are corrupt from top to bottom when it comes to food, the only priority is profit and kickbacks. That's why everything is frozen, school staff don't cook anything, sugar is added to everything and things like french fries and ketchup are classified as vegetables.
The schools i went to in my teen years didn’t even have a consistent lunch plan each year. Also i never had free lunch, always had to pay full price because only poverty stricken kids had that option, which had to be in writing before the school year started. Besides that every time i see a video like this, i feel like the workers actually care and like their job. I never hear many complaints. I love that.😊
I’m super jealous! They get fresh local fruits and veggies in their lunch. Not only that but the kids are getting a balanced meal and it actually looks delicious.
One rather interesting tidbit with the variety they need to offer at schools is that you end up with some rather unique lunches (from a western perspective anyway). As an example the schools I teach at will serve stir fried liver and chicken or natto main courses on occasion, and they are rather divisive among the students. That said because of the way the students are taught about food and the general food culture in Japan, even if the kids don't like the food they still learn to eat it and appreciate it for what it is. Its really in stark contrast to what I remember from back home in America, where even if we got a good lunch the majority of kids would just throw the food they didn't like away. I can remember so many occasions of garbage cans full of vegetable medleys from those days.
Hey, the stir fried liver is pretty dope back here in eastern european countries like hungary as well. while western european countries even label is as dogfood (no joke, saw it in belgium for example, chicken liver sold as meat ''thrash''') it baffles me, add some garlic and onions, serve with bread...
@@Zub_Sero coming from America liver is something that would mostly get tagged as a food for old people/ foreign people/ just generally not most people so I would absolutely believe it. Its really not that bad either (though it does take some adjusting).
Food waste is way too popular in US schools, been in several lunch time with my kids, looks the kids were taught if they put food into recycling can, it’s not waste…..so sad! Definitely admire Japanese style of making it a learning life course! Which is more important than reading and math in my opinion.
When we say "Itadaki-masu" to eat in Japan, we thank the food itself, thank the people who made the food, vegetables, animals, and other living things. I take it away and maintain my health. He says "Thank you" because of his gratitude for such creatures.
In defense of american children throwing away vegetable medley. Those are probably from a can thats like 2 years old and are nothing but boiled mildly salted mush. .... At least thats what my memory was
My dad was in the military so we got station to Okinawa (Japan) for 3 years. Our school was on base, but our school would go on field trips to other Japanese schools, and what an experience that was!
Japan cares about their kids that's for sure.. NO chemicals or pesticides used....amazing we can learn so much from their techniques here in the states.
Middle through high school, never saw a vegetable near a school lunch. The "fruit juice" that you could get as a drink option, besides the 8oz thing of milk. Went from 10% real fruit juice, to 1% by my senior year. Late in my senior year, I learned that the salad bar. Which the teachers and lunch people kept hidden was for the students.
When I came to Japan I was completely culture shocked by the school meals. I remember my old school at home in Canada had you either bring your own lunch (only something that can last in your backpack for half the day) or pay crazy prices for food there. My school even cut corners and made the home ec students prepare the food, and each of them had to do it once a week. You can probably tell food made by students who didn't want to be doing labour on their only time off would not turn out that good... Not to mention the fact that some families cant afford school meals for their kids, so Japan's system not only fixes that, but underprivileged kids also get restaurant style delicious meals. That's heartwarming to know.
US public school REALLY need to learn A lot from this meal system! Please let kids taste the vegetable’s amazing and share the duty of serving and clean up!
I went to a very small rural public school in the US with an amazing cafeteria. Almost 30 years after graduation I find myself craving some of the things from there. Students helped serve and clean up, and in middle school health class we got a chance to plan the menu for a day as part of the nutrition unit. Alas, this is way back when schools were actually properly funded.
Japan has an intricate process to make sure children’s lunches are healthy and sanitary. The United States has a guy named “Tony” who’s never seen a proper nutritional chart, tell the education system kids need sugar laden brownies and cardboard pizza.
