Where do French students go to eat lunch?

The official term restaurant scolaire (school restaurant) sums it up perfectly. More seriously, a cantine is a lot like a cafeteria, except that younger students are usually served their food (the meals are not self-service until they are in high school).

Do French students go home for lunch?

Students have a choice between eating at the school canteen or going home for lunch. Bringing your own packed lunch is usually not allowed, which is usually a popular option in the UK and America. However, children with food allergies can bring a packed lunch, providing they have a doctor's note to prove it.

What is a typical French school lunch?

French lunches have multiple courses! They start with a vegetable, such as a leafy lettuce salad, a cucumber tomato salad or beets. Next up is a warm main dish, which almost always includes another veggie. Think sliced roast beef with baked potatoes, veal with mushrooms and broccoli or breaded fish with cauliflower.

How long do French students have for lunch?

At school, the lunch break lasts between 90 minutes and 2 hours, during which a four-course meal is eaten while seated. French etiquette recommends that everyone starts eating at the same time and leaves the table only once everybody is finished.

What are the guidelines for school lunches in France?

French food culture

The students are served three- or four-course meals and the break time is usually two hours. Every school lunch must consist of a main course with a side dish, a dairy product and either a starter or a dessert.

School Lunch France - Michael Moore

Are French school lunches free?

In France, the meals are free in about 50 municipalities out of 35,000. The price depends on the household income in most large towns. As part of the 2017 poverty action plan, local authorities offering a progressive price scale with price segments equal to or below €1 can benefit from a state contribution.

Is lunch a big deal in France?

France has a much more leisurely approach to lunch breaks that the locals take very seriously. Instead of a meager hour or less, everyone, including school children, is allotted two full hours to eat and wind down with friends or family.

Why is there no school on Wednesday in France?

The idea of a weekday off dates to 1882, when secular primary education became compulsory in France: a day without classes, then Thursday, was to allow for religious education outside school. In 1972 a government decree fixed Wednesday instead as the mandatory day off.

Why do French schools have a 2 hour lunch break?

In fact, the French spend longer eating, but eat less–in part because that 'fullness feeling' (satiety signal) needs about 20 minutes to get from your stomach to your brain. But the French also spend longer eating because they believe that it's important to teach kids to eat well – it's a life skill, like reading.

Do French students go to school on Wednesday?

The French school day (and week) can be long. However, French students may have more frequent and longer breaks during the school day (there's no school on a Wednesday in Primary or a Wednesday afternoon in Collège and Lycée), leaving ample time to catch up on homework or study for exams.

Who has the best school lunches in the world?

For example, Japan has an excellent school meal program. Finland is probably the best in the world. France and Italy have decent programs.

What is different about lunch in France?

The traditional French lunch is a light meal, often salads and grilled meats or fish. But there is more to the French lunch than just those two things. The main ingredients in a French lunch are meat, fish, cheese, and salads. In French culture, dinner is the last and most important meal.

What kind of breakfast might a French student eat?

Mostly coffee (w or w/o milk), tea or hot chocolate with bread (or similar) and butter/jam. Sometimes also a yogurt or a glass of juice. Children often eat cereals (w ou w/o milk), or hot chocolate with bread (+butter and/or jam). French people usually do not eat cheese on breakfast.

Do French students go to school on Saturday?

The school day in France typically runs from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., with a half day on Saturday, although students do not attend school on Wednesday or Sunday.

How many breaks do French students get?

This usually means one thing, it's time to start planning the next holiday or holidays, particularly if you had a miserable British summer. French schools have five holidays during the year: All Saints 'autumn' break, Christmas, winter break, spring holiday (Easter), and the summer holiday.

How long is school day in France?

Though the number of school days is less than many other countries, the French school days are longer. Usually, the school day of collège begins at 8:30am and ends at 5pm. They have three hours of classes in the morning and four hours in the afternoon which are separated by their only break.

Why desk lunches are illegal in France?

It's usually when people eat!" The government's answer: ban lunch in the workplace. Get the people outside and then open the windows to clear out the germs. That was the idea behind the 1894 decree that banned lunch at the workplace.

What is a French lunch structure?

An usual French lunch will include: an appetizer (une entrée), such as a mixed salad, soup, terrine or pâté; main course, (le plat principal), choice of beef, pork, chicken, or fish, with potatoes, rice, pasta and/or vegetables; cheese course (from a local selection) and/or a sweet.

Why are French lunches so long?

Taking a long déjeuner is not only totally accepted, but encouraged. A French child rarely goes to school with a box of processed foods or a bag of snacks. Children will often actually return home, on their trotinettes (scooters), to share a real meal with their family, since meals are a sacred moment in the day.

Are French schools strict?

The French system is centralised and highly structured, with a strict curriculum and standardised tests. In comparison, other countries like the United States and the United Kingdom have more decentralised systems, emphasising individualised learning and personalised approaches.

Why is everything closed on Monday in France?

The reason lies in France's enshrined labour code, the Code du Travail, which was first published in 1910. The Code du Travail used to say that it was illegal for anyone to work more that six days a week and that workers should have 35 consecutive hours of rest.

What do French students do on Wednesdays?

Wednesday/Mercredi : Wednesdays are a little different since it's the recreational day for the students. They have some class in the morning, but we all eat together for lunch, and in the afternoon Clemence, Armand, and Mayeul have tennis, guitar, and music-reading lessons.

Why do the French eat dinner so late?

It's not uncommon for dinner in France to be served around 8:00 pm or even as late as 9:00 pm, especially in households or restaurants that follow more traditional dining schedules. This practice is rooted in French culture, where meals are often considered social events to be enjoyed leisurely.

Do French people eat 3 meals a day?

Unlike a lot of other countries, the French tend to stick to the 3 meals a day rule. Your host family in France would love for you to try the different types of food. A big part of your immersion in France will take place at the dinner table.

Are portions smaller in France?

The French, both men and women, report the smallest portion sizes across foods and for both personal and country portion sizes.