I Ate School Lunch From Every Country

Watch to the end to see my least favorite school lunch

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Nick:
In this video, I’m trying the most popular
school lunches in the world. And while some were delicious… Max:
That was one of the best bites I’ve ever had in
my life. Nick:
…others were not so good. I can’t tell what looks worse: us or the food. And we’re starting in North America with the
United States, where the typical school lunch is dino
nuggets, mashed potatoes, fresh fruit and vegetables
and chocolate milk. Max:
I remember eating this exact school lunch as
a kid. Nick:
Something very classic with American school
lunches is that they like to turn things into fun shapes. Like making chicken nuggets into
the shape of dinosaurs. Max:
It just makes them taste better. Nick:
Go ahead and do the honors! Max:
Obviously, starting with T-Rex. Nick:
I’m gonna go with the Stegosaurus. A little
dip in the mashed potatoes. Max:
That’s a wild move. That brings me back. Nick:
So good. So unhealthy. In fact, school lunch in the US is so
unhealthy that a slice of pizza counts as your serving of vegetables because of the
tomato sauce. Max:
That’s really bad. Nick:
This is an important thing now,
Max. Opening the chocolate milk. The key is really that you gotta peel all
the way back first and then boom! Just like that. I’ll feed you. Max:
Mhm! That is actually incredible. Nick:
There’s just nothing like getting off the
playground, being all sweaty and eating dino nuggets with chocolate milk. One more thing
with American school lunches is that oftentimes your parents will write you a
little note in your lunchbox. So I got both of our moms to write us a note. Max: No! Are you serious?
Nick: Yeah. Max:
Is it actually my mom? Nick:
It is really your mom. Max:
No way! Nick:
My note says: “Have a great day! I hope you get to play with Max during
recess. Love, Mom.” Max:
Hi, sweetie! Enjoy your blueberries!” Do I…did I…
Wait! What? Nick:
She didn’t even give you any blueberries. Max:
“Let’s read more Harry Potter tonight! Love, Mom. Smiley face.” How did you get ahold of my mom? Nick:
For every school lunch in this video,
we’re also gonna give it a ranking on a Tier List. So for the United States… Delicious food, but a bit too unhealthy. I think it’s fair to put it in “C” tier. And now let’s move to Canada,
where we’ll have pizza, carrot sticks and ice cream
cup and apple juice. The cool thing is: Fridays in Canadian schools
are pizza day. All the kids wait all week for pizza day. Max:
To be fair, I would too. Nick:
Look at the mini pepperonis! Max: Yeah.
Nick: Look how cute they are! Max:
Decent bottom crust though. I’m feeling good about this. Nick: Not bad.
Max: Look at the thickness of the bread! Nick:
The crust is sweet. Max: It’s so incredibly bad that it’s good.
Nick: Carrot sticks. I feel like you need something to dip them
in, but…I’ve never been one to turn down a good
carrot stick. Of everything on this platter, though, the thing I love most is the ice
cream cup. Max:
That is a blast from the past. Mhm! It is so distinctive, that fluffiness… Nick:
Makes me want to melt Max.
But what’s so amazing is the wooden stick that comes with it. If you actually take the
wooden stick…and you kind of suck the air out of it, you taste that wooden flavor. Max:
Wow! Ooh! I’m getting it. Nick:
Last thing: juice box. These straws were
always annoying. Max:
Extremely. Nick: They’re just not strong enough.
Max: Aha!
Nick: Look at this! It’s already smushed. I can’t get it in. There it is. Max:
Actually, that’s pretty good. Nick:
I don’t know if any of you used to do this as
a kid, but once you finish a juice box,
you blow it up again… …and then you put it down and stomp on it. Max: Whoa! Nick: Oh!
Max: I think it’s fair to say Canada’s school
lunch gets a “C” tier. “C” for Canada. Nick:
And that brings us to Mexico, where we’ll have
a ham and cheese “torta”, Tajin cucumbers, carrot sticks,
mayonnaise packets and Agua Fresca. One thing about school lunch in Mexico is
that lots of students go home to eat with their families, but when they do eat at
school, it looks something like this. Max:
It looks very healthy. Nick:
I want to start with the Tajin cucumbers. They look so crunchy and well seasoned. Max:
What am I experiencing right now? Nick:
They love Tajin and Chamoy so much in Mexico
that kids will actually have keychains on their backpacks like this. If you want a
little more Tajin on your cucumber, just pop it open! Max:
Don’t mind if I do. That’s…okay. That’s gonna be excessive here. Ooh! Que rico [Tastes good]! Nick:
Our “torta” is just a Mexican sandwich, essentially. You can put a variety of
different things inside it. But as you can see with this one, we’ve got all sorts of
fresh fruits, vegetables… Quick, simple on the go lunch. Max:
We were missing out growing up. That right there is a school lunch. Nick:
Super flavorful, super fresh. Max:
10 times better than anything else we’ve had
today. It’s even common to add on a little bit of mayo. Nick:
And the best part is washing it down with
some Agua Fresca, which is fruit infused water. Let’s see! It’s basically just like a cold tea. In
the heat that you probably have on a playground in Mexico, this must be extremely
refreshing. Max:
This would hit the spot. Nick:
We’re gonna put Mexican school lunch in “B”
tier, and move on now to Jamaica, where a typical school lunch is fried
chicken, peas and rice, mac and cheese,
plantains, a side of fruit and fruit punch. Max:
We are really leveling up here. Nick:
Yeah. This looks unbelievable. Even this. Look at this thing! I say we divide and conquer. Max:
I feel like I gotta do mac and cheese on the
chicken. School lunch or not, that was one of the best
bites I’ve ever had in my life. Max: Put some mac and cheese on there! They just
pair so well together.