@@ivettesantana4319 At the school I used to work at, lunch is done as a pattern meal, using all USDA certified ingredients, and following the "Healthy Plate" plan. I think school lunches are a hit and miss thing according to wherever you are, which is a real shame, because all children deserve a healthy and nutritious meal at least once a day, even if they don't always get one at home.
Japan, they offer so much atention to small things wich really makes the difference, so clean... Just a big wow. "The rice is free of pesticid... and fruit are coming from local farmers wich..." Amazing, just amazing.
As someone that had to grow up with American school lunches, let me just say that i WISH that this could be how schools in America got it's lunches prepared. Instead, lunches in American schools are prepared days or even weeks in advance at a factory, loaded with preservatives and other unpronounceable chemicals to keep it from rotting before it gets to the schools. Then, the "food" in question, which us almost always something unhealthy like pizza or other fast food, get's frozen and shipped out around the country to whichever school it's destined for, sometimes taking days before it reaches it's destination. Then, it's kept frozen in a giant walk in freezer in the schools cafeteria. The food can be kept in the freezer for days or weeks until supplies start to get low. Then, when it's time to serve the "food", it can either be thrown into the oven or the microwaves which are the primary "cooking" tools for the lunchroom workers, before being thrown underneath heat lamps for potential a few hours until the 30 minute lunch break starts.
Am American, can confirm. I used to bring my lunch to school but I can still remember the smell of the cafeteria food and it wasn't great. It smelled like grease, cheese and something really sour - not at all appetizing. And this isn't political at all, but some people in the US have pushed for healthier, fresher school lunches but they always get shot down because parents want their kids to eat chicken nuggets and pizza every day for some reason. It's so gross and unhealthy.
It really is pathetic but I unfortunately the only places I can get food from in time are fast food restaurants . Wish I had time to go get food from healthier places
Those meals look delicious and I appreciate all the effort that goes into them. In my school back in the 90s, parents could volunteer to cook for us kids, and there was either not enough food because it was so delicious, or it tasted so yucky that we couldn't finish our plate. I was lucky tough, we lived close to school so I could enjoy granny's cooking every day. 🌟
I love that they focus on balance. School lunches at my schools were relatively ok. They weren't too bad, but they did lack balance. Call me wacky, but it's such a joy to watch them work. The precision is awesome. In the states some places just slop it together. It's a shame.
I have many happy memories at lunch time in my school days yet I didn’t know how they devoted themselves to cook.I appreciate their efforts.Thank you, Paolo!
I am so impressed with the fresh healthy ingredients used for their daily lunch meals. Nice to see no french fries or junk food being served.With my observation, the employees all appear very happy working in this environment.Happy employees, make good enjoyable meals for the students. Paolo, another excellent video!💞💜❤️🎯👍
i live in canada and there is sometimes school lunches available but they are incredibly expensive and dont taste that good.. what they are doing in japan amazes me and it really looks so good and nutritous, if i had the same at my school then i would certainly never miss a single day of school for fear of missing out on such a great meal!
I used to go to Angleton high school. in Angleton tx. we had a chick fila. All they sold was the original sandwich. and a pizza hut. before I left it had a police station and credit union to help you how to bank and save money.
When I went to school, the food in the canteen is made and provided by an local cafe' located near the school. Bless them for providing delicious food, really made our lunch times great. Note: That local small cafe made enough food for more than 1000 students per day.
The amount of effort and planning they put into educating and providing their kids with nutritious meals daily is something every country should aspire to emulate. Seriously! Great work.
I used to work in the kitchen at my school! Sorting silverware and stacking trays filling water buckets to clean the tables afterwards I started by handing out fruit cups and pb&j's to the kids and then worked in dish washing the rest of the year. I just got out, and am currently between jobs.
