Last year, a primary school in Jiangxi Province made a decision. It would no longer prepare meals in its own canteen (食堂). Instead, it would serve its students pre-made (预制的) food. The move quickly became a hot topic across the country. Many parents said that they were worried about food safety. Some of them even sent homemade meals to school at lunchtime every day.

The Ministry of Education warns against introducing pre-made meals to schools. That’s mainly because there are not yet any national standards for such food. The market for pre-made meals has been developing quickly over the past few years. In 2022, there were more than 60,000 related companies in China. And the number is still growing. By 2026, the market will have reached more than one trillion yuan. What has made pre-made meals so popular? They have many advantages. They’re quick and convenient to prepare. They also have a long shelf life (保存期). However, parents’ worries are not without reason. Pre-made food may be acceptable every now and then, but few people eat it every day. Naturally, parents don’t want their children to do so, either.

In fact, pre-made meals are all prepared by central kitchens. They’re not necessarily unhealthy compared with freshly cooked food. The problem is how to make sure these companies follow all the hygiene (卫生) rules when they cook and store food. For now, the pre-made food industry still has a long way to go.

China is a noodle paradise（天堂）.The home of wheaten food（面食）across the world is China, and the home of wheaten food in China is Shanxi province. As an American student, my first experience with noodles was in Shanxi when I was an exchange （交换）student.

Everyone knows noodles are the king of Shanxi food. There are more than 100 ways to make noodles. Among them, my favorite is the knife-cut noodles. The knife-cut noodles are one of the top five noodles in China, with the other four being Hubei’s hot-dry noodles, Sichuan’s Dan Dan noodles, Beijing’ s fried sauce noodles and Shandong’ s Yifu noodles.

Once in a restaurant, I ordered knife-cut noodles and I was lucky to see how the cook made them from the window of the kitchen. I felt really surprised to see the cook shave （削）the noodles so quickly! When I tasted the noodles for the first time, I felt super glad.

When I first learned to make knife-cut noodles, the more I practiced, the harder it seemed. But later, when I got the angle （角度）right, it became a lot easier. In fact, you need a lot of skills if you want to cook them. The first thing you need to do is to make a dough （禾口面）.After that, let your dough rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Then cut the noodles by running the knife up and down. The most difficult part is getting the right angle between the knife and noodles. Finally, let them cook in the hot water for 5 minutes.

The reason why people like knife-cut noodles is that they have a special taste. Also, the way to make them is an art form that takes years of practice.

Everyone wants to be healthy. How to be healthy? You know food and vegetables are very important. There are lots of healthy food and many green vegetables around us. You can eat more apples, bananas, oranges, tomatoes, carrots, chicken and eggs. Fruit and vegetables are good for our health. But don’t eat too much chocolate. It’s not healthy food. Too much chocolate can make you fatter and fatter. Healthy food can make you grow and make you strong and happy. Remember there is a saying, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.”

Sports can also keep you healthy. Get up early and do some sports every day. Don’t be laze! You will be healthy and happy.