Nick: Mhm! Oftentimes kids will take their mound of rice,
and they’ll take some of this Jamaican gravy, and they make a little volcano. While you eat that, I’m gonna set up the
drink. I love the way they serve the drink in a little pouch like that. Max:
And everybody knows that blue tastes better. Nick:
If I had this lunch every single day,
I would be a very happy student. Max:
“Jamaican me crazy” with this school lunch. It’s getting an “A” tier. Nick:
And now that we’ve finished in North America,
we’ll move on to South America, where we’ll start with Brazil to have rice and beans,
ground beef, a side salad, Jell-O
and cashew juice. Max: This looks amazing. I’m kind of…
Nick: Da-da-da-da-da! Hold on, hold on! In Brazil,
everybody needs to scan their ID card before they eat. I made us both a Brazilian student
ID, just in case we ever go back to school in Brazil. Max:
This is hilarious. Why do I look way more handsome than you? Nick:
Before either of us eats,
I’m gonna scan these. Max, yours isn’t scanning. Max: The principal called my mom. Everything’s
fine.
Nick: Sorry, Max! Nick:
You can’t eat lunch today. Ah! Nick: Mine’s scanned. I’m good.
Max: What? Nick:
Alright. Where do I begin? Maybe a little
bit of the beans and rice. Looks like there’s some bacon in there. Wow! This rice has been cooked to perfection in
bacon and bacon fat. And when you pair that with the ground beef…
it is unbelievably good. Everything tastes so incredibly fresh. And part of the reason is because it’s the
law in Brazil that lunch must be cooked fresh every day, and one third of it needs to come
from nearby farms. That makes the food even better. I’m so happy I paid my lunch bill for this
one, because this is good. I’ve never had cashew juice before. Max:
Let me guess, it tastes amazing. Nick:
It’s fruity, but at the same time it’s
naturally really creamy. It’s really good. Last stop here: Jell-O soccer ball. Look at that thing! I feel bad,
I feel bad. Max:
Ah! Nick:
I’d ask Max what rank he thinks we should
give this, but he’s not gonna be any help. So we’re gonna put Brazilian school lunch in “A”
tier. That rice was too good. And now let’s move to Argentina,
where we’ve got “Chicken Milanesa” with salad, white rice, bread, fresh lemon mayonnaise and
pineapple juice. “Milanesa” is this fried and breaded chicken
here. And Argentinian people love it so much that
they have a national holiday called “National Milanesa Day”. Max:
It looks like something you’d order at a
restaurant. Nick:
Every “Milanesa” comes with fresh lemon,
and it is never eaten without a huge squeeze of lemon over the top. Hear that crunch? Max:
Crunch! Nick:
A lot of students also love adding mayonnaise
to their “Milanesa”, so we’re gonna try the same. Max:
That’s a lot of mayo there, Nick. Creaminess
from the mayo and the acidity from that lemon…so good. Nick:
Another thing I love here is they put some
butter on the rice. There’s really nothing like simple buttered white rice. This, for me, is closest to what I would want
to have at school lunch every single day. You’ve got carbs, you’ve got protein,
you’ve got healthy, fresh greens and even this really delicious
looking juice box. One of the best juice box sips I’ve ever had. Max:
What? Nick: I might start buying these, just to have…
Max: Mhm! Argentina’s school lunch… We’re going with “A” tier. Nick:
And now on to Colombia, where we’ve got “Arroz
con Pollo”, vegetable soup, plantains,
hot sauce and passion fruit juice. What do you think? Max:
I mean, it looks stunning. Nick:
Lunch is the biggest and most important meal
of the day in Colombia. So this is a big deal right here. Apparently, we’re supposed to eat the soup
first. Not my favorite, but it’s good. Max: There’s something in there that’s very
unique.
Nick: Mhm! The corn is really sweet and tender. Max:
That’s actually game changer. Nick:
Let’s add a little “Aji” to our rice here! Spice things up a little! I love the “Aji” on there. Max:
Ooh! A little kick at the end though. Nick:
The plantains here are said to be so sweet
that the kids actually call them “banana candy”. So it’s almost like a dessert. Max:
Nice crisp on the outside,
but kind of dense and chewy. Nick:
I’ve always see here for a Colombian school
lunch, my eyes are drawn to the bagged passion fruit juice. Max:
How do we approach that? Nick:
I honestly think we just toss 2 straws in
there and just go for it. Max:
This feels dangerous. Mhm! Nick:
Mhm! Max:
Wow! It’s almost creamy. Nick:
That tastes like somebody juiced it 5
minutes ago. We’re gonna give Columbian school lunch a solid “B” tier. Max:
I’d call it a “B+”. Nick:
And with that we finished in South America
and are moving on to Europe, where we’ll start in France to eat a
multi-course school lunch that includes a salad, some roast chicken and vegetables,
a bread and cheese plate, some fruit for dessert and water. France takes their school lunch very
seriously. In fact, students get between 1 and 1.5 hours just for lunch. Max: Wow!
Nick: First course is a shredded carrot salad. This is so fancy. Max:
Almost too fancy. Nick:
Really fresh. Max:
10 times healthier than any school lunch
I’ve ever had in America. Nick:
And the rules, by the way,
for school lunch in France are very strict. No soda, no candy, no vending machines on
campus at all. All the food is cooked from scratch by chefs
and no more than 4 times a month can you have any fried food. Max:
That is impressive. Nick:
The second course is roast chicken with
vegetables. Max:
It’s simple, but it looks like French food. Nick:
Let’s check the crispy skin! The chicken is incredibly well cooked. Max:
Crispy skin, juicy meat. Nick:
The craziest part is: you get one of these
fancy napkins that you’d get in a nice French restaurant. We didn’t even talk about the
fact that this is served on an actual plate. Max:
I noticed that we’ve stayed clear of the
broccoli. Open up! Nick: Oh, no, no, no, no, no! I thought you’ll have it.
