French School Lunch Compared To American School Lunch, Day 9

By mbrighton on September 27, 2010 in School Lunch

Thanks for tuning back again to a fun and informal look at the school lunch program between France and America. There has been a lot of readers tuning in, so thanks for the interest! We are starting week three and are at Day 9 of comparing the two school lunch menus. Here is today’s menus as served in Toms River, New Jersey and Pau, France.

Toms River, NJ

Choice of 1 main dish, 2 sides and served with a half pint of milk

Chicken Nuggets or Ham and Cheese Wrap

R/F Doritos , Mini Carrots, Baked Apple Slices

Pau, France

Served with slices of baguette and water

Gizzard Salad (1)

Chipolatas (2) with Lentils

Flavored Yogurt

(1) I have included what gizzards are for some of us (or a lot of us! ) who don’t know…here is a great link to a webpage that explains what gizzards are and how they are served in a salad. Basically, a “gesier” or a gizzard is a muscular pouch that lies in the food canal of birds. Now before you say “yuck!” , try them first and then make judgements. They are really not too bad, and served in a green salad, hot, with a gorgeous vinaigrette, they are even quite delicious!

(2) Chipolatas are small, usually pork based sausages. They are Italian in origin and are widely popular in France, but are enjoyed in the United Kingdom as breakfast sausages.

An interesting day for the French school lunch menu. Do you think your child would sit down and eat duck gizzards (very popular here in SouthWest France)? Followed by small sausages and lentils? Although my children have varied and open tasting rules, I know that they don’t like lentils. However, my kids have eaten duck gizzards and thought they were yummy. With children, if they are really hungry especially ravenous, most children will make a good effort to taste and eat their meal. For the American menu, keep reading on this week. On the menu today there is chicken nuggets (or the alternate dish ham and cheese wrap). However, just wait to see what is served for the next few days on the American menu. Let’s just say that your child better like chicken ! Do your kids love the school lunch program at their school? Is there anything unique and special that their school lunch menus try to incorporate? Have your children tried gizzards and lentils? If they haven’t tried them, do you think they would like them? Please comment and share your thoughts…and of course, Buon Appetito!

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About Mary Brighton

Mary Brighton, MS, RD is a registered dietitian and website developer. Living in Europe for the last 11 years including the last 9 years in France offers an international and European perspective on food, health, nutrition and European living. In addition to researching and writing on healthy living, nutrition and cuisine, Mary has nearly 20 years of experience counseling and serving clients in dietetics through private practice, clinical, outpatient and rehabilitation centers.