When deciding what to write about this week, I was absolutely inspired by my favorite food, which I eat far more than what’s healthy. Mac n cheese is one of the most versatile, yet simple dishes on the market. 

I wanted to see which mac n cheeses really held up to their standards, so here we have 5 different locations where you can get yourself a warm bowl of mac. My ratings, although subjective, are one’s of truth, and I apologize for any controversial opinions ahead. Let me know if you agree or disagree with these ratings!

After reading a few articles rating different mac n cheeses, I found that I wanted to focus on the feeling I get from each dish, along with the closer look at the noodle and the cheese sauce.

Kraft

Price: N/A

Now, Kraft here is more of a control. The rest of these reviews are from restaurants, but I felt it was necessary to pay homage to the OG classic, Kraft. Although the taste of Kraft mac n cheese is not the most flavorful, it does have a nostalgic aspect to it. When taking a spoonful right from the pot, it brings me back to a simpler time. Coming home to my mom cooking up some delicious macaroni. Overall, despite the lack of cheesiness (considering the cheese is powder and milk) and the mediocre taste, this mac n cheese left me satisfied with my meal.

Rating: 6/10

Noodles and Co

Price: $4.49/$5.89

I have a love-hate relationship with Noodles and Co. In my sophomore year, I used to go there weekly between my choir rehearsals with my friend Julianna, as it was between the two. Every Tuesday, I eat my own weight in mac n cheese. The stretchiness of the cheese is one that every other place on here lacks, and the small elbow noodle allows it to have that classic feeling of comfort. Although this is probably my favorite cheap macaroni and cheese, after getting food poisoning from some nasty chicken at Noodles and Co, I often question if it’s worth it to go back (it is). This macaroni is a great meal for you and a friend to sit and have a nice chat over, taking your time to enjoy.

Rating: 8/10

Panera

Price: $4.99/$7.99

Panera mac n cheese, although delicious, is one I hold little emotion to. The cheesiness, although delicious, is often a bit heavy, drowning the noodles. Their use of a large shell noodle is one that I respect greatly, as it’s shape manages to carry cheese to your mouth like a little boat. A small Panera mac n cheese is a great little to-go food for when you only have a few minutes between events…unless you get stuck in the never-ending drive-thru line. One thing to note is the huge difference between the small and large sizes. The small looks quite tiny, but it is filling, and the large is MASSIVE!! I promise you will get your money’s worth on this one.

Rating: 7/10

Potbelly

Price: N/A

I ate Potbelly mac n cheese for the first time on the AP Lit field trip. With this, I realized it was the missing piece to this mac n cheese puzzle. The cheesiness of this dish was unbelievable, and the large elbow noodles were quite classic. Despite it’s delicious smell and appearance, when you begin to bite into this meal, you are greeted with an almost bitter taste. This mac n cheese was probably the biggest let down on this list, as it left me feeling disappointed in the taste, as well as a little nauseous.

Rating: 3/10

Studio Movie Grill

Price: $10.00

You might be wondering why I chose to include this random mac n cheese recipe. Before this, every restaurant has been fairly well known, however, I need to share the glory of this meal with you, as it is the BEST mac n cheese I have ever tasted. When you think of a fancier mac n cheese, this dish comes to mind. Even so, it still has such a comforting taste and feel. The macaroni comes with two crunchy pieces of buttery garlic bread, as well as bread crumbs sprinkled perfectly across it. The curly tubed noodles, although a bit unconventional, allow you to take your time with this one, and really enjoy what you’re eating. This fine food, along with the aspect of watching a movie while eating it, is by far the best way you can treat yourself to some fancy macaroni and cheese.

Rating: 10/10

As a kid, did you ever get blamed for something you didn’t do? Maybe your sibling stole a cookie from the jar, but you got in trouble. As we grow up, we are told that we belong with certain groups, specific types of people, and it is then assumed that each individual in these groups is the exact same. That’s why, even though your sister stole the cookie, you still got in trouble, because you’re the one who is “expected” to be naughty.

As humans, we tend to make immediate judgments of people, often affecting how we see them even after getting to know them. We form stereotypes to lump people into categories, making it easier for us to comprehend individual personalities. As we do this, it becomes easy to overlook those individual characteristics people hold.

In Lamb to the Slaughter by Roald Dahl, the protagonist, Mary Maloney, is stereotyped as a perfect housewife, allowing her to get away with the murder of her husband.

Now you might be thinking “spoiler alert, Erin!!” but in reality, this malicious murder occurs at the beginning of the scene, setting up a short story filled with dark humor. We see Mary murder her husband and proceed to continue on with her normal life, erasing her as a suspect, as the police see her as a helpless housewife. 

Since I’ve gotten your attention now, I also want to bring up the author. Roald Dahl? We know him for his loving and fun children’s books, but now he’s writing about a murder? I think that Dahl is able to add a sense of playfulness throughout the story due to his experience with writing children’s novels.

The entire short story seems a bit off from the beginning, UK Essays mentioning that Mary has everything preplanned, very ritualistically. Her entire aura is very eerily perfect as if she is about to snap.

Although Roald Dahl goes about it in an extreme way, the idea that women have no power to do anything drastic is completely disregarded by Mary’s impulsive actions. We see Mary throughout the beginning of the novel tending to her husband’s every need, obsessing over his arrival home, showing her lack of power throughout. Soon after, her husband claims he is leaving her and she proceeds to knock him dead with a lamb leg. Her power is even further emphasized as she hides her involvement in the murder, fooling the police and other citizens of her innocence.

On the short story review blog, The Sitting Bee, the writer talks about the gender roles we see, as the police clearly state that a “man” killed Mary’s husband. I feel that this is a giant factor in the way Mary hides the murder. Rather than running away from it, she welcomes the investigation, creating a mirage of innocence. By doing this, we also begin to see the dark side of Mary, a cynical and cold-hearted side.

The complete disregard for Mary when her husband says he is leaving allows for her to truly see the real side of him, someone who doesn’t care for her, solely using her for her love. Mary sees this and takes action.

The actual title, “Lamb to the Slaughter,” in itself has many layers. Right off the bat, we see the obvious correlation between the murder weapon and the title, but I also wanted to discuss the meaning of the title as a whole.

We all know the common term about a lamb to the slaughter, but throughout the short story, I was left wondering, who is the “lamb?”

The obvious choice is the poor victim of Mary’s brute, her husband. But after thinking, could it possibly be the police, clueless of their suspect? Or could it even be Mary?

Every character seems to put themselves into an impossible situation, but that’s what makes it all the more interesting. Every character is so unaware of those around them, and Mary just watches it all unfold with joy.

My favorite part of this short story is the dark humor throughout. One special highlight is after the police begin to eat the now cooked leg lamb that Mary serves to them, mentioning how they feel the murder weapon is “right under their noses.” Mary proceeds to giggle at the sound of this, emphasizing her realization of her own power.

I think that although Mary is by no means a good person, she embodies the empowerment of females. After being controlled for her entire life, she is able to take that control back and rise to power in her life. She giggles giddily after tricking the police, as she just took control not only of her husband’s life but of all those lives around her. 

I think as a female, I could learn a little from the spontaneity of Mary Maloney and her rise to power…maybe I can just ignore the murder part.