Chicken Rice That’s Our Senior Advice

By Joycelyn Fung

Amidst the lunch rush, blobs of Pepto Bismol forge their way, dispersing crowds of blue and displaying their senior lunch privileges for all to see. Braving through Penang’s scorching sun or torrential downpour, each senior has only one thing in mind. Despite the multitude of food choices, nothing measures up to the glory that is chicken rice. 

The chili sauce perfectly scratches that unseen spot like an itch that can’t be reached. The rice bursts like popping boba, having been soaked in flavor, bursting with every bite. Meanwhile, chicken so succulent envelopes you in a warm embrace from the horrors of the math test or Krebs cycle just moments before. Each morsel of chicken rice opens a pocket of sunshine tuning out the downpour or unrelenting heat each senior had to face to reach this treasure. While no argument stands against the greatness of chicken rice, a highly debated topic remains: Boon Kee or Beng?

The journey to Boon Kee requires more action and risk calling forth a trusty car and speedy driver. Not only do the seniors who opt for Boon Kee have to brave rush hour, but they must also race back to campus to avoid the dreaded “N”. Even with such demands, some claim the superiority of Boon Kee. 

As Nicole Khor (12) puts it, “Boon Kee is so much more buss you cannot disagree. With one bite, I’m sure you’ll fall in love with it too, 100% guarantee! What are you waiting for? Go and try Boon Kee baby!”

On the other hand, a trip to Beng only takes a five-minute walk. This walk, however, doesn’t come with the comforts of a car, and hungry seniors make their way through nature’s temperaments. 

Willing to endure such conditions, several seniors make a claim similar to that of Haylee Douglas (12), “Beng is the superior chicken rice because not only can I get two chicken rice for 10rm but the chili sauce is 10x better than Boon Kee, and you can just douse your chicken rice with it!”

With each spoonful of chicken rice, this argument is quickly forgotten, and chicken rice remains a steady constant through the ups and downs. Whether it be Boon Kee or Beng, they fuel us through senioritis, college applications, and our many lasts. Put chicken rice in our hands, and we can achieve the impossible as graduation comes closer, a spoonful at a time.