Max: You said yummy. You said yummy. Nick:
No, no, no! I…it’s…I…I…I… Max:
Well, yeah… Nick:
Course #3…bread and cheese plate. Max:
I cannot believe they’re serving high quality
cheese at school. Nick:
Wow! Max:
It’s simple, but it just hits the spot. Nick:
Now for dessert…a piece of fruit. Max:
Presentation on point. Nick:
I know a piece of fruit might seem like such
a lame dessert, but for me, it’s actually perfect. We wash it down with a little water. Max:
A bunch of points for presentation,
but just not quite exciting enough. French school lunch is getting “B” tier. Nick:
Continuing on to Italy,
a typical school lunch is “Chicken al Forno”, tomato pasta, salad and a water. Max:
Mamma mia! This looks like real food. Start here with that “Chicken al Forno”. Nick:
I’m gonna have a little bit of this tomato
pasta. Max:
It’s like a perfect roast chicken. Nick:
Italian schools always use olive oil instead
of butter. I’m going to open it up and drizzle it across
our salad if you’re okay with that, Max. It’s so fancy for a school lunch to have fresh
olive oil. Max:
It really adds to it. Nick:
And then you see how we have those little
tomato bits left at the bottom there. You then just take your fresh bread,
and then you’re meant to use it as a mop to make sure you get every last bit of that
sauce, so that your plate is completely clean. Did you already have some water? Was it good?
Max: I had a little bit, yeah. Nick:
Did it taste like Italian water? Max:
It tasted exactly like water. Max: Aaah!
Nick: Oh! Whoa! Did you see how it sprayed out? Max: Ah!
Nick: We gotta see that in slow motion. Max:
(Distorted:) Aaah! Nick:
Italian school lunch was just slightly above
average. So we’ll go with “B” tier, and move on to Spain,
where lunch is served in a 3 course meal that includes soup and rice,
fish and salad and a small dessert. Course #1…soup and rice. Max:
I usually hate soup. That is one of the best
soups I’ve ever had. Nick: Let’s go to Course #2!
Max: Whoa, whoa, whoa!
Nick: What, you want more? Max: It tastes so good.
Nick: For Course #2, we’ve got fish and a side
salad. Fish in Spanish schools is served at least 2
to 3 times a week. They love fish. Max:
Really? Cafeteria is definitely…pungent. Nick:
It’s a little bit of a sad piece of fish. I
would have liked some better presentation here. It tastes a lot better than it looks. And then side salad. Who doesn’t love a side
salad? Max:
Me. Very healthy. I feel like as a young kid
though, I would not be pumped about this. Max at 12 years old, this over pizza… Max: We’re going pizza all day.
Nick: Now Course #3…the dessert.
We’ve got flan. Do you like flan? Max:
I love a good flan. Nick:
I don’t like flan. Max:
Really? Nick:
Look at it! It’s like Jell-O, but worse. Ew! Nah, I don’t like it. Max:
Mhm! That is absolutely fantastic. Nick:
Before we give our tier ranking, there’s one
more thing. In Spain they care so much about what the students think of the food that they
actually at one school used emojis to let the students rate the meal. So why don’t you hold up the 1 or 2 that come
to mind? I’ll do the same. Max:
I don’t know about the first 2 dishes,
but that dessert…I’m in love. Nick:
I’m gonna go with 2. I’ve got the confused
emoji. I’ve also got the fire emoji. I don’t understand why they paired that rice
with that soup, but the overall experience was fire. Max:
Spain’s school lunch is getting “B” tier. Nick:
And this brings us to the United Kingdom,
where students get fish fingers, baked beans,
chips, a bread roll and grape juice. There’s a reason my tray
looks better than Max’s here, and that’s because in the United Kingdom,
better behaved students can earn Golden Table privileges, which come with shiny gold
tableware and the perk of being served before everyone else. Max:
That’s not fair. Nick:
You should have behaved. Max, I’m gonna
show you a little lunch hack that some students do. You take a roll of bread, and you
cut that roll of bread open, and then you stack on some of these nice
crispy fish fingers, then French fries. Max:
Chips, as they say. Nick:
And last but not least,
I’ll put some of those Heinz baked beans over the top. This is a UK lunch hack called a
“fish finger sandwich”. Max:
You can enjoy your fancy sandwich,
your “gold” this, that or the other thing. I’m gonna eat
them like a normal person. Nick: It also tastes better with the gold tray and
the gold plate and the gold placemat.
Max: Oh, yeah, yeah! For sure, dude. Nick: Wash it down with a little grape juice.
Max: Mhm!
Nick: I love how fancy my lunch is. Look how much more fun I’m having than Max! You want a bite of my sandwich? Max:
Sure. Nick:
Sike! Max:
Oh! That’s called bullying. Alright? Nick:
I love this lunch. I’d give it a “B” tier. Max:
Honestly…I think it’s an “F”. Nick:
He’s only saying that because he didn’t have
a gold plate. Max:
I’ll meet you at “D”. Nick:
Fine. The UK’s school lunch gets “D” tier. And
we’ll move now to Sweden, which serves meatballs,
boiled potatoes, crisp bread, lingonberry jam and whole milk. Before we eat… Sweden is famous for having its teachers come
in and sit with the students to teach proper posture, proper eating habits… So I invited my old history teacher to come
in and just watch over us while we eat. Nick: How are you?
Teacher: How are you?
Nick: What’s going on, Mr. Petherick? Max: How’s it going? Very nice to meet you. Max.
Teacher: You too.
Max: I’m a little nervous now. We got a teacher here.
Teacher: Yeah. Nick:
With that, Max… Nick: Dive in!
Max: You already know I’m going for the
meatballs. Nick: I’m gonna go for one of these…
Teacher: Nice use of the fork, Nick. Max:
Uh-oh! Is that detention? Nick:
I’m gonna dip it in the jam. This jam…lingonberry jam… It’s a little bit less tart than cranberries,
but they put it on everything. So you can put it on this crisp bread. You can put it on
your meatballs, your potatoes…
It’s delicious with everything. Max:
I might do them all together. Teacher:
Be careful with the spillage there! Max:
Okay. My bad. Sorry! Uh…
I’m making a mess. Nick:
Show Max how it’s done, by the way! Teacher: Fork…
Max: Okay.
Teacher: …right into the jam. Max:
Alright. Nick: Yep. No spillage.
