High schools | A new phenomenon in student essays: Abit brings huge amounts of food for snacks, starting with cheese varieties

Autumn matriculation records are at a good pace in upper secondary schools. On Tuesday, it was the turn of the long and short math exams, and the last exam day is next week’s Wednesday.

Since the test time is usually six hours, many prepare to start with their own food. Traditionally, for example, a couple of sandwiches and a chocolate bar have been brought along in case hunger surprises you.

Today in autumn, however, a new phenomenon has been observed in Helsinki high schools: snacks are brought to the hall in such abundance that they would be enough for several meals.

“Even one assistant had so much food with him that it would probably have been enough for ten people,” says the principal of Kallio high school Pekka Lepistö.

According to his experience, writing snacks have increased in abundance over the past decades, but that does not mean that almost everything can be eaten during the exam.

“Perhaps it brings a sense of security to a stressful situation, that there is definitely enough food with you,” he reflects.

Also the high school principal of the Helsinki Finnish Co-educational School (Syk). Maria Yegorenkov has noticed that some people in Koke bring huge snacks with them these days.

“And they may not even have time to eat anything when they just write with a tube,” he says.

The quantity in addition, the quality of writing snacks has increased in some places.

For example, one abi from Tampere had brought non-alcoholic red wine and a high-quality cheese assortment to the hall. Also on Tiktok, many have shared videos of their snacks, such as sushi, self-baked mini pizzas and fresh berries.

Lepistö hasn’t noticed that Kallio high school’s tryouts had very inventive snacks this fall. According to him, it is usually accompanied by, for example, rye bread, fruit or candy.

Nor has it come to Yegorenkov’s knowledge that the snacks of the experimenters in Syk have aroused particular hilarity. According to him, fruits and chocolates are popular snacks, and many people bring coffee in a thermos.

Of the more special snacks, Jegorenkov remembers that a dozen or so years ago an assistant had a jogging sausage with him. He points out that today, for example, sushi or nuts should not be brought into the hall at their high school due to the risk of allergies.

“Sushi would be left at the door, but I have to admit that non-alcoholic punkku and cheese would be a very stylish snack option.”