Food is one of the best parts of school life at Taipei First Girls’ Senior High School (or 北一女). Everyone is always eating. During breaks, students constantly walk to and from the cafeteria and school stores, and during class most people are chewing on snacks to pass the time. On top of that, food is a common gift: donuts, drinks, and other sweet treats are passed around as tokens of friendship.

After being a student at 北一女 for just one semester, I’ve come to really appreciate the cheap yet delicious foods our school has to offer. Here are the top 4 foods at my school:

1. Peanut Butter/Chocolate Toast with Fried Chicken

One of my favorite things from the school store is the spicy crispy chicken wrapped in two pieces of peanut butter or chocolate toast. You can get either of these items individually, but most people like to combine them to enjoy more complex flavors.

Normally, people wouldn’t pair spicy chicken with chocolate toast because one is a salty fast food while the other is a sweet breakfast item. However, peanut butter and chocolate sauce actually go well with the chicken, balancing the flavors.

Furthermore, the two layers of toast make the combination more filling, turning the sandwich into an amazing snack—one that can sustain you through your boring classes.

2. 蛋餅 (DanBing)

Our cafeteria sells 蛋餅, Chinese omelets, and it’s the food I eat most frequently. Normally, I don’t have much time for lunch because I have to go to club activities and prepare for competitions. For someone as busy as I am, omelets make for the easiest lunch. I can hold the omelet in my hand and eat it while walking around the school.

Furthermore, they’re quick to prepare. If I ordered noodles or fried rice at 12:00, I wouldn’t be able to eat it until 12:30. However, the omelets are usually already waiting for me on a tray when I arrive at the cafeteria at noon.

Of all the omelets our school sells, my favorite is the one with vegetables, ham, and cheese. Choosing the mixed omelet makes me feel like I’m eating a healthier lunch because it includes some vegetables, unlike the other omelet options. The lunch lady in charge of making the omelets always adds a lot of pepper, which creates a warm, spicy explosion in your mouth with every bite.

The Chinese omelets at our school are one of my favorite foods because they’re both convenient and healthy…ish.

3. Noodles

While I order omelets more often than noodles, I still like the cafeteria’s noodle soup best. We have many types of noodles at our school, like glass noodles (冬粉), Prince noodles, egg noodles, and udon.

When I order noodle soup, I usually choose glass or udon because I don’t go to the cafeteria to take my order right away, and Prince noodles and egg noodles tend to get soggy and mushy if they sit too long.

Besides the noodles, there are also many different broths to choose from—vegetable soup, tomato soup, shacha (沙茶) soup, and kimchi soup. I like the tomato soup the most because the tomatoes add a sour, tangy taste to the otherwise savory broth.

The noodle soups are also healthy. The lunch ladies add lots of vegetables, meat, and even a few eggs, making sure everyone gets enough protein and nutrients.

4. Smoothies

Our cafeteria also sells juices and smoothies. There are many different fruits to choose from, such as watermelon juice, strawberry smoothies, papaya smoothies, avocado smoothies, and banana shakes.

The school doesn’t add much sugar and uses real fruit and milk, making the smoothies a healthier alternative to popular drinks like bubble tea.

My favorite time to drink juices and smoothies is on exam days. On those days, we have more time to eat lunch because the morning tests end earlier than usual school days. My friends and I usually go eat outside and sit in the shade near the track. On these days, I like to order a juice or smoothie to make lunch feel more like a picnic.

My favorite smoothies are avocado milk, strawberry milk, and watermelon juice. The avocado milk is delicious because the avocados’ healthy fat makes the smoothie taste sweet and creamy. The strawberry milk is also a popular choice because the sweet and sour strawberries balance out the creaminess of the milk, making it taste sweeter and fresher. Watermelon juice is another favorite because it’s made with frozen watermelon, making it the perfect drink for a hot summer day.

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Even though school days can be stressful and packed with activities, the cafeteria food always offers a reprieve. Whether it’s a warm omelet eaten on the way to class, a refreshing smoothie after an exam, or a surprisingly delicious chicken and peanut butter toast combo, these meals always make me happy and fulfilled, giving me strength to survive the rest of the stressful school day.