So Little T started staying at school for her lunch from last week. Second pregnancy and a law degree and twoing and froing from school 4 times a day was just getting ridiculous. So off I went to buy her meal tickets and voila my days are freed up to study or have a few cat naps.
If I was in the UK I would be very wary of the chicken nuggets and chips and most probably opt for the lunchbox option to stop her from being pumped with all the dreaded E numbers. But in France lunchboxes are not allowed. And why the hell would you bother when the menu is that of a michelin star restaurant!
When I first came to France, we would go to the canteen at work and us Brits would grab a can of coke and pizza and chips, but every single French person without fail would pick a starter salad, their main course of fish/meat and veg, a yoghurt, small bread roll, a portion of cheese and a bottle of water. This wasn't just craming in the calories to get you through an 8 hour grueling waitressing shift, this was dinner time!
This is just perfectly natural for French people because they are taught it at school. Every lunchtime the kids are given every single one of the food groups and water, no pop or juice.
This is Tiana's lunch menu for next week ...
Monday - Bean Salad, Chicken in Paprika & Parsley Sauce with Garden Peas, Fromage Blanc, Choice of Exotic Fruits
Tuesday - Tomato Soup, Simmered Pork with Pearl Onions & Cauliflower & Potato Bake, Fruit Yoghurt, Fruit Plate
Thursday- Grated Beetroot, Almond & Chicory Salad with Shallot Vinaigrette, Chicken & Spicy Sausage Couscous with Mixed Roasted Vegetables, Camembert Chesse, Apple, Pear & Abricot Purée
Friday - Duck Pâté, Filet of Hake in a Lemon Sauce with Roast Carrots, Edam & Gouda Cheese, Coconut Milk Dessert
Most of it is organic and they get all their produce from local farms.
I bet you're thinking that must cost a fortune, sorry to render you sick with jealousy but for this gourmet array I pay ... 2€80 a day (£2.14)
Eating properly is not a privelege in France, it is considered every citizen's right so school dinners are mainly paid for by the government and parents pay this little extra to make sure it's all of the best quality.
Tiana's reply when I asked her how was it on her first day "too delicious Mum!". What did her teacher say "she had seconds of everything!"
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