Teacher: Yeah, no spillage. Nick:
See that? Max, go ahead and try it again! A
little bit more polite this time. I’m gonna get some jam. Teacher: Maintain that posture!
Nick: Straight up?
Teacher: Straight up. Nick: Got it. It’s always good to sit up straight
while you’re eating. That’s true.
Max: Yep. Nick:
You gotta try this, Max. Teacher:
No talking with your mouth full. Nick:
Yep. Nick: I forgot.
Max: The one time there’s a teacher here
watching, I can’t get it together. Nick:
I’m a huge fan of the school lunch in Sweden
so far. It’s simple. And I love the jam. Max:
It really ties it all together. Nick:
It’s delicious. Mr. Petherick, you got a
final grade for our behavior during this lunch here. Teacher:
Yeah, a solid “B+”. You know,
improvements could always be made. Max:
I feel like I brought down our grade,
but I’ll take “B+”. Teacher: Alright.
Nick: And now that you’ve graded us,
every school lunch is gonna get a ranking on a Tier List. So you want to help us give
this one the ranking? Teacher:
Sure. We’re gonna give Sweden a “B” tier
ranking. Max, come over here for a minute! You did a
good job today, but you just gotta keep working on your manners. And if it happens
again, you spilling stuff on yourself, I’m gonna have to talk to your mom. Nick:
Moving on to Finland. We’ve got pea soup,
rye bread, carrot and tomato salad,
“orange kiissely” and skim milk. In Finland, they eat in complete silence for
the first 10 minutes to encourage mindful eating. So we’re gonna do exactly that.
(Whispers:) Shh! Eat! Max:
Oh! Nick:
Okay. We can talk now. We did some damage,
huh? Max:
I wish the food tasted better. Nick:
Finland is famous for offering free school
lunch to every single student. And every single Thursday is pea soup day
across all sorts of places in Finland: hospitals, schools, the military… That’s why we have pea soup. Max:
I know exactly what day I’d be skipping
school. Nick:
I actually happen to disagree. I like the pea
soup. I think it’s seasoned super,
super well. But I know you’re thinking “F” tier,
so I’ll settle with you at “D” tier. And that brings us to Germany for some
“Chicken Schnitzel”, mashed potatoes, peas and water. Wow! I can’t tell what looks worse: us or the food. Max:
Oh, boy! Nick:
What do you guys think? I think it’s probably
me and Max. How about this? Subscribe if you think we look worse, and like the video if you think the food looks worse! Before we
eat, I think it’s good to let you know that the
students in Germany call this food “Flugzeugessen”, which means “airplane food”, because
it’s really bland, comes on a tray and it always tastes the
same. Max:
I’m feeling optimistic. Nick:
The “Schnitzel” does look pretty good.
I don’t know, Max. Max:
I’ll be honest. It’s a little dry. Nick:
It’s dry with no seasoning. Max:
Let me help you out with that,
Nick! Nick:
Mhm! If there’s anything that can help German
school lunch, it is Osmo. Max:
I’m not just saying this because I like Osmo…
10 times better. Nick:
Let’s try some peas! Here comes the airplane. Max:
Aaah! Tastes absolutely horrible. Nick:
This is mean to feed kids this. I know we’re not through every country yet,
but this might be the most boring school lunch in the world. Max:
It’s gotta go “F” tier.
Nick: Couldn’t agree more. We’re moving on
to Russia to have chicken cutlet, beet salad, beet soup and tea. In some Russian towns,
grandmothers come to serve the food. So I’ve brought in a Russian grandmother to
serve this one for us. Grandmother:
Da [Yes]. Max:
What is that?
Nick: I should explain, Max.
She doesn’t speak any English, so she has absolutely no idea what you’re saying. Max:
Who’s this? Grandmother:
(Speaks Russian:) Oh, such an excellent tea. Tea. Hooray! Nick: I think she’s drinking…
Grandmother: (Speaks Russian:) I shouldn’t drink it? It’s very good.
(In English:) Very good. Very good. Nick: Here we go.
Grandmother: Da [Yes]. Max:
Okay. Grandmother:
Oh! Nick:
Max! Do you want to start trying the chicken
cutlet? I think she’s gonna cut it for us. Grandmother:
(Speaks Russian:) Ooh! You are such a lovely boy. Nick: I’m gonna try this soup, Max. Mhm!
Grandmother: (Speaks Russian:) That is considered Russian cuisine then. Nick:
Try it! Nick: Yeah!
Max: Interesting. Nick:
A fun fact about Russian school
lunches that it’s actually called “obed”, which means “dinner”, because this is the main
hot meal of the day. And then in Russian tradition,
you always have tea. Max:
Ochen’ vkusno [Very delicious]. Grandmother:
Ochen’ vkusno [Very delicious]. Very good. Da. Nick:
I would say the food here was a bit basic,
but the experience was incredible. So we’ll go with a nice even “C” tier. And now with Europe done, we’ll move on to
Africa, where we’ll start in Morocco with a vegetable couscous, tomato-cucumber salad,
fresh figs and mint tea. Max:
I’ve just got one thought. Where’s the meat,
Nick? Nick:
Not everything needs meat, Maximus. Max:
Crazy flavor profile. Nick:
Unreal. Max: A depth of flavor you wouldn’t expect.
Nick: You see? Not everything actually needs meat. I can
tell this is gonna be filling. Max:
We’re gonna have to agree to disagree. Nick:
The other thing I noticed right away…these
fresh cucumbers and tomatoes. Max:
Summing up this meal with one word… It’s just fresh. Nick:
Even that fresh chopped parsley on the
vegetables elevates this school lunch to a whole new level. Max:
What’s going on here, Nick? Nick:
Morocco is incredibly famous for its tea.
And I’m not sure if you’ve seen this in videos, but in Moroccan tea culture,
the higher the pour, the better the foam. People in Morocco are so
good at pouring the tea from high up that kids will actually learn this and practice
this at home, because it’s a real skill to have. You know, I’m competitive,
Max. So we’re gonna do a little challenge. Who can
pour from higher without spilling? I feel like we’re not gonna be able to agree who
does better on this. So we’re gonna let you decide. Comment down below who does a better job with this right now!
