Our children have now been attending school here in France for two years. And I have a confession:
I still can’t get over the school lunches.
To say they’re different from school lunches in the U.S. is like saying the Eiffel Tower is “sort of tall.” In California, lunch at school often comes in the form of beige rectangles and soggy vegetables, served in plastic trays with a side of fluorescent lighting. My husband was a teacher for 17 years, and he spent most of his lunch breaks hunched over a desk, wolfing down a homemade sandwich in 11 minutes flat. (He used to joke that eating the cafeteria food was an express lane to the afterlife.)
Here in France? It’s a different world.
At our small school in the French countryside, children are served four-course meals every day. And the “lunch break” isn’t really a break - it’s a ritual. They have 1.5 hours to eat and play. Real time. Real food. Real living.
A typical school lunch might look like this:
Starter: shredded beet and carrot salad with vinaigrette
Main course: roast chicken with ratatouille or lentils
Side: pasta or couscous
Cheese course: a slice of Camembert or a petit fromage blanc
Dessert: seasonal fruit or the occasional apple tart
And here’s the cherry on top…
The children sit at proper tables, and their meal is served to them one course at a time, just like in a restaurant. No lining up with trays, no plastic compartments, no balancing milk cartons on mystery meat. They eat on real plates, with real silverware, and drink water from actual glass cups. It’s a dining experience, not just a meal.
These lunches are designed in consultation with nutritionists and must meet strict national guidelines. Variety is required. Fried foods are limited. And yes, many schools (especially rural ones) source locally and include organic ingredients, thanks in part to national legislation that mandates 50% “quality or sustainable” food and at least 20% organic in school lunches.
And here’s something brilliant: after their long, satisfying lunch, the kids go outside to play. They run, they climb, they move - which is ideal for digestion, health, and, frankly, childhood.
Since moving here, our kids have become even better eaters. They try everything. They talk about flavors. They expect vegetables. (I’m not saying they always eat them, but they’re definitely not shocked by their presence.) And that built-in variety? It’s not just good for their taste - it’s great for their microbiome. These tiny lunch menus are basically gut health fairy tales.
So yes, I’m a bit obsessed. And maybe a little jealous. Because I’m not serving myself four-course meals at home. I still have one foot in my American lunch roots - a ‘snacky’ lunch usually eaten quickly while scrolling on the gram. But our kids? They’re getting a culinary education - and a life lesson in slowing down, eating well, and treating mealtimes with dignity.
À bientôt,
Kamille
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