Monday through Friday, almost instantly after the bell rings, I see students barrel their way past others to get to the front of the lunch line. The sole reason for this is to grab the most popular items because they run out quickly. It so happens that the first item that always runs out first is usually the same.
“The most popular [item] is probably the pizza,” said sophomore Brooke Lau, who works in the cafeteria. “Everyone loves pizza. [We] get it from an actual pizza store, so it’s pretty good.”
For me, pizza is a good item because it is always warm and pretty filling. However, since pizza is the most popular item, it usually runs out very quickly. Many students leave class early or run to the lunch line just to get pizza, which makes it challenging to get. The pizza itself is a good size and the cheese is melty, but I wish there was a little more tomato sauce to add some flavor.
Another popular item I enjoy is the nachos. Although I think it has a good balance of ingredients, the chips on the inside tend to be either soggy or stale. If you are at the front of the lunch line and get them quickly, they are better—warm and still a little crunchy.
“[I like] nachos because there’s a lot of cheese on it,” said sophomore Giovanni Rodriguez-Miranda, another cafeteria worker. “That drowns out all the bad flavor from all the other ingredients.”
Another staple item that many students eat is the chicken sandwich and tenders. I personally find the chicken sandwiches to be a bit dry, but many students enjoy their taste.
“You can’t go wrong with a chicken sandwich,” said junior Adam Pauling. “Anything with chicken in it is the best. When [I am] waiting in a line, two out of three people will get a chicken sandwich.”
The burgers and sandwiches are common items and are on the menu every day. Aragon orders them for the students along with many of the other meats.
“They come in these bulk packages, and they’re frozen because they expire pretty quickly,” Lau said. “The cheeseburgers, chicken tenders, chicken sandwiches, a lot of the meats and the rib sandwiches [mainly come frozen].”
One of the most-enjoyable yet rarely-served items in the lunch lineup is the chicken wrap.
“[The chicken wrap is] scrumptious,” Pauling said. “It is good. It’s the best thing that is never there. You can pretty consistently get yourself a rib sandwich but the chicken wrap, if you get one, is the best.”
Supposedly, the previous chicken wrap had avocados and more dressing, but the most recent ones that were out did not have either. The wrap is pretty dry on its own, so the addition of these two ingredients would definitely make the item shine more.
While the options at Aragon are very good compared to other schools, there are still a few things that can be improved on. The first aspect is the range of food for vegetarians.
“I wish they had one more item that was more [filling] of a lunch,” said junior Marco Strassia, who is vegetarian. “[The] only thing normally is pizza. They could add a salad without meat or a vegetarian sandwich.”
Additionally, there could be an addition of new food items that students could try and enjoy.
“More foods from different cultures [would be a good addition],” Rodriguez-Miranda said. “It would make it more diverse.”
Many students now rely on Aragon for lunch and brunch, so the items on the menu do matter to students. Most students are satisfied with the options, although not without reservations. Although the kitchen staff serves Aragon students well, new items and more variety will be hopefully added for all students to enjoy.
