For perspective: I come from a country where “cafeteria” food at school is good and affordable (most is less than the equivalent of 5-10 USD max and it’s not slop, it’s actual food), but it’s not an obligation for everyone since it’s up to the student if they want to buy something or bring their own lunch.
The “cafeteria” in my school isn’t a typical American one, rather it’s closer to a canteen where they sell food you can purchase from cup noodles, fried stuff, sandwiches, baked goods, etc. also appliances like a kettle or microwave are available in the dining hall for students to heat up left overs if they wanted.
The thing I tend to notice from American schools (according to US movies, there’s bias whether it’s true or false) is that they tend to depict kids always heading for the cafeteria for recess or lunch picking up whats available instead of bringing their own food from home (left overs from dinner), why is that the case?
You can bring your own food. Cafeteria food in the US (at least, from my childhood) was notoriously bad. Back in the day they didn’t really care about whether or not you could eat it either, if you couldn’t you got a cold alternative dish.
Another factor is poverty however. Poorer families are more likely to rely on the cafeteria system. Rich families provide their kids with high quality food.
For sure. My school has free breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the kids. They still throw 80% of it directly in the trash because it isn’t Takis or McDonald’s.