The lunchbox has been a schoolyard staple ever since the heavy duty ‘lunch pails’ of the working man began being marketed to a smaller, stickier audience.
The basic idea hasn’t changed since then, but what’s inside couldn’t be more different.
Homemade sushi, lettuce cup sandwiches, green juices and ‘treat’ fruit now fill the esky-type devices held in the hands of Aussie kids. We decided to visit lunch over the past 30 years to see how much has changed.
EIGHTIES
Those attending school in the eighties would have been chuffed with two slices of bread adhered together with something sticky, a form of cheese that would never make it past today's food standards, a packet of chips and a vaguely fruity liquid.
The above image is a 'healthy' example of what made it to the lunch boxes or bags of thousands of eighties kids.
NINETIES
Nineties kids were a snack food company's dream. Lunches were packed to the hilt with Le Snaks, Tiny Teddies, Space Food Sticks, Mamee noodles, Dunkaroos, Bega Cheese Stringers, Roll-Ups and a poppa that contained enough 'fruit' to be considered a juice.
If you came from a 'healthy home', you might even see an actual piece of fruit too.
NOUGHTIES
Kids from 2000 - 2017 have been at the forefront of a kind of lunchbox revolution. Awareness around nut allergies, the detriments of high-release insulin foods and refined sugars has transformed the simple lunchbox to a kind of nutritional degustation.
At risk of being pelted by a bento box-wielding mum on my way home, I'm going to say a lot of these meals are bogus.
I'm not even exaggerating.
Here are a couple of lunchbox recipe suggestions by the NSW Government:
- Veggie Quesadillas
- Thai Chicken and Brown Rice Salad
- Salmon, Ricotta and Quinoa Cups
- Tuna Felafel and Tabouleh Salad
If I had asked my mother for a 'veggie quesadilla' she would have passed me some Panadol and asked when the delusions began.
Agree? Disagree? Refuse to serve your child anything less than a zucchini folded into three different origami birds? Share your thoughts below.
Looking for lunchbox tips that are 100 per cent doable? Listen below.
Top Comments
In the 80's, my primary school canteen ONLY sold healthy options. The only exception was on Friday when they would offer meat pies and sausage rolls. They sold things like watermelon, frozen grapes, humpty dumpty salad, vegetables sticks to name a few. We knew no different. There was no packaged food in sight. Why canteens switched to junk is beyond me. Some kids run on pure sugar during the school day which makes it very challenging for teachers to engage them.
I am a parent of two school aged kids and I have a rule of no packets in the lunch box no matter how tempted I am to throw something in from a packet. I'm responsible for what goes in there so this rule for myself is not negotiable. My kids are used to eating fresh. I find if I put the good food out, they eat it. If I put crap food out, they eat it so it hasn't been hard to keep them eating well, just keep the good stuff supplied, chop it in bits and away they go. They don't know any different and I will try to keep it that was as long as possible!
I think people stress too much over lunch box contents. It doesn't have to be a different five course meal every day.
Today my kids took a cheese and bacon topped bread roll (no filling required), a buttered dinner roll (leftovers from last night's dinner) a small nectarine and some pineapple, cherry toms, cucumber and cheese, and a small lamination square. About as fancy as I get, and only because it was shopping day yesterday. Not super healthy but not too bad. Nothing packaged. Nothing difficult to put together.
But by the end of the week it will probably be a jam sandwich, an apple, and some cheese and crackers if they're lucky!