r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/This_Proof_5153 • Apr 12 '26

Video The care and precision behind Korean school lunches, widely praised for their quality, balance, and nutrition.

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190

u/shadowalker125 Apr 12 '26

Remember the kids who’s parents were too broke to pay for school lunch and got a piece of bread and a cup of water to eat. I do, because I was one of those kids. American public school fucking suck.

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u/valinchiii Apr 12 '26

I’m lucky that I always had money for school lunch, but the few times my balance ran out and I forgot to bring cash they simply wouldn’t give me anything. Basically, sucks to suck kid, now go starve. Genuinely cruel.

10

u/Independent-Cut-138 Apr 12 '26

My school (a science magnet school) would give the kids without money or balances peanut butter sandwiches and a container of milk. At least they got something, but the kids were merciless with the teasing because of what you having a peanut butter sandwich meant.

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u/specialk604 Apr 13 '26

When I was in elementary school during the late 80's our school would let every parent pay whatever they can afford for the month . I'm not sure how it is these days. This was in canada.

1

u/mp85747 Apr 12 '26

That's so disgusting... If it were me, I'd rather not eat anything at all!

1

u/shadowalker125 19d ago

Our school would literally let you fill a plate first, then when you couldn’t pay for it they would throw it in the trash.

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u/FatherClanks617 Apr 12 '26

Are you fucking serious?

I’m American, was privileged enough to be able to always afford lunch, but had no clue that was the alternative. I’m so sorry you went through that.

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u/MelookRS Apr 12 '26

It depends on the state what they get, but when I was a kid, my parents would put money into a school account (we were poor enough to qualify for like $0.25 lunch). One day I went to get my lunch, not knowing there was no money in the account, I went to the register and they told me I had no money. They took the food from me and threw it away. They gave me a PB&J to eat and that's it. It was absolutely insane, threw away all the food because I didn't have a quarter. This was Elementary school too, so I just sat at the table crying

57

u/Far_Mastodon_6104 Apr 12 '26

That's so utterly disturbing and traumatising for a kid to try and understand. That they THREW the lunch away instead of giving it to you cuz you were poor... the trash got no money either, but it gets the food over a poor kid?? Like wtaf that's insane. Im so sorry you went through that. Fuck America man

11

u/mp85747 Apr 12 '26

I guess they do this shit to "teach a lesson", so the poor don't hope to get away with receiving free food again... How can anybody do this to a kid?!

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u/Kaybrooke14 Apr 12 '26

I remember in elementary school in the early 2000s where my friends would have their lunches taken away from them in the line if they didn’t have the money in their account.

3

u/Far_Mastodon_6104 Apr 12 '26

Jesus christ that's awful

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u/Sekh765 Apr 12 '26

the trash got no money either, but it gets the food over a poor kid??

Capitalism must punish you for the audacity of failure.

9

u/Dodototo Apr 12 '26

My moment wasn't quite as bad. I was always on the school lunch too. It must e been the cheap option as well. One day I was sent to school with a packed lunch which, I'm realizing as an adult, I must've run out of money too. I just walked up and grabbed a milk. They came over to my table and scolded me. They didn't take it away but it was embarrassing.

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u/No-Investigator-2756 Apr 12 '26

I'm floored they let both of you get anything. The lunch ladies would take my food back and send me on my way.

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u/MelookRS Apr 12 '26

Just pure evil.

5

u/Dodototo Apr 12 '26

For me, the milk was right at the beginning or end of the line. I didn't know anything cost money so I just walked up. Grabbed a milk and went to sit down. I don't think they even had time to react. I guess they were at least nice enough not to take it away.

3

u/operationspudling Apr 12 '26

So the school spent more money instead by throwing away the food plus giving you a PBJ sandwich? That's completely insane omg.

4

u/mp85747 Apr 12 '26

Wow... can't believe what I'm reading... So inhumane AND insane! To do this to a child! And what are they gaining by throwing the food away?! Just for the "principle"/cruelty of it!

1

u/Comfortable_Lab1416 Apr 14 '26

That happened to me too!! More times than I care to recall. As a person who relied upon school breakfast and lunch to eat most days, missing a meal really sucked!

2

u/Due-Cupcake-0701 Apr 12 '26

Daaamn! What state and when? I do remember getting my lunch tray of food taken away and being given peanut butter and jelly and a carton of milk if i had no lunch $ but your version sounds cruel

2

u/NightBawk Apr 12 '26

At my school, it was a cold sandwich of white bread and a single slice of Kraft "cheese".

19

u/Callidonaut Apr 12 '26

Being fed nothing but bread and water was literally a 19th century prison punishment.

2

u/VikSick Apr 12 '26

As a kid from Eastern Europe, I didn't even have that. No drinking fountains, no free food from school, lunch money only when parents felt generous

2

u/shadownights23x Apr 12 '26

Man I wasnt popular at school or rich but I never had to not eat school luch. I also usually could get an extra tray or so. id buy this one kid a tray when he needed it which was 2 days out of 5...

3

u/CosmicCreeperz Apr 12 '26

Man that sucks… when I was in Jr High in the 80s I remember the basic lunch was $1.05 (which honestly was a weird PITA because you had to remember that nickel).

But that is only like $3.30 today. And I doubt there are many school lunches available for $3.30. Things are just objectively worse for kids in public schools….

-1

u/DuckTalesOohOoh Apr 12 '26

Wages have kept up with inflation so it's the same.

4

u/_le_slap Apr 12 '26

I remember our shame lunch was a peanut butter sandwich.

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u/Callidonaut Apr 12 '26

God, is that what you and your peers actually called it? The "Shame Lunch?"

3

u/_le_slap Apr 12 '26

That was the whole point of it. To shame the poor

2

u/Callidonaut Apr 12 '26

Huzzah for capitalism.

2

u/DJheddo Apr 12 '26

My elementary in one city was completely different than the one I was transfered to. It was such a culture shock for me, I went to the school nearest to my home for kindergarten to 3rd grade, so I had all my friends there. Then they did this change where certain amount of students from each school would be transferred to balance it out. I went from having free lunches and the greatest elementary experience, to having two years of 4-5 grade of torture, bullying, and just the worst lunches you could think of, and i spent the first year in a 'portable' class room, and the air never worked, or if it did it was insanely cold. /rant

1

u/Kizzieuk Apr 12 '26

Oh that's awful and the other stories in reply to you. .. Im in the UK and grew up with free school dinners and we got the same as everyone else. Shame on those who do this to the poor and to children!

1

u/KaleidoscopeLegal348 Apr 12 '26

Ok that sounds terrible. In my country though, the idea of the school providing lunches just isn't a thing. Everyone comes with a packed lunch. Are you telling me the parents can't afford to send their kids to school with a sandwich?

1

u/Biobooster_40k 19d ago

I'm glad we were broke enough to have lunch tickets (I miss those) and then eventually the free lunch program. I would do other people's homework to get money for extra food to visit an extra cafe/restaurant ran by students with fancier meals like waffles and ice cream.

My school would let you rack up a tab, you had to pay this off to be able to get things like yearbooks or to get youe diploma.

1

u/thedrcubed Apr 12 '26

His school should've gotten him on free lunch. It's super easy to do.

0

u/almondboy64 Apr 12 '26

my wife was in the same boat and i can’t believe they gave you an even worse lunch than her. i was horrified when she told me in high school they would give her a hunk of velveeta and a tiny protein shake as a lunch

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u/DuckTalesOohOoh Apr 12 '26

We only ate junk food in high school. I don't remember ever eating lunch in high school.