Some schools in Hawaii have air conditioning, but many do not. McKinley High School is one with many hot classrooms.

Besides having the air conditioners to cool off, certain foods are recommended as well.

Chorus teacher Natasha Taketa said that fruits are very refreshing to eat even if it is not chilled, especially fruits like watermelon.

Junior Le Xinh (Gina) Li said that she thinks that fruits like watermelon or cucumbers are good as well as cold water. Li also said that when she eats a food that cools her off, she feels “cold inside and outside”  and doesn’t sweat as much.

Senior My Lu said, “Ice cream and ice soda are good for cooling off heat.” Lu said she also doesn’t sweat as much when eating something cooling.

Sweating may seem like it makes people feel even hotter, but scientifically it actually doesn’t. When the body starts to feel hot, it produces sweat to help cool down the body temperature in order to prevent overheating. Maybe this is why some people prefer to eat spicy foods in order to cool off the heat.

Lu said that eating spicy foods makes her focus mentally on the spicy food in her mouth instead of how physically hot she might be.