When Lane students and faculty go to Mariano’s for lunch, they have an abundance of choices. There’s the soup and salad bar, sushi area and even pizza. Then comes the infamous hot bar.

Lunchgoers will scan the array of readymade options, which appear to change daily. One of these seems to stick each day, both to the hot bar selections and students’ stomachs.  

Visually, the mac and cheese looks almost appetizing. Something about hearing the spoon break into the gelatinous cheese and pasta mixture just really turns students off. Yet, its baked golden-brown topping is where students fall into the allure and eventual trap of the mac and cheese.

Texture and taste are where things really get confusing. For some reason, when students immediately sit down after buying the mac and cheese, the temperature of it dramatically falls to  room temperature, forcing the grease of the mac to seep out of the dish.

As the mac and cheese is ingested, the beholder’s taste buds are mildly pleased. Sure, there’s the salty and satisfying aspect that’s expected from a blend of mediocre cheeses. However, as soon as it passes through from throat to stomach, one recalls the fate they faced in the bathroom the last time they made this decision.

There’s always a sense of regret when students finish their share of the pan of glop.

Senior Lilah McBrie, Div. 803, acknowledges that though she has a dietary restriction that should prohibit her from buying the mac and cheese, she just simply cannot resist.

“I mean yah, being lactose intolerant should definitely steer me away from the mac,” McBrie said. “But there’s just something about it. Once I start eating, I can’t get it in fast enough.”