What's for lunch? A look at what schools around the world are dishing up.

• Author: Ross, Brooke
• Position: INTERNATIONAL

Whether it's toasted grasshoppers in Mexico, rice and beans in Brazil, or noodle soups in China, most of the world's 1 billion schoolchildren eat school lunches.

Some of that cafeteria fare is featured in the new book What's for Lunch? How Schoolchildren Eat Around the World, by Andrea Curtis.

"The way a country approaches what it feeds kids at school really reflects the values and priorities of that place," says Curtis.

The book looks at school lunches in 13 countries. Curtis uses each dish as a way to examine larger issues like war, poverty, and hunger. According to the United Nations, nearly 870 million, or one in eight, people around the world don't have enough to eat.

Seven of the meals are featured here. Keep in mind that each meal is a snapshot of a typical lunch* in a particular region; the amount and quality of food served in each country can vary greatly.

JAPAN TOKYO

Students in this Tokyo classroom take turns dishing out kyushoku (kai-u-shoh-kyoo), Japanese for school lunch. A typical meal consists of fish, such as grilled mackerel, and miso soup. Before digging in, students and teachers join in a chant that translates loosely as "thank you."

"It's all part of this notion of respecting the food and respectinq the people that you're eating with," Curtis explains.

U.S. ROSWELL, NEW MEXICO

Lunch at this U.S. school typically includes a main dish, a fruit, a vegetable, plus chocolate, strawberry, or regular milk.

Because the school's kitchen isn't equipped for cooking, the cafeteria staff reheats frozen and canned vegetables. However, "things ... are changing in the U.S.," Curtis says. "New programs are making sure that there's fresh, local produce in school meals."

RUSSIA DUBNA

Kids at this Russian school eat a hearty lunch of beet soup, beef, and kasha (buckwheat or other grains).

Russia was the biggest part of the Communist Soviet Union, which collapsed in 1991. Food shortages were common in the Soviet era, so the government encouraged people to eat meat and fats. Nutrition has since improved in Russia, Curtis explains: "Now, just like all over the world, there's more emphasis on produce."

FRANCE Nantes

Chefs prepare four-course lunches for students at this school in Nantes, 240 miles south of Paris. Salad is followed by a main course of lean meat and vegetables, a cheese course, and a dessert of fruit or a tart. Students are encouraged to eat slowly and savor the meal.

"France is well-known around the world as a country that...