Japan Chronicles: Lunch time

I never realised watching people eat could be so intriguing.

Today I had lunch with the Grade 2.  
They'd sat patiently waiting for me to arrive and were clearly not too upset with me for this because as soon as I got to the door I was greeted with my customary 
"You're a super star!" greeting (albeit it didn't last as long this time).

Lunch was some sort of stew, an egg cake thing, and bread and jelly (first day of no rice after 8 mnths ...sheesh)
As soon as "Itadakimasu " was uttered, all 35 children burst open their bread packages, grabbed their jam sachets and got to work on making sandwiches.  One little girl at my table took a long while to spread the jam out to every corner - as though preparing the sandwich was equally pleasurable to eating it.  And savour it she did.  By the time she had finished eating that sandwich, my stew was more than half done.

A little boy made his sandwich, took one bite then put it down and had his stew (he went back to his sandwich when everything else was done).  A third child made his sandwich, put it to the side and started eating his stew.  Then half way through, as though it was some kind of reward, he put his chopsticks down and ate his sandwich.  One other boy took bites of the sandwich in between having the stew.  As soon as the sandwich was finished however he decided not to go further with the stew.

I've come to realise that Japanese kids (at least the ones I've met at my schools) are not generally finicky eaters.  I've never heard complaints about lunch (although in reality could I really tell if a student was complaining? LOL).  Their clean plates though is evidence.   I've also learned that attitude is primarily cultural.  Lunch is more than just the food they will consume but it's also a time of appreciation for those who have prepared it, those who serve it and the fact there's any food at all.  I like Japanese culture a whole lot - it's like every complaint I had back home has been solved in this society's way of life.  Some days when I observe the students and how they treat each other it reminds me of the Jesuit saying "give me the child for the first seven years and I'll give you the man".  There's so much in terms of just basic civility, I wish I could somehow take to Jamaica (I hear many people say that old  Jamaica was like that, but how could such qualities have been erased in the space of a few years?).

When I see how from the very 1st grade the teachers insist on certain kinds of behaviour, it explains why Japanese people are the way they are.  My role and influence here are different but I'm forever reminded that the role of the teacher in a child's life is far more important than some will even begin to think.