Not bad. Create that foam, Max! Nick: No spillage! Oh!
Max: Oh! Nobody saw that. Nick: Wow! Oh!
Max: Yeah! Pretty good. Here’s a look at my spillage. And now, Nick, you’re up. Nick:
Here we go. Not even close. Here’s a look at my results and my spillage. Comment below! We need to know who you think
won. Max:
As for the rating, Morocco’s school lunch is
getting a “B” tier. Nick:
Moving on to Nigeria,
a typical school lunch is “Jollof Rice”, steamed vegetables, stewed chicken and
Chivita Juice. “Jollof Rice” is one of the most popular dishes
in all of West Africa, and I am very excited to try it. Max:
It smells insane. You have to try that. Nick:
Is it amazing? Max:
So good. It’s so flavorful. Nick: It’s the perfect amount of spice.
Max: Mhm! Nick:
Watch when I break this chicken too! It is fall
apart tender. Go ahead! Max:
Amazing. Insanity. Nick:
It’s a little bit like an Indian curried
chicken. This chicken, by the way,
is so popular in West Africa that kids call it “party chicken”, because it’s served at
parties. People love it that much. And speaking of parties,
a lot of schools actually have a dance party with music during lunchtime,
so we’re gonna do exactly that. Not gonna lie, Max…
I think Nigeria deserves our very first “S” tier. Max:
Well deserved. Nick:
Next up is Ethiopia, where a typical school
lunch is “injera” with lentils stew, cooked vegetables and mango juice. Visually, what do we think? Max:
Looks like a sponge… Nick:
Yes, this is a spongy fermented flatbread. It’s traditional in Ethiopia for kids to eat
off the same tray. So what we can do is just tear the “injera”. It smells really good. Max:
Almost like sourdough. Nick:
I almost don’t want to eat it. I just want to
play with it. What we do here is we use our right hand to dip it into the stew,
soak up some of the juice in there, and then you eat. Amazing. Those soft chickpeas,
the seasoning in there… That’s one of the best bites of food I’ve had
in a while. I didn’t tell Max this yet, but traditionally in Ethiopia,
people will give each other what’s called a “gursha”, which is a bite fed by hand,
and it’s a sign of love or friendship. So, Max, please open up! Max:
Wait! Do you love me or you’re my friend? Nick:
He licked my fingers a little bit. That’s
okay. I’m gonna start going around asking all my friends for “gursha”. The lentil stew look expertly
cooked. Max:
If those lentils taste good,
this might be “S” tier. Nick:
They’re all right.
Max: They’re all right. I still think it
might be “S” tier. Nick:
I think the same exact thing. Max:
I’m just gonna say it. Ethiopia’s school lunch… That is an easy “S” tier. Nick:
Moving on to South Africa,
we have “pap and beans”, a Polony sandwich and Ceres juice. Right away, the “pap” here almost looks like a
circular chicken breast. Max:
I think it’s like an…a half onion to me or
something. Nick:
This right here is a thick corn porridge,
and we’re gonna eat it in the traditional style with our hands. We grab some of the “pap”,
and you kind of mush it together.
Max: Aha! Nick:
Okay? Like this. Hold that with your 4
fingers, and then you want to go onto the beans,
and you use your thumb to kind of smush the beans into it. And we’ve got a beautiful bite
right there of “pap and beans”. Then in you go. The flavor combination is so
unique. It’s a little bit earthy. Nick: It’s almost like a little bit grainy. But
then there’s a bit of a sweet corn flavor.
Max: Is it supposed to taste like that?s Nick:
The great thing is: you can wash it down with
some Ceres juice. It’s a really popular South African brand. Max:
Almost like a pineapple flavor. Nick:
Polony sandwich. We would call it “Bologna”.
They call it “Polony”. I always like Bologna. Max:
There’s something about it. It’s not premium
per se, but it’s so good. Nick:
These might not be my favorite flavors of
anything we’ve had, but in ranking this one, I’m gonna give a lot of extra points for the
experience of eating it. We’ll put South African school lunch right in
the middle at “C” tier. Next up is Egypt, where we’ll have “ful medames”,
“baladi” bread, carrots and sugar cane juice. Commonly in Egypt, students actually go out
and buy their lunch from street vendors because there’s all sorts of amazing street
food in Egypt. And what they most often buy is this thing
right here called “ful medames”. Max:
It’s slow cooked fava beans that are seasoned
with lemon juice, olive oil, and different seasonings. Nick:
And this here is “baladi” bread or Egypt’s
version of pita. We’ll open this up and then take some of
those stewed fava beans to make a pita pocket. Max:
There’s no beef in here. No meat. It’s just beans. Nick:
Just beans. Max:
It’s a little bitter. Nick:
I’m falling somewhere right in the middle
here. Before we make any judgments, let’s try the sugar cane juice! Kids will normally go
to street stands for this as well, and get that amazing fresh pressed sugar cane
juice. I personally love sugar cane juice. This is not quite there, since it’s canned,
but it’s still very good. One other thing: in Egyptian street food culture, the vendors
will often hand the kids a free pickle or olive, so I’ve got one in each hand. Make your choice! Boom! That means I got the olive. Makes it a little
more fun. On the one hand, I love that kids are going
out and getting their food from street vendors. That’s such a cool thing to do. Max:
It’s like a little mini field trip throughout
the day. Nick:
But on the other hand,
I just wish it was a little bit more exciting. Max:
Not my favorite. Egypt’s school lunch… We’re going with “D” tier. Nick:
And that means we finished with Africa. So now let’s head to Asia with our first stop
being Japan, where students get “chicken katsu
curry”, rice, “Miso soup” and fresh milk. For this section, Max is dressed up as one of
the students from the lunch team. Because there are no janitors in Japanese schools,
the students take turns serving food, cleaning up and wiping down trays,
meaning that the entire school lunch is run by students like Max. They also don’t eat in
a cafeteria. Instead, students are served at their desks
