From pocket money to pre-orders: the UAE school canteen we remember

Before the apps, there were a few dirhams and a long queue

There was a time when going to the school canteen was a daily negotiation.

Not with an app. Not with a QR code. Not with a notification telling you that your order had been placed.

Just you, a few dirhams in your pocket and the hope that the samosa you wanted had not already sold out.

For many students in the UAE, the school canteen was its own little world. Recess meant rushing out of class, finding your friends and joining the growing queue while mentally calculating what you could afford.

Maybe it was a juice and a sandwich. Maybe a packet of chips and a chocolate bar. And if you were lucky enough to have a little extra money that day, you might have gone for the unofficial “big order”, something you normally could not justify.

The coins that somehow felt like a fortune

The money itself was part of the experience.

AED 1, AED 2 and AED 5 coins would disappear into the bottom of school bags, get mixed up with old receipts and somehow survive an entire week without being spent.

Sometimes you would count your coins before reaching the counter, quietly doing the maths in your head.

I have five dirhams. If I get this, I can still afford a drink.

Some students came to school with a few notes folded into their pockets, while others had their parents hand them their daily allowance in the morning.

And then came the inevitable question:

“What are you getting?”

The school tuck shop was basically a daily social event

The school tuck shop was never just somewhere to buy food.

It was where everyone seemed to end up at the same time.

You would see your entire friendship group, people from other classes and, inevitably, the friend who had somehow arrived before everyone else and was already eating.

There was always someone asking to borrow a dirham.

“Give me one dirham, I'll give it back tomorrow.”

Tomorrow, of course, was not guaranteed.

Sometimes the one dirham turned into two. Sometimes it was never mentioned again. But asking your friend for that extra coin was almost a rite of passage.

Carefour snacks, Capri-Sun and the unofficial school menu

The canteen snacks were another part of the memory.

There were the little snacks and drinks you would recognise instantly, whether you were buying them from the school tuck shop or picking them up during a supermarket run.

Packets of snacks, Capri-Sun, chips, biscuits, chocolate and whatever else happened to be sitting behind the counter could turn an ordinary break into something to look forward to.

It was not necessarily about having the best meal.

Sometimes it was simply about getting your favourite thing before somebody else did.

And there was always that one item that seemed to disappear first.

Then came the queue drama

There was also the drama of the queue.

You could be standing there for what felt like 20 minutes, only to reach the front and hear:

“Sorry, finished.”

The disappointment was real.

And sometimes, your friend would casually reveal that they had saved the last one for themselves.

School canteens had their own unofficial economy. Knowing what was popular, when to go and which friend was willing to save your place in the queue could make all the difference.

Today, the canteen comes to you

Today, that routine looks very different.

In many UAE schools, students can use school apps or digital payment systems to put money into their accounts, browse the canteen menu and even pre-order their meals.

By the time recess arrives, the food may already be waiting.

It is faster, cleaner and undeniably more convenient.

Parents can add money without having to send cash with their children, students do not have to worry about losing their lunch money and pre-ordering can save precious break-time minutes.

But there is something oddly nostalgic about remembering when you had to physically stand there and make your decision.

No more digging through your school bag for coins

The days of digging around for loose change are slowly becoming a childhood memory.

There was something strangely satisfying about finding an AED 1 coin at the bottom of your bag when you thought you had nothing left.

Today, a student can tap, click, pre-order and move on.

Back then, finding that extra dirham could completely change your lunch.

The canteen was never really just about food

Of course, technology has made school life easier in plenty of ways.

But for anyone who grew up with the old system, there is something charming about the chaos.

The sound of coins hitting the counter. The excitement of seeing what was available. The friend who always had extra money. The student who somehow managed to buy lunch, dessert and a drink with the same few dirhams.

Even the little paper bags and receipts felt like part of the school-day ritual.

Years later, you probably do not remember what you studied during every recess.

But you remember what you bought.

You remember who you sat with.

You remember asking for “one dirham” from a friend.

You remember the Capri-Sun, the snacks, the tuck shop and the coins warming up in your pocket.

And you definitely remember the feeling of finally getting to the front of the queue.

Technology may have made the UAE school canteen quicker, easier and more efficient.

But for those of us who grew up with pocket money in our hands, sometimes the best part was simply deciding what to spend it on.