What Do Students Pack For Lunch?
by Andrew Park
M
ost Students at Shanghai Livingston American School pack their own lunches, while the rest of the kids
eat the school lunch. Students bring their lunches for different reasons relating to religion, allergies and
dietary restrictions.
“I cannot eat beef because of my religion,” said Drabya Rana, a 9th grade student. “This is the reason why I
pack my own lunch.”
9th grade American student Tsering Jordan said “I am allergic to most foods, so I should eat my own lunch
to avoid health problems.”
Most students from Korea, Japan, and America pack their own lunch. Korean students pack at least one
kind of spicy food, like kimchi or Tteok-bokki, in their lunch boxes every day. They also bring rice. “I love
eating spicy food with rice.” A Korean 9th grade student, Eric Park, said.
American students bring interesting food. “I usually bring sandwiches and some other class American meal
to school,” Tsering Jordan said, “and I mostly use a microwave to heat my lunch.”
Japanese students pack their lunch very neatly. They also bring rice in their lunch boxes every day. Sae
Kadowaki, a Japanese 8th grade student, said “I bring Japanese food to eat every day.”
Even though school lunch serves various types of food, some students need more customized options. This
is the most common reason why students bring their own lunch to school.