A week before my first “tentaperiod” of the year, I realized that I no longer had time to prep my lunches. Instead, I decided to rate some of the lunch options in close proximity to the school. My criteria were that a lunch should be cheap, filling, tasty, and quick.

5 days until the exam. I’ll start off strong while I still have some gastronomic ambition: Smaka på Kina.

It’s somewhat of a hidden gem in LUSEM circles. I rarely see people I recognize. By the cantine there is one of the largest TVs I have ever seen. Chinese central television is streaming continuously. There are Chinese ballads playing in the background, and I hear a lot of Mandarin being spoken around the tables. Seems promising!

I’m met by the card reader right away where you order either lunch here or takeaway for 100 (90)kr. Since it’s Monday, they’re serving general tso chicken and pork belly with tofu and broccoli. I choose to take a mix of both over rice. The salad bar is quite bare-bones, with only lettuce, tomato, and cucumber, but several chili sauces. Tea, coffee, and sparkling water are a nice touch. 

The Price to filling ratio will never exceed some of the options on this list, as 100kr is quite a bit more expensive than any other option on this list – so although you do get very full, it gets a 3/5

Taste is an easy 5/5. The food is well cooked and more interesting than any other option. With the changing menu, it never gets boring.

Lastly, Time.  It gets a 4/5 even when there‘s a queue out of the door, they still manage to serve you within 10 minutes. 

Four days left and my second lunch to go. I only had sandwiches and a mug of O’boy last night so I am longing for something more fresh and healthy: Grönt och Gott. This is a lundaekonom classic, and I can see why. It’s nice with some vegetables once in a while, and the price is fair. Waiting in the queue outside would have been way less comfortable if it weren’t for the umbrellas they provide. 

As I approach the counter I decide to go for my standard order. It’s a “mixa själv” (mix your own) pasta salad with chicken breast. I add some cocktail tomatoes, red onion, parmesan and croutons with the aioli dressing. They have 30 toppings, meaning everyone can find their favourite, and it’s only 74kr (student discount gives you one more topping free of charge). 

This was the good part. The flip side of ordering here  is the queue: after staring into the books for three hours, you stand with empty eyes looking into the back of the head of somebody instead. And you have to do it twice! First, to get your salad and second when you are paying. And the queues are always far too long, sometimes 10 minutes each. 

After the wait however, the salad never disappoints. 

• Price to filling ratio: 3/5, while the salad fills you up initially, the long-term satiety is lacking.
• Taste: 4/5 the variation possible with salads makes it impossible to get bored, and the mix-up from the heavy options on the list makes it an attractive alternative when feeling a little health conscious.
• Time: 2/5 this place can sometimes be quick, but if you go during lunch rush, a long wait is guaranteed.

Day three: ICA Deli. The exams are approaching and there is no time to wait for service anymore. I just have to grab something fast. The feeling of control of the subject I’m studying is gone and I have a growing feeling saying that this might not work!

250 meters from the study spot, no socializing, lots of fat, proteins, and carbohydrates, that is what I need now. It’s cheap and filling. And the unorthodox combination of chicken and Bernaise sauce is really what you need to comfort yourself. 

And since the queue is long during peak lunch hours I get some time for self-reflection on how poorly I’ve prepared for my exam.

Price to filling ratio: 5/5

To get a hot meal with chicken, potatoes, steamed vegetables, and bearnaise sauce for between 50-65 kr depending on size puts ICA at the cheapest option on this list.

Time: 3/5 during peak lunch rush; a wait time of 15 minutes is not uncommon. 

Taste: 3.5/5 It does what it needs quite well, but it’s nothing special.

Day 4. I’ve been studying all night, I feel as dizzy as I would after  a night out, and now I need some day-after food to keep me going. It’s time for Holgers cafe. I decide to go for takeout to eat at the study spot since all the seating by the cafe is occupied by other struggling students. I’m served in a cardboard box with a plastic fork, but it is convenient, quick, and cheap. I recommend the chicken plate with mixed sauce; it gives that kind of filling that doesn’t feel good afterward, a sense of lack of character. 

Cheap to filling ratio: 5/5 more than enough food to fill you up for less than 60kr is becoming a rarity in Sweden.

Time: 5/5, since this cafe mostly sells coffee, the kitchen works quickly, usually under 5 minutes.

Taste: 2/5 it’s not very good when you eat it, and feels even worse afterward.

Then comes the day of the exam… despite my low expectations, it feels as if I might have passed. All sorrows are gone. Time to eat and time to drink. It’s spring, isn’t it? I call some classmates, buy 6 asparagus each, and a cold bottle of Riesling (or two). After boiling some fresh potatoes, I mix melted butter, egg yolks, rapeseed oil, and lemon in a blender. We pour up the cold wine, toast, and take a bite of the first taste of spring. Turns out the best takeaway is the one you take from the kitchen to the balcony!