In my country, there’s no US style cafeteria (instead it’s a canteen where it’s up to the student if they want to buy anything) some bring their own lunches (home or leftovers) to school, so why do American kids rely on cafeteria food instead of bringing their own?
I mean, is cafeteria food across American schools that bad? It depends on where one resides or if they attend a public or private school. In my case I went to a private (Catholic) high school and the food there is actually good (& cheap when converted to USD).
It’s literally the same food in some areas, 1 for 1, no false equivalences. Like I could go to jail and get served the same thing available in the school cafeteria.
It’s not all that different for restaurants, you could go to 10 different ones and get the same Sysco Tyson chicken patty.
There’s only a few suppliers for everyone, the main difference within a supplier is the different tiers of quality you can order.