Argentinian Kyushoku

Kyushoku in Japanese means “school lunch.”

During my time in Japan, I taught English at Haga Elementary School.
After my morning teaching, I would gather with the children and eat kyushoku in the classroom.

At the school there was a large staff room where school personel would gather in between classes and after school.
We had arranged seating and I was placed next to the school nutritionist, Eri. We spoke often as I was interested in the school menu and Japanese recipes. Everyday, she gave me the written school lunch broadcast in Japanese, so I could practice my reading and learn about Japanese ingredients and holidays.

Eri and I often discussed our cultural differences. I was born and spent most of my childhood in Argentina and she was Japanese. One day we discussed the fact that in Argentina we didn’t have school lunch! I would walk home from school, eat lunch at home, take a nap, and return to school for afternoon classes. We laughed at the cultural oppositions and had a great idea - why don’t we try to make an Argentinian themed kyushoku!

Eri and I researched recipes and came up with a menu. We had to consider the food processing capabilities and seasonal ingredients in Japan. For example, we first considered making Empanadas (Argentinian meat pie) using Japanese gyoza dough - but realized it would be too labor intensive for the lunch staff. What’s more, we needed to find something palatable for our picky students!

Finally we came up with a menu together, shown below. The highlight of the menu was Locro, a Argentinian hardy bean stew perfect for a cold January day.

I find it ironic that my first “Argentinian school lunch” was in Japan.

Traveling creates these rich opportunities to find and learn more about what is closest to your heart.