in the classroom, so we’re gonna do the same. Thank you! Oh, and before I eat…
most kids bring their own chopsticks in cute cases like this. It’s a total flex to have cool ones like
mine. Max, what’d you bring? Max:
Only my favorite chopsticks. Nick:
Hello Kitty? Max:
Mine totally got mixed up with someone
else’s. Nick:
This “chicken katsu curry” is one of the best
things we’ve seen all day, and I’m not surprised. Listen to this! And now the best part: I get to wash it down
with some fresh Japanese milk. This might be the creamiest milk I’ve ever
had. I’m putting Japanese school lunch right up in
“A” tier. Next is South Korea, where we’ll have “pork
bulgogi” with “Doenjang-jjigae soup”, rice, seaweed sheets,
kimchi, bean sprouts and strawberry milk. Max:
This is what I’m talking about. So many side
dishes, but the South Koreans also nail the meat. Nick:
When I think of South Korean food,
I think of these massive spreads of food, where you can pick from all these different
dishes. And this school lunch looks like exactly that. I’m gonna take a seaweed sheet
here. Max:
Put you a little pork on there. You need some kimchi. Rice on there. Nick:
Thank you! A few bean sprouts. I’m gonna go for this one in 1 bite. Boom! I get sweet, I get salty,
I get sour, I get crispy, I get everything. I’m gonna open up the
strawberry milk here. Mhm! Max:
Good? Nick:
Yeah. The soup is always served piping hot. Sometimes the kids will stir in a little bit
of rice to try to cool it down. We’d also be expected to finish all this food, because
South Korean schools are very serious about food waste. They have the most high tech
school lunch system in the world, and use AI scanners to track the food waste
every single day. Max:
My plate would be cleared every time. South Korea’s school lunch is getting
“S” tier. Nick:
That’s a hard one to beat. We’re moving on to
India, where we have “vegetable sabzi”,
“aloo paratha”, “roti”, “achar” and mango juice. India serves 100 million children school
lunch every single day, and traditionally it’s served in what’s
called a “tiffin”. Max:
That is the coolest looking lunchbox I’ve
ever seen. Nick:
The problem is: I have no idea how to open it.
Here. Let’s just… Max: I’ll take the base.
Nick: That’s around. Oh!
Max: Wow, hey!
Nick: 1…
Max: 2… Nick:
3, 4. Kids will bring their own pickled
vegetables that their parents made. And everyone likes to trade with each other
to see what other people’s pickles taste like. Max:
I’ll smell your pickle. Nick:
Oh, mine smell way better than yours. I’m not
trading with you. In India, lunch is also most commonly eaten on a rug on the classroom
floor. So here we are. Let’s dig in! I’m just gonna
grab some of this and get some potato in there.
Max: That’s a strong lack of flexibility right now. I can’t even get to the food. Nick:
Definitely delicious. Max:
I got a cramp in my oblique. One second. Nick:
Ooh! This is spicy. Max:
I don’t know if I could last more than,
like, half a day in India. This is really tough. Nick:
You may need that. Here is a piece of my
pickle. How is it? Max:
My mom’s are better, but it’s pretty good. Nick:
There’s no way your mom’s are better. Max:
This recipe has been passed down for
generations. Nick:
Wow! Those are very tasty. Oh, yours are super spicy. Max:
My hands are even burnt. I’m sweating. I’m gonna call my mom after
this. Nick:
I need to go drink some milk, so while I can
still talk, I’m gonna give Indian school lunch “A” tier. Next is Thailand,
where we’ve got sauteed chicken, rice soup, a fried egg, watermelon,
and a yogurt drink. Once again, we’ve got fun shapes for the
kids. This cute little guy is a little rice
elephant. Max:
I thought it was a dog. Nick:
In Thailand, you hold your spoon in your
right hand and use your fork in your left hand to push the food into your spoon,
and then… You gotta try that. Max:
Really? Nick:
The flavors…off the charts. What a perfectly cooked egg! Max:
Just takes it over the top. Nick:
I’m gonna try this soup here. I love the flavor of that. Max:
Almost like a “Miso soup”. Nick:
It makes sense that this tastes so fresh,
because the meals in Thailand in school are meant to taste like a home cooked meal. Max:
Gotta try the dumpling. So good. Nick:
And watermelon is a pretty classic side here. You leave the rind on for an easy handle and…
Delicious. We’ve got 2 flavors of the classic yogurt
drink they love in Thailand. Which one would you like? Blueberry or mixed
fruit? Max:
I’ll try blueberry. Nick:
Oh! If I didn’t know any better,
I might think that this has gone bad. Max:
I was just thinking the same thing. Max:
It’s definitely a little sharp.
Taking into account the visuals and the incredible taste, Thai school lunch is
getting “A” tier. Nick:
And next is Vietnam, where a typical school
lunch is beef stir fry, sweet and sour fish soup,
rice, dragon fruit and soy milk. What’s the first thing you notice when you
look at this school lunch? Max:
Fish bones. Nick:
In Vietnam, they teach the kids from a young
age to look out for fish bones and fish skins. So you’ll notice there are fish bones
here. There’s a fish head right here, and there’s even a whole shrimp with the head on.
I kind of wish I got this learning lesson, when I was little. Ooh!
I love the flavor in this soup. You can tell they use real fish bones to make
this. Max:
It just has this incredible depth. Nick:
I’m gonna go for some of that beef stir fry. Max:
You really can’t go wrong with a beef stir
fry. Nick:
One cool thing here is that most schools in
Vietnam don’t allow home pack school lunches, so you have to eat at school,
which I can’t tell if I like or don’t like. Because on the one hand,
everyone has the same food, so you’re all sharing the same experience. But on the other
hand, it’s kind of fun to trade. Speaking of trades though, the number one thing kids look
out for at school lunch in Vietnam… the dragon fruit. If you can get your hands
on red dragon fruit, it is considered a prized trade. Max: So if I, Max, got red dragon fruit at lunch,
you would really want to trade with me.
