Much like a jungle, Cafe Mac can be a wild place during meal time rush hours. In this week’s issue, the Food and Drank section offers to be your spirit guide through the cafeteria, providing helpful tips for you to find your way into an exotic Cafe Mac meal.

Tip One: Locate the microwave nearest to you

Found by the milk station and pizza bar on the North side and just outside of Cafe Mac on the counter near the grille, microwaves are Cafe Mac’s most underappreciated tools.

Heat up a cookie for thirty seconds and the dessert tastes freshly baked. Put a mug of chocolate milk in for one minute and a half for a creamier hot chocolate. Or perhaps try this Cafe Mac original recipe (by Alexa Posner ’16):

Microwave Mac and Cheese

1. Find pasta from the pasta station (you can often find pasta in the salad bar as well)
2. Shred various cheeses from the sandwich and/or hamburger toppings stations into the pasta
3. Mix cheese and pasta well
4. Microwave for three minutes
5. Eat it

Tip Two: Two Bowls, One Salad

Ever try to toss a salad on your plate and only end up getting spinach everywhere? We’ve all been there. Instead, try putting your salad materials into one cereal bowl and grabbing another to take back to your table. Once at your table, cover one bowl with the other so that the salad is sealed between the bowls and shake your salad as if performing a vigorous hands-only dance routine. Aidan Morzenti’16 demonstrates the technique in photos below.

Tip Three: Quesadilla that Panini Grill

When the Cafe Mac stars align in your favor with both tortillas from South Station and Mexican cheese from the salad bar, use this helpful equation provided by Nolberto Zubia ’14: Quesadillas = Panini Grill + (Tortillas + Cheese) If you’re feeling mathematically adventurous, butter one side of the tortilla for a crispier meal. Green peppers, olives, onions, and other veggies can also be found from the salad bar and added to the quesadilla for extra kick.

Tip Four: When you see a good dessert, take it

Don’t wait until you’ve finished with your meal, because chances are the cream puffs are probably gone. But if you have indeed waited until too late, don’t worry, as Fro-Yo* can almost always be found. Mix the ice cream with peanut butter for a decadent treat (Nathan Are ’16: “I mean, last year I was pretty experimental with the Fro-Yo”), or add some Fanta for an orange creamsicle effect. Blend in dried cranberries (found by the Panini grill) to feel healthier or add milk and whip with a spoon to make a milkshake. Root beer floats are also always a good call.

**Note: The Fro-Yo machine has come into question recently as actually producing soft serve ice cream. This writer plans to investigate such claims in the near future.*

Unfortunately, like a jungle, Cafe Mac can oftentimes be unpredictable. The Fro-Yo machine is not always in order and cereal bowls are not infinite. However, with an adventurous mind and spirit, you should always be able to find something delicious to eat or at least things to make something delicious to eat. If you do come up with any great Cafe Mac recipes, please do send us a note. We’re always interested in hearing about what the jungle has to offer.