International Lunch Thursdays

Imagine holding a warm bowl in both hands. Under the pork is rice; beside it is soup. In Japan, a rice bowl with a topping is called donburi. Our card shows a pork version, butadon. It also shows miso soup, whose savory flavor comes from fermented miso.

Rice is familiar to many of us in Penghu, too. What changes when we put the main dish on top of the rice instead of beside it? A small change in how a meal is served can start a big conversation about daily life.

The school lunch photograph for this week is awaiting addition. The illustration is a learning card, not a photograph of the served meal.

Close your eyes and imagine the smell of herbs as lunch arrives. Our card introduces Italian-style chicken with ingredients often used in Italian cooking, including herbs and olive oil. The real school lunch has its own recipe, so the card and photo will not look exactly the same.

Food can tell a story about place and people. The card invites us to think about how a simple meal becomes a chance to sit together and talk. What do you notice when your family or friends share food?

What color do you expect when someone says “borscht”? You might picture the bright red soup on our card. But recipes called borscht differ from place to place and from family to family. The card introduces a Russian setting; this soup has stories across more than one country.

Now look at our school lunch photo. Our bowl does not have the card's bright red color. That is a perfect detective question: which ingredients did our kitchen use, and how was this version made? We will add the confirmed recipe when it is available.

The card is an illustration of one version of borscht. The photographed school soup should be described using the kitchen's confirmed recipe.

Our Week 5 learning cards introduce Korean-style mixed rice with grilled meat. Look at the colorful ingredients in the illustrated bowl. The cards invite us to mix the rice, meat and vegetables together and think about how different ingredients make a meal.

Now compare the drawings with our real school lunch. Can you find yellow corn, orange carrot strips and green vegetables? The illustrated bowl and our lunch tray look different. The cards show an example of the dish; our photograph records the meal served at school.

Try the greeting on the cards: 안녕하세요! (Hello! · 你好！). What would you like to ask a new friend about their favorite rice meal?

The cards illustrate a version of Korean-style mixed rice. The school's full recipe has not been confirmed here. · 圖卡為料理示意；實際配方待核對。

Bonjour! (Hello! · 你好！) Our Week 6 learning cards take us to France, a country in Europe known for its rich food culture. The featured dish is fish fillet stewed with vegetables in a cream sauce. A cream sauce is a mild white sauce made with milk. As the fish and vegetables cook together, they soak up its gentle flavor. The cards describe this dish as one kind of French home-style cooking.

Now look at our real school lunch. In the shell-shaped dish, can you find the fish in a pale sauce with orange carrots and green broccoli? Around it are purple rice, a bowl of soup, green vegetables, an egg dish, an orange and a small bun. The cards show an example of the dish; our photograph records the meal served at school.

The cards also share that many people in France like to take time to eat well: sharing meals with family and friends, and cooking simple dishes with fresh ingredients. What makes a meal feel special at your table?

The cards illustrate one version of a French-style cream dish. The school's full recipe has not been confirmed here. · 圖卡為料理示意；實際配方待核對。

สวัสดี! (Sawasdee! · Hello! · 你好！) Our Week 7 learning cards take us to Thailand, a country in Southeast Asia known for its beautiful temples, natural scenery and long Buddhist tradition. The featured dish is Thai basil pork, called 打拋豬 in Chinese. The cards explain that it is a home-style dish in Thailand: pork is stir-fried with fresh holy basil leaves (打拋葉), chili and garlic, so it smells fragrant and tastes a little spicy.

The cards also tell us how it is eaten. It is usually served with white rice, and people often add a fried egg on top. Because it is simple and tasty, it became popular with families and at street stalls, and today people around the world enjoy its mix of sour, spicy and fragrant flavors.

Now look at our real school lunch. On the white plate, can you find the minced pork with green leaves and pieces of tomato? Around it are purple rice, tofu skin with red pepper and carrot, lettuce with corn, a bowl of sweet mung bean soup with tapioca pearls, a kiwi fruit and a bottle of soy milk. The cards show an example of the dish; our photograph records the meal served at school.

The cards illustrate one version of Thai basil pork. The school's full recipe has not been confirmed here. · 圖卡為料理示意；實際配方待核對。

Howdy! (Hello! · 你好！) This week our learning card visits two countries. On Thursday we travel to the United States. The featured dish is a fried pork chop with Cajun-style seasoning. Cajun cooking comes from Louisiana in the southern United States and is known for its bold mix of herbs and spices. The card describes the pork chop as crispy outside and tender inside, often eaten with lettuce, potatoes or a dipping sauce.

Now look at our real school lunch. Next to the purple rice, can you find the golden-brown pork chop? Around it are pumpkin with cabbage and mushrooms, leafy greens with small dried fish, a bowl of white radish and corn soup, a kiwi fruit, and two slices of brown sugar cake (黑糖糕) on a small pink plate. The card shows an example of the dish; our photograph records the meal served at school.

Earlier in the week, Tuesday lunch took us back to Korea with kimchi stir-fried rice cakes (泡菜炒年糕). The card explains that these chewy rice cakes are cooked in a sweet and spicy sauce, and that many people in Korea now enjoy new versions with cheese or ramen noodles. Do you remember our Korean-style mixed rice from Week 5?

The card illustrates the dishes; the school's full recipes have not been confirmed here. The dates printed on the card were planned in advance; this page follows the actual lunch days. · 圖卡為料理示意；實際配方待核對。圖卡日期為事前規劃，本頁依實際供餐日標示。