Shokuiku sounds like the perfect way to give kids a good solid foundation of food from an early age. The west could learn a lot from this! Thanks for sharing!
If there's anything we need in America its a different approach to food from a young age. Food education here is so needed. So nice to see how much Japan invests in its future.
This is one of the many reasons why Japanese food is more expensive, it's like a science experiment, everything from it's ingredients, taste, and nutrition is expertly crafted and balanced, very specialized. Whereas in the west they prioritize on quantity over quality, using large amount of grease and sugar without weighting the health implications it brings
But Japanese food in general is not more expensive unless you compare an upgrade japanese restaurant to fast food like KFC or Mc Donalds of course (which is not even real food). So many people think that eating healthy, nutritious and delicous food must be more expensive although you can do it at affordable prices but you need to know how to cook and how to organize yourself for that. There are plenty of available videos explaining how to do it. Plus when you eat nutritious healthy food you eat less because you get full easier so you also barely snack during the day. But most people who eat junk food don't even realize that. So nope when you know how to do it, earing good food does not equal spending more money.
I am Japanese mom who is raising 2 girls in Australia. I enjoyed my school lunch as a child in Japan. Now me being a mom of 2 kids, I realised how nutritious Japanese school lunch are and I wish we had that here in Australia for my girls so they learn healthy eating and exposed to all kind of food. (Some of which I don’t know how to cook😂) i still remember I was soo shocked to see bag of crisps and ice cream in primary school canteen😮
It's expected that Australian families are able to provide a packed lunch for their kids. The Australian school canteen / tuck shop is considered a treat for kids. It's not a substitute for a home prepared lunch or parental laziness. I came from a single parent upbringing and my mother was able to get lunch ready at home for us kids and work as well. Reliance on state welfare for student nutrition is pure socialism. The US is different. Poor families who can't afford food or are unable to prepare healthy lunches are catered for very badly in the public school system. Australia should not emulate the US. Or seek to copy Japan with its crazy work / life balance for families.
What a great tour! I’ve always heard that Japanese school lunches were good but seeing it on video really hits it home. I’d love to eat lunch like a Japanese school kid every day.
If you didn’t know, in Japanese elementary schools they actually teach you how to make lunch by making each student help out. By then, every Japanese student would have learned how to cook somewhat.
It is shocking to me, as an American, that things can be done like this. Imagine, wanting to ensure every child in school has at least one good, balanced, and tasty meal, in case they have challenges at home. I saw a menu a few years back for a local school, and uncrustables were on the menu. But this area is making food from scratch, daily. I would be happy to eat that!
@@SamBrickell yeah. Can you imagine a place with crazy things like never having to fear medical debt? Still, they have the same percent of children in poverty as the US - 16%. Even a country as great as Japan faces the same issues.
@@TheMurlocKeeper brand name product. Bread rounds filled with things like peanut butter and jelly, crimped closed, crust removed, and frozen. Oh, and it’s of course white bread. Yes, the brand name product was listed, as well. So absolutely garbage food, for an exorbitant price.
I teach at public schools in Japan. The effort that goes into these meals is insane, and the fact students serve and clean up the food really adds to the experience. I remember my food in the US as a student barely being edible. Other places could definitely learn a thing or two from Japan. This is the ultimate long term investment, better fed kids are happier and smarter.
As a professional kitchen equipment maintenance worker, fair to say its interesting to see what kind of appliances they have, you never get too far from your work
I love it when the kitchen is clean and they are doing every thing to keep the whole process as sanitary as possible. Most mass scale food kitchens usually is not like Japan that is so heavily focus on cleanness.
Remember seeing Jamie Olivers TV-show where he visited schools in the UK. The kids were served burgers, fish and chips, pizza and french fries every single day. It was pure insanity.