Max: Ngon quá [So delicious]! Nick:
Now the drink. I haven’t had much soy milk in
my life, but that’s probably the best,
most flavorful soy milk I’ve ever had. Max:
I’m not usually a fan,
but it tastes really fresh. Nick:
I love Vietnamese food,
but we agree this wasn’t quite exciting enough. We’re gonna put Vietnamese school
lunch in “C” tier. Max:
Still a solid score. Nick:
Moving on to Indonesia,
we have “Nasi Goreng” with egg, sliced cucumber, shrimp crackers,
“Sambal” and a box of tea. I’m loving the shape of this tray. Max:
And the colors. Nick:
Everything just pops. Max:
I mean, we have a pink shrimp chip. Nick:
I just gotta do it. Let’s break the egg
yolk! Max:
Oh, yeah! Nick:
“Nasi Goreng” is one of my favourite dishes in
the world, so I’m just gonna go right in. Max:
Do you eat it like a nacho? Nick:
I don’t see why not. That’s a great idea. I’m
gonna load you up.
Max: A little bit of the sauce. Nick:
Wait! Did you hear that? Max:
Yeah. Max: That’s crazy.
Nick: Listen! When you dip one of these
shrimp crackers… Max:
It’s like pop rocks. That “Sambal” might be my
favorite part. Nick:
If you haven’t heard of “Sambal”,
it’s a spicy chili paste. Absolutely delicious. Goes so well on
everything. This one’s maybe a Level 1 spice. And I’ve also got a Level 2,
a Level 3 and a Level 4. And we’re gonna spin this wheel here to see
which one each of us has to taste. Because kids growing up in Indonesian schools
like to dare each other to try a spicier and spicier “Sambal”. Ready? Nick: Oh, you got the least spicy one.
Max: Ah! Nick… You’re up. Nick:
You’ve got to be kidding me. Max:
Let’s go! Woo! Nick:
Gotta eat the whole thing, Max. Max:
Your turn. Give yourself a nice big scoop! Nick: Fine.
Max: A little bigger. Yeah. You gotta swallow that. Nick: I need juice.
Max: Oh! Max:
That is…I was gonna go “C”,
but because that was so enjoyable watching Nick suffer, Indonesia’s school lunch
is getting “B” tier. Nick:
Next up is Bangladesh,
where we’ve got “Khichuri”, a comforting lentil rice,
as well as spiced mashed potatoes, a curried egg, raw green chilies and some
lemonade. We’ll eat this traditionally using 3
fingers, where we’ll pick up nice little bits of this. And then in you go. Mhm! I know you well enough to know you’re
gonna love that. Max: Really?
Nick: Oh, yeah! Max:
That is packed with flavor. Nick:
The spice mashed potatoes here are called
“Aloo Bhorta”. And what you do is you also take your fingers
and you roll it into, like, this nice little ball that you can, then
just simply…
Oh! I almost choked on it. Just when I thought
mashed potatoes couldn’t get better. Max:
Comparing this to the German mashed potatoes… Night and day. Nick:
Try the egg. Mhm! That’s not what I expected,
but it’s delicious. Max:
Whatever that is, definitely elevates the
egg. Nick:
Before we give Bangladesh a rating,
I think one of us needs to eat a green chili. Max:
How do you play “Rock, paper, scissors, shoot” in
Bangladesh? Nick: You read my mind.
Nick & Max: (Speak Bengali:) Pathor, kagoj, kanchi. Chalo! [Rock, paper, scissors. Shoot!] Nick: Oh, it’s a tie.
Nick & Max: (Speak Bengali:) Pathor, kagoj, kanchi. Chalo! [Rock, paper, scissors. Shoot!]
Nick: Oh! Hahaha!
Max: Ah! This is how it’s done. Nick:
Wow! Max:
(Distorted:) Oh! Nick:
Is it bad? Max:
It is horrible. Nick:
That food was delicious. We’re going to go “S” tier for Bangladesh. Continuing on with China,
we’re having chicken thighs, boiled veggies, egg drop soup,
rice and soy milk. Lunch breaks in China are 2 hours,
making it the longest school lunch anywhere in the world. Max:
No way! 2 hours? Nick:
We might be here for a while. What do we
think? Max:
(Speaks Chinese:) It looks really tasty. Nick:
You’re going for a chicken thigh? I’m gonna
go for a little egg drop soup. Wow! The egg drop soup is packed with flavor. Max:
It’s like the best chicken thigh I’ve ever
had in my life. Nick:
It’s very good. Max:
How does it taste like that? Nick:
If I was at school lunch in China and I was
allowed to get seconds, you bet I’d be running up and getting as much of this
chicken as I possibly could. At first, by looking at this, I didn’t think it was gonna
be quite as good, Max. And this is so far very, very good. Max:
There’s only one thing left we have to try. Nick:
I’m not a big soy milk fan. I’ll preface it
with that. Max:
Milk should come from cows. Nick:
It’s…whoa! That’s the worst drink we’ve had all day. Max:
Ooh! Nick:
I wish there was just water. Max:
I would take anything at this point over that.
China’s school lunch… We’re going with “B” tier. Nick:
Moving on to the Philippines,
we have a “pork adobo bar” on set with sauteed cabbage, white rice and Zest-O. Lunch in the Philippines is traditionally
brought to school in these lunchboxes called “Baon”. Max:
It’s a little bento box or something. Nick:
Yeah, I like it a lot. This is like super
premium looking. Max:
That is my type of food,
I can tell you already. Nick:
Use a spoon in the right hand, fork in the
left to push in the food. We got a little bit of rice here. Oh,
look at that pork belly! It’s like fall apart tender pork belly. I can already tell, it’s gonna be good. Max:
Crunchy and tender. Insane. Nick:
Wanna try the drinks? Max:
Sure. It’s almost like a Filipino Capri Sun. Does it have the same design flaw,
though, that the regular Capri Sun has? It does. My straw went right through the
back. Got most of it on the tray,
but it is delicious. Nick:
I would say my biggest takeaway of this lunch
is that it’s the most home cooked of anything we’ve had. And I don’t mind that. Max:
To me it lacks the X factor,
but to your point, it does feel very homey and nutritious. Nick:
I think it’s fair to put Filipino school
lunch in “C” tier. And moving now to Malaysia, we’ve got “Nasi Lemak Bungkus”,
which is a coconut milk rice served with chicken, spicy chili paste,
fried anchovies, roasted peanuts and a soft boiled egg,
all served with a Milo drink. Max:
This is one of the coolest little packets of
food I’ve ever seen. Nick:
I love the presentation. Max:
It’s like a little present. Nick:
Should we unwrap it?
