Describing Aix-en-Provence without cliches like ‘sun-drenched’ and ‘charming’ is next to impossible. In the heart of France’s Provence region, it’s a gorgeous medieval city, full of art and culture, lovely restaurants, and intricate water fountains (a legacy of Roman rule). Wandering through one gorgeous little square after another, you realize why Aix (as the locals call it) is one of the places that the French, as well as foreigners, dream of visiting. (I blogged about them earlier this year, but couldn’t resist ‘visiting’ (even virtually) again!)

So, what are French kids eating this week in Aix?

Monday, November 21st
Organic green salad & organic bread
Meatballs in tomato sauce with spaghetti
Cheese
Île flottante (A sweet baked meringue treat floating on top of fruit sauce)

Tuesday, November 22nd
Saucisson (Dried sausage similar to pepperoni or salami) & organic bread
Minced fowl with sauce suprême
Stir-fried ‘forest vegetables’ (your guess is as good as mine here!)
Fresh fruit and yogurt

Wednesday, November 23rd
no school

Thursday, November 24th
Cucumber salad & organic bread
Breaded fish, with vegetable purée
Fromage blanc*
Fresh fruit

*Fromage blanc (also called fromage frais) is a soft, creamy cheese made from milk. It has a consistency somewhat like firm ricotta (or very soft cream cheese), but with fewer calories.

Friday, November 25th
Chicken paëlla & organic bread
Cheese
Pineapple with fruit syrup and whipped cream

Unlike some of the other menus I’ve listed in previous weeks, this one is quite conservative in terms of tastes-most French kids would happily eat everything on this menu. Would yours?

This blog post is part of my French Kids School Lunch Project. Every week, I post the school lunch menus from a different village or town in France, where three-course, freshly-prepared hot lunches are provided to over 6 million children in the public school system every day. These meals cost, on average, $3 per child per day (and prices for low-income families are subsidised). My hope is that these menus (together with my other blog posts about the French approach to kid’s food) will spark a conversation about what children CAN eat, and how we can do better at educating them to eat well.