I would have loved any form of fish in my diet - I know fish and chips isnt healthy but at least it's closer than the rest. (we had the rest daily too, graduated almost a decade ago now)
At the end of the day its the parents job to feed that child,and sent it to school with a lunch box of nutrition, doesn't matter if your poor or not,if you can spend money on things not appropriate to the family unit ,it doesn't take a scientist, maybe, sandwich,slice of pie,crisps, fruit,and a drink,
I remember that show, and I also remember when he tested the kids to see what their vegetable knowledge was like. It went extremely poorly. That was honestly heart-wrenching to see. Imagine not knowing what some basic vegetables were, because you'd never been served them. I don't remember what veggies though....it was many decades ago now.
@@terencebarrett2897 being poor isn’t just about money. Being time-poor and uneducated about nutrition is a real issue among the poor. You can’t solve that on your own, frugal cooking and batch cooking are specialized skills with a high buy-in cost that poor families can’t afford to fail at (which is why school food education initiatives are so important).
Man, that looks like something I would be happy to be served in a restaurant. In our school there were stacks of cardboard boxes marked "Grade D Edible". After I graduated from school and started purchasing my own food, I noted that you couldn't really find anything at a grocery store that wasn't marked "Grade A" even if it was of pretty questionable quality. The food was truly horrific. Today, my kids actually get pretty high quality lunches from school when they don't pack leftovers from home. Things have definitely improved in the states but the Japanese really know how to do it right.
In Puerto Rico they serve healthy food too, is free . They offer breakfast and lunch. the snacks are send from home. I send a lunchbox with 2 snack because they have 2 breaks, one in the morning and one in the noon.
It's a miracle how PR's school lunches have been unaffected by U.S horrible and greedy school lunch habits. So glad I got to enjoy my lunches at school without feeling guilty that some kids cant afford their lunch because of adult greed. We even had seasonal lunches, especially in the Nov and Dec.
It's been 20 years since I last went to school so I don't know what it's like now (I hope it's better!), but this is such a huge difference from the school lunches I grew up with in Sweden. I remember being served some food like meat steaks who were burnt on one side and frozen on the other, and we'd find sticks or even pieces of broken glass in our food, etc. This on the other hand looks both healthy and delicious. I'd love to try it myself. As others have said; there are a lot of countries that could learn a lot from Japan when it comes to making school lunches.
I'm currently studying here in Sweden, to be more precise in Halland Area. I'll say the food is healthy, but the taste sometimes is just bland. So, most of the students order foods on a nearby restaurants. Though we never encountered a problem with the food other than it's taste.
When I was in school here in the USA in the 90s and early 2000s most of our food were frozen foods lol. Its so cool to see that Japans schools get fresh cooked food daily. Also the fact that each student gets a meal no matter the pay from parents is a good thing. My parents made a little over the pay gap for me to get free meals at school and there was about 1-2 days a week where i didnt have any lunch money to eat. So its cool that they wont have to go through what I went through.
That’s one of the things I think is Japans strongest aspects of living. The food, curricular, and general way of being part of society are all emphasized with a purpose. I feel so directionless when I was growing up in school and the food was no where near this standard and it wasn’t emphasized at all. This is a huge benefit for all.
I have a huge phobia of bacteria, especially when it comes to someone else handling my food but I'd eat what they make. Watching them thoroughly wash the veggies and such makes me feel like its clean enough. Super gold star to the person rubbing the apples instead of just rinsing them :D
Very interesting video and especially since our Grandson is a teacher over there at the grade schools I believe. He learned to speak Japanese here in The States and then went to Japan to teach the kids English to the ones that asked for it. Thanks for all your work on these videos and now I am a subscriber and see all your videos.
Thank you for this episode. I taught in Tokyo as an ALT for 8 years and this brings back so much memories. Makes me nostalgic for the incredible time I had living in Tokyo.
As a person who grew up in Vietnam I can totally say that I love when it’s lunchtime at my elementary school, the food was delicious and gave the nutrients the students need even though we didn’t have different meals for a whole school year
