To celebrate back-to-school season, we’re honouring Lunch From Home, written by Joshua David Stein and illustrated by Jing Li. This touching tale honours cultural diversity through the lens of school lunches.
Inspired by the childhood stories of acclaimed chefs Niki Russ Federman, Ray Garcia, Preeti Mistry, & Mina Park, the book introduces us to four children who bring their favourite home cooked meals (like dhokla cake – a savoury sponge dish that originated in the Indian state of Gujarat, gimbap – Korean rice rolls, & more) to school for lunch. At first, their peers are unsure about these dishes, sticking to their familiar sandwiches and making the four kids feel left out.
As the story unfolds, the classmates learn to appreciate the exciting colours & flavours and start to learn the moral of the story: every lunch is delicious & special to the person enjoying it, and new flavours can always surprise us. Curiosity and a little food education can turn a “what’s that?” into a “can I try some?” 👀
At RFRK, we see food as an important part of a child’s journey. Our culturally diverse menus introduce children to food traditions from around the globe, helping lay the groundwork for curious eaters as they grow and start school. ❤️
school lunches from around the world
The kids in Lunch From Home all have tasty lunches packed by their parents or caregivers. But if you’re curious about what schools offer in different parts of the world, check out these informative resources:
- Kyushoku: The Making of a Japanese School Lunch
- Feeding The Future: Brazil’s School-lunch Program Nourishes Kids and Farmers
- The Coalition for Healthy School Food’s webinar series on various global school lunch programs
What was your go-to lunch box meal when you were a kid? Let us know in the comments!