Not quite sashimi | March 10, 2026

Hello reader,

Everybody and their grandmother expected that Ramadan would present a unique and massive challenge to the government’s Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program. When most students are fasting during the day, what would they receive instead of fit-to-consume (well, not always) meals, especially as our tax money is ostensibly going towards feeding them?

Some solutions go against conventional wisdom, at best. The latest to go viral is the case of a high school in Pamekasan, East Java, which turned away over a thousand meals for containing uncooked lele (catfish). “Why? How?” I hear you wonder angrily. Read on.

Cheers,

Andra

Subscribe to Nusantara Notes to read the rest.