The great grilled cheese debate

Julie Bender and Ale Benjamin|March 12, 2015

 Don’t discriminate against grilled cheese

Julie Bender

The toasted bread warms your fingers as the smell floats up to your nose and gooey cheese oozes out onto your fingers. It’s what you’ve been craving all day long: ciabatta with cheddar and mozzarella.

 You’ve waited in line like everyone else, you’ve assessed your options and you’ve chosen to go simple. But your friend turns to you and sassily asks why you would possibly want to wait in a 10 minute line for something as bland as bread and cheese.

 There’s no reason for anyone to complain about the grilled cheese lovers in this school. The way that the turbo melts the cheese into a delicious goo is so brilliant that is hard to execute at home and most sandwich places can’t live up to it.

 But I’ve heard quite a few people complain that they have to wait in a long line behind a bunch of people who are only getting grilled cheeses. Such a complaint simply does not make sense. It takes much less time for four slices of cheese to be put on bread and stuck in the toaster than it does to experiment with all the different meats, cheeses and vegetable combinations.

 If more people are getting grilled cheeses, they’d be happy with their sandwich and the line would move much quicker. It’s really a win win situation.

 According to Greatist.com, America consumes more than two billion grilled cheese sandwiches every year. It’s an extremely common food that shouldn’t be discriminated against.

 It’s not only a satisfying option for vegetarians who, according to the North American Vegetarian Society, often replace meat with cheese and carbohydrates, but it also is known as “a classic American comfort food.”

If students want to wait their turn in the sandwich line to order a grilled cheese, there should be no problems. I hope that one day we can live in a world where each sandwich is treated with the same amount of respect regardless of what ingredients might lie within.

 Grilled cheese abusers make grand waste of sandwich line

Ale Benjamin

It’s 11:32 am. You check your phone and tap your foot impatiently, watching the precious seconds of your brief lunch period fade swiftly away. You don’t even have a free. You have to be back to class at promptly 11:55, and time is of the essence.

 But despite the dwindling moments, you have decided to risk it all once again for the sweet reward of one of Amber’s delectable grilled sandwiches. You know it’s worth the wait and the time crunch, if executed correctly. But today, like so many other days, something has gotten in the way.

 As you approach the front of the endless line, thinking about all the leafy greens, spicy sauces, meats and cheese that could go into your mouth-watering meal, you finally notice something off about today’s hold-up. All five of the underclassmen girls in front of you have ordered slightly varied versions of the same sandwich: a grilled cheese.

Be it cheddar on flatbread or American on ciabatta, there’s something about this simple, plain, two-ingredient combo that riles up your lunchtime impatience like no other. The sandwich line is a place of creativity, of art I dare venture, and while true enthusiasts like myself know that a Staples sandwich line creation is worth the wait, I can say without a doubt that these serial grilled cheese offenders are squandering my time.

First of all, the cafeteria already sells grilled cheeses in other sections. These can be easily purchased without clogging up the perpetually packed panini line that so many spend their lunch periods waiting in.

 If you’re going to brave the wait, make it worth it. I love a gooey grilled cheese as much as the next person, but I wouldn’t spend my whole lunch waiting for one when the sandwich bar provides so much variety and I could get a quicker version anyway.

 Unnecessary grilled cheesers crowding the sandwich line is an epidemic that must be tamed for the sake of all us dedicated sandwich makers and takers everywhere. Even if you think it’s worth the wait, don’t forget to consider those around you. In a phrase, check yourself before your cheesy melt.

 Or at least consider some toppings.