From the inveterate hot dog buns to the soft noodles, models of foods served as part of school lunches over the years are on display in a museum dedicated to tracing the history of the midday meal for students in Japan.
Looking at a sample of curry and rice at the Gakko Kyushoku Rekishikan (School lunch history museum) in Kitamoto, Saitama Prefecture, brought back memories of my own school years. I vividly recall that day in elementary school when I cried after dropping a pot of curry when I was on lunch duty.
About 50 items are on display, including samples of items served to successive generations, as well as utensils that were actually used.
Chronological tables and photo panels describe the history of school lunches going back more than a century.
Children in many developed countries now bring their lunches or eat in cafeterias, making Japan's style of school-provided meals a rarity.
Education officials from China and South Korea have even come to study the system, according to the museum.
"Within its uniformity, the Japanese school lunch has progressed through repeated use of creative ingenuity," said museum director Tsugio Osawa, 64.
The school lunch is believed to have first been served in 1889 at a private elementary school in Yamagata Prefecture, when students from poor families were provided with free meals.
The lunch was quite simple, consisting of white-rice onigiri rice balls, salted salmon and pickled takana greens. No soup was provided. The menu grew gradually richer with the addition of items such as five-color rice and bread.
Food shortages during World War II caused a halt to school lunches, but they were resumed after the war thanks to material support from the United States and other nations, who provided flour, powdered skim milk and other products.
In 1976, the serving of rice was officially set on the menu. Nowadays, the school lunch also serves as part of dietary education through the inclusion of traditional dishes or local products.
Now that I think about it, my grandmother, who was in elementary school in the years right after WWII, used to say how much she hated powdered skim milk.
Osawa said, "At the time, a lot of Japanese weren't accustomed to milk and were put off by the smell of powdered skim milk. But a lot of visitors actually remember it as delicious."
Looking at the food samples brought back a stream of sights and sounds of my childhood.
"We want three generations of a family to come together. The feelings of nostalgia will make for fascinating conversation," Ozawa said with a smile.
-- Gakko Kyushoku Rekishikan
The museum opened in July 2010 on the grounds of the Saitamaken Gakko Kyushokukai (Saitama Prefecture school lunch association). In addition to reproductions of menu items served at different times throughout history, the displays include cooking utensils, such as a wooden spatula about a meter long. The museum is about a 15-minute bus ride from the east exit of JR Kitamoto Station.
Address: 2-288 Asahi, Kitamoto, Saitama Prefecture
Open: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. (closed weekends, New Year's holidays and Aug. 13-15)
Admission: free
For more information, call Saitamaken Gakko Kyushokukai at (048) 592-2115.
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