Max: Let’s do it! Being very gentle here.
I have no idea what’s inside. Oh, wow! Nick:
This whole thing is eaten with our hands. No
utensils, no paper plate, no nothing. Max:
I’m a little thrown off by the little baby
fish on there. Nick:
It’s easy, Max. Just get in there,
grab some rice, put a little bit of chicken…
Max: A little bit of sauce on there. Nick:
Mhm! Mhm! Phenomenal. Max:
That tastes way better than it looks. Nick:
My mouth is just watering from all the
different flavors that we’re getting to eat right now with this. What I’m actually
wondering is whether a chocolate malt beverage is gonna go well with this. Interesting. It tastes more like a chocolate
bar in liquid form than it does chocolate milk. Max:
It’s like a dark chocolate,
too. This one’s gotta rank high. Malaysia’s school lunch is getting a solid “B”
tier. Nick:
Next up we have Lebanon,
where we’ll have “za’atar” flatbread, cucumber sticks, “labneh”, fruit and a pyramid
juice box. Max:
I mean, the food looks okay,
but I’m dying to see what’s going on with these little juice boxes right here. Nick:
Yeah. I’ve never seen a pyramid triangle
shaped drink before. You just gotta bite it off. Mhm! Max:
Wow! Nick:
That is some of the freshest tasting
pineapple juice I’ve ever had. Max:
I feel like the shape makes it taste better. Nick:
I want to take a look at this “za’atar”
flatbread. Look at that! It’s crispy. You can tell there’s gonna be a nice crunch. Max:
So much texture, so much flavor. Nick: Listen!
Max: Nothing like I was expecting. Do it traditionally!
You tear off a little bit of the bread, get some of that “labneh”,
throw a little cucumber on top. Get yourself a little roll up. Nick:
Ah! For me, the combination of the seasoning
as well as that pyramid drink is taking the school lunch to the next level. I also love
that dessert is just a simple small banana. I’m amazed by the freshness,
seasoning, and simplicity of this school lunch. I think we put Lebanon in “C” tier. And
with Asia finished, we’ll jump now to Oceania, where we’ll try the
classic Australian school lunch of sausage rolls, shapes chips,
kiwi slices and a breakfast drink. Since Australian students eat outside,
we’re gonna do the same, but not before putting on our magpie defence helmets. Max:
What is this? Nick:
When eating outside, these birds called
magpies, will actually dive bomb and attack your
head. So this is a real thing that some people will do to make sure their head
doesn’t get attacked, while they’re eating lunch. Max:
You look ridiculous. How do I look? Nick:
Let’s go! First priority… Look out for the magpies! Second priority…eat lunch! Sausage roll? Max:
Sure. Very buttery and flaky. Nick:
Super unhealthy, I think. Although you bet,
I’m washing that down…with some fresh, cold kiwi. And then these shaped chips… Supposedly it’s a very popular snack. I shipped a bunch of different flavors
straight from Australia. Max:
I mean, they are shapes. Is that… Nick:
Whoa! It tastes like if you were to put the
ramen seasoning packet on a cracker. Max:
Very umami. Nick:
These are the best part of the whole tray.
This drink here…very famous breakfast shake in Australia. It’s supposed to be sort of a
thick, chocolatey drink. Max:
I kind of hate it. Nick:
I don’t like it.
Max: Not good. Nick:
This has been a very unpleasant lunch. Nick: Max, look out!
Max: Whoa!
Nick: People are walking by, while we’re filming this. Max:
It’s a tough one to explain. Nick: How are you?
Woman: Good. How are you? Nick: Sorry…sorry about this!
Woman: No, it’s fine. Nick:
I think it’s safe to say Australian lunch is
going “D” tier. And that means our final school lunch is
Antarctica, where we’ll have “hoosh”,
a hot stew made from ice, dried meat and biscuits. Max:
I’m very confused. What am I looking at? Nick:
Before we eat the actual dish,
which looks kind of disgusting… I wanted to first show you all the
ingredients in this lunch. These are called “sledging biscuits”. It’s a
very hearty biscuit that people use in Antarctica to survive. This is “pemmican”, a mix of dried meat and
fat. And this is ice. And if you put it all
together…
Poof! …you get something called “hoosh”. Max:
That doesn’t look like food. Nick:
Well, here’s the thing. There are technically
no official schools in Antarctica. If there were, this might be what their school lunch
would look like. Max:
I think I’d drop out if this is what they
were serving me. Nick:
I think we can all understand now why I saved
this one for last. Max:
I just can’t see myself putting that in my
mouth right now. I don’t think my arm’s in the right position. Nick:
3, 2, 1.
Max: Nick, I’m gonna sue. Max: Ooh!
Nick: I will throw up. Max:
That’s like pre-chewed beef jerky. Nick:
I can’t…I don’t think I can eat it. Max:
Oh! Where’s the trash can? Nick:
Wash it down with some hot chocolate at
least! Better? Max:
That makes up for everything. Nick:
What are we giving as our final ranking,
Max? Max:
What is below an “F”? Nick:
I don’t know if I’m allowed to do this,
but I am going to add a brand new category to the Tier List…and put Antarctica’s School lunch
in “Z” tier. Max:
It’s as bad as it gets. Nick:
One last “Rock, paper,
scissor”? Whoever loses, has to eat the “hoosh”. Max:
Let’s do it! Nick & Max:
Rock, paper, scissors. Shoot! Max:
No!