"Aruchat Eser"

For all those future olim out there, I figured I would give a lesson in making an Israeli school lunch, or "aruchat eser" as they call it here. There is no hot food at lunch in the Israeli public schools. In fact, there is no lunch room. The children bring food from home and eat at their desks. "What is aruchat eser?" you might ask. There is no simple answer. It can be interpreted as a snack or a meal, eaten at 10 o'clock in the morning consisting of a sandwhich and some healthy snacks.

You see, in America it is taught that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but here they teach, "Skip breakfast, and just eat at 10". That didn't work for me because I was waking up starving! So I just ate 4 meals: breakfast, 10, lunch (at 2 PM, when I got home), and then dinner. This wasn't really working for me either because it was starting to look like I would need a new wordrobe in the next size. I had no other choice but to become a nonconformist. Who cares if everyone in the teachers room and every child in the school is eating a meal at 10?! I declared I will NOT eat at aruchat eser, I will eat my lunch (and it will NOT be a sandwhich!) at my 12 o' clock break, case closed! I've been doing that for about a month now, and aside from the weird looks I get at 12 o'clock, its been working for me.

Working in an Israeli school I've learned what red-flags you as an American during lunch: Ziploc bags, aluminum foil, and peanut butter. Steer clear of these items and you'll fit right in. I've been studying the cultural phenomenon of aruchat eser and here is what I've absorbed thus far:

Sandwiches are wrapped in napkins, then placed in plastic sandwhich bags (but not ziplocs!). Sandwiches contain cheese or chocolate spread. The only "sweet" item they are allowed to bring is a "Shugi", the equivalent of a "Kudos" bar. Lunch boxes are packed with sliced fruit and vegetables! All food items are packed into the bulkiest plastic container one can find (no paper bags!) The children eat quietly in their seats and are allowed only to whisper. All I have to say is, it's a site to see!