30 times

It is considered ideal to chew about 30 times per bite during meals. The reason we’re encouraged to chew well is that it aids digestion, helps you feel full more easily, and can prevent overeating. In addition, because you can more fully savor the flavors of the ingredients, meals can become more enjoyable. This is often taught as a first step toward a healthy diet.

alcohol

The “ponchi” in fruit punch is written as “punch” in English and originally means a fruit cocktail made with alcohol. It’s a drink that came from Britain via India, containing fruit, sugar, spices, and originally alcohol such as rum. School lunches in Japan don’t use alcohol, but the name still reflects that origin.

Yamagata Prefecture

The first introduction of school lunches in Japan took place in Yamagata Prefecture. It is said to have begun in 1889 (Meiji 22), when the private Chūai Elementary School in Tsuruoka, Yamagata, provided rice balls, fish, and other foods free of charge to children from impoverished families. This initiative spread nationwide and became established as an indispensable part of running schools.

soft spaghetti-style noodles

Soft noodles, a popular item long beloved in school lunches across Japan since the late 1960s, are officially called “soft spaghetti-style noodles.” They are thicker than regular spaghetti and are cooked for a shorter time, making them easier for children to eat, and were typically served with curry or meat sauce. They originally arose out of considerations for storage and serving, and are indispensable when talking about how school lunches have changed over time.

About 3,000 grains

A single bowl of cooked rice actually contains about 3,000 grains. This figure is based on the approximate number of grains in one gō of uncooked rice after it’s cooked. We don’t usually think about each grain individually, but realizing the care that goes into producing rice can inspire us to appreciate it more. Knowing that the rice we eat in everyday meals is made up of countless grains may make it feel even more flavorful.

Because I imitated a shortcake

It’s said that the reason green peas started being placed on shumai was inspired by the strawberries on shortcakes. To add a visual accent—like a cake topped with strawberries—someone involved in school lunches came up with the idea to add colorful decorations to shumai as well. It’s a thoughtful touch that shows a desire to make children happy.

school lunch cook

Fried bread is said to be a menu item devised by Tokikichi Shinohara, a school lunch cook, around the time postwar school lunches began, when food supplies were scarce, as a way to adapt plain bread. It is said to have originated from the idea of deep-frying surplus school lunch rolls and coating them with sugar during an influenza outbreak, so that the cold bread could be enjoyed more deliciously.