By Adrie Quinn
Today, the members of the 2025 Robert W. Greene Institute for High School Journalists had their first ever lunch at Stony Brook University.
Famished, we all headed over to the East Side Dining Hall. As a student in the program, I will be giving an honest review of my lunch today.
Mac and Cheese
In a word: Awful
There is a lot to say about the Mac and Cheese, and none of it is very nice. the cheese sauce was spicy, the chicken in it was slimy and overcooked, and the entire Mac and Cheese tasted heavily of ranch, which isn’t a thing that I wanted to taste in my meal, and I found it very off-putting.
Ultimately, I could only stomach a few bites before throwing it away.
Score: 2.3/10
Grilled Cheese
In a word: OK
The grilled cheese was nothing particularly special, but it was still enjoyable. It was just generic American cheese in between 2 slices of bread, but to be honest, thats all you really need for an edible grilled cheese. It would pair nicely with a tomato soup.
Score: 5.9/10
Roast Beef
In a word: Tough
I had high hopes for the roast beef at lunch, but they were quickly dashed when I tried to take a bite. I say I tried to, because the beef was so tough that I basically had to saw the meat into tiny chunks for it to be even close to consumable.
It wasn’t well done, it was congratulations.
Score: 4.1/10
Bean Stew
In a word: Meh
The bean stew really had nothing going for it. It was lukewarm, bland and giving prison meal vibes. But it was edible.
I did eat the whole thing, and it did make me feel full, but in a sad, unpleasant way. A bit of salt would do wonders for this dish, but I think this dish is the Stony Brook version of watery gruel.
Score: 5.0/10
Potato Wedges
In a word: Surprising
After all the disappointments and gross-outs I experienced during lunch, I had low expectations for the potato wedges. When I tried them, however, I was blown away.
They were full with flavor, didn’t taste starchy, and were perfectly hot. Maybe my expectations were set so low from the food before, but compared to everything else, it was heavenly.
Score: 8.2/10
FUZE Iced Tea
In a word: Generic
It’s just FUZE iced tea. There’s nothing to say about it.
Score: 6.1/10
Ice Cream
In a word: Heavenly
The ice cream was easily the best part of the meal. It was refreshing, cold, and creamy. It was the perfect dessert to wash down the remnants of the travesty of a lunch that I had consumed.
If I had enough time, I would have gotten a second helping of ice cream, but alas, by the time I finished, we were out of time.
Score: 9.3/10
Final score
Raw Score: 40.9 out of 60 Percentage Score: 68.2% Letter Grade: D+
Conclusion
My first ever lunch at Stony Brook University left much to be desired. It was a pretty terrible first impression of the schools dining facilities.
While there was some things saving it, such as the ice cream and potatoes, the rest of the lunch left an abhorrent taste in my mouth. I hope my future experiences at the dining hall are much better, but as first impressions go, this was a pretty rough one.