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Lunch Box

 A listicle like many others but an informative read - specially the comments. Much to learn as such things go. Getting ready to complain to the PTA about fruit being served not being the ones in season is a such a great stretch compared to experiences I have had here with J going to public school. The school meal if it contained any kind of fresh fruit at all was a big win. Any expectations above and beyond would sound ridiculous even to the most over-zealous PTA parent. The only other experience I have of school is my own in India. The food we all ate for lunch came from home. A lucky few among us owned thermoses so their food was warm. The rest of us had tiffin-boxes of various kinds, some tiered others not. Opening those boxes would fill the air with aromas from different cultures and cuisines. It was a fantastic experience and never grew old. 

I cannot remember any kid's lunch box as being sad or boring. There was the mother's creativity and desire to feed the kid a filling meal. Some meals were healthier than the others but none were disappointing. We were happy to share with anyone and everyone. The standout feature of anyone's lunch-box would be the home-make pickles and chutneys. There were some mothers who were particularly gifted and their productions were in great demand. The poor kid had very little left after all the sharing was done. But they loved that everyone wanted what they had - it was a point of pride. Fresh fruit was in the mix - mangoes, guavas and papayas. Kids were not too thrilled by this part of the meal but it all got eaten in the end. 

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