Canteen

One of my favorite questions to ask the kids after school is, "what did you eat at canteen today?" I think canteen has been a true culinary cultural experience. It's not your usual "school lunch" formula. First of all the children in France have 2 hours for lunch. They have plenty of time to eat the three course meal that is served every day in the school canteen. All food is served using real plates, cutlery and cups. There are big baskets of baguettes and you can have all the baguette you want with your meal (this is good for those days when the food isn't all that great). The food selection is quite remarkable. For example this year the menu has included: chicken, rabbit, fish, sausage, muscles and liver to name a few. They have had on average 8 different cheeses and a variety of vegetables. While this all sounds amazing for "school lunch" there are plenty of days that it's just not good. One particular meal Olivia has dubbed "slugs served in barf sauce". Desert is limited and usually they are given yogurt or "canteen custard" (no one likes this one!)

The canteen workers take their job seriously. They serve the food and then walk around the tables making sure the kids eat what is on their plates. You can always get seconds, but no one usually wants them unless of course they are having French fries! The girls and their friends have several tactics to make their plates look empty. Everyone is encouraged to take canteen or go home for lunch. If you have food allergies or you just can't tolerate canteen you can try to find a spot in the "lunch box" group, but space is limited. There are no tables or spaces for lunch box and parents have to come and supervise. Personally I've been thrilled to not have to pack lunches this year and I've loved all of our "canteen conversations".
The Canteen building
Serving up lunch

Filling water jugs
This is the best "main dish" served at canteen...chicken and fried potatoes...too bad I didn't go on the day they were having "slugs served in barf sauce"!

The "lunch box" group eating on the playground.