Yummy & Healthy Japnaese School Lunch ★ Book Review: ''Tokyo Adachi Ward School Lunchroom'' in 2011

'How was your day at school?'
I ask my 8 years old daughter who goes to a local community (public) school everyday.
She always replies, 'The school lunch was yummy!'

That is good!

The boring and tasteless school lunch is an old story and even a recipe book called, ''The School Lunchroom in Tokyo, Adachi Ward - well-balanced meals with the key 12 nutrition, aiming for No.1 in Japan'' was published last year (Japanese language only).

The recipe book is a little arranged for home use but it has the same concept for school meal: good for well-being with balanced nutrition; good for dietary and mental education -  practise respect for the nature and the people who cook, cleanliness and proper table manners.

According to the recipe book, the school lunch in a manciple, Adachi Ward, offers three to four different dishes for each lunch - the main (rice, noodles, and others), a soup, the main/side vegetables, and a  dessert (often fruits).

There are three key points that the school nutritionist cannot miss out:

1) Well-balanced with 12 nutrition - Protein, Liloid, Carbohydrate, Calcium, Magnesium, Iron, Zinc, Vitamin A, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin, C, Dietary fibre;

2) Calorie around 650kcal per meal with less than 5g of salt;

3) Less than 300 yen per head per meal.

This book also introduces the ingredients of the seasons in each chapters.

The daily school dishes are listed in a handout that children receive from the head nutritionist at school, as well as the local government HP, along with useful information on food and healthy eating habits.

Each children are appointed as lunch staff in a team and take responsibility to look after school lunch for their class: prepare, serve and clean up after lunch which gives school children a real work experience. It also gives a chance to build a sense of service and a spirit of harmony.

Good-bye to a colourful lunch box in Japanese kindergarten which was even introduced in BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16069217 as well as in Jaimie Oliver's web http://www.jamieoliver.com/au/news/japan-s-school-lunches-a-new-artform, and big welcome to school lunch in Japanese primary schools.

The children cannot wait for school lunch tomorrow - Korean bibimbap, gelatin noodles soup, pineapple jelly, and milk - an international cuisine.

Thank you for yummy, yummy school lunch, wishing I was there, too.

Y★

Book Review: 'Japanese Culture Introduced in English'

I've got to know there are a number of books introducing all-about-Japan in English. There are many but similar titles: 'Introducing Japan in Simple English', 'Japanese seasonal events introduced in English', 'Japanese culture introduced in English' etc.

I picked up the above book titled: 'Ede wakaru eigo de shoukai suru nihon bunnka - Japanese Culture Introduced in English' with illustration' published in 2009 by the author Mr. Koji Kuwabara. (the publisher: Natsumesha CO.,LTD. http://www.natsume.co.jp/, Japanese language only).

It is easy to read, easy to see and understand the context with many colourful illustration. It is surely appealing to young readers.

There are six contents; Japanese life and people, travel and history, Japanese traditional entertainment, Japanese arts, Japanese martial arts, and Japanese food.

There are books similar to the above written by non-Japanese and interestingly the view to the Japanese culture is different from those written by Japanese natives.

On February 3, it is 'Bean-throwing ceremony' ('mamemaki' or 'setsubun' in Japanese). I will put a devil mask and run away from my kid who will be throwing roasted soybeans and calling out 'Devils out! Fortune in!' (oni wa soto! fuku wa uchi!) tomorrow.

The long-awaited spring is coming soon!

Y★

How? Why? Science Story book for children

'Why is the sky blue?!' 'Why birds can fly?' There are a number of questions that children may ask you but it is not always easy to answer appropriately.

Here is a great book that both children and parents enjoy reading together, called 'Naze? Doushite? Kagaku no Ohanashi' (Why? How? Stories for Science) It is written in Japanese and a series of books are designed for each school years.

There are about 40 short stories about body, living creatures, food and earth and it takes about 10 minutes for children to read each stories.

I like the stories of 'why is poo brown?' 'Why we shouldn't put tap water in golden fish bowl?' 'How milk turns to yogurt?' etc. etc.

It is highly recommended book for children!

Y★