The cafeteria menus in many public schools “suggest a universal idea of what constitutes American food,” with tacos as an ethnic crossover, says Civil Eats. “Now, change is under way. Cafeterias have begun to incorporate ingredients like wild rice and buffalo and serve items ranging from poi to fajitas.”
Incorporating native foods and cultural favorites into school meals are a way to increase the number of students who buy lunch. In Burlington, Vt., food service director Doug Davis has a clientele from dozens of nations and an array of traditions. The hot dog at Burlington schools is a turkey dog, acceptable to all of the dietary practices of students. The school district is buying more of its food from local farmers. “The district also began offering more choices” in the cafeteria, “such as DIY phở (a Vietnamese soup) and burrito stations—with veggie requirements—and a cook-to-order stir-fry line.”
Two charter schools on Kuai, Hawaii, are part of a farm-to-school project that “eventually aims to serve students breakfast and lunch every day and source 60 percent of meat and produce from Hawaiian farmers and producers,” said Civil Eats. For now, the project provides three meals a week, every other week. “Traditional items like poi—a pudding made of taro flour—make regular appearances, but she also gets creative, turning taro into veggie burgers and yogurt. And the meals feature produce